Another requirement to retake the exam is to undergo minimum 15 hours of education in an area of weakness shown by the test report. Similarly, we suggest that you try the test a maximum of 4 times. After that last step, you should be a full-fledged Nurse Practitioner. To revise, we can say that the whole process of becoming a nurse practitioner may require a maximum of 14 years after graduating from high school. The minimum, however, is a mere 6 years. But that will require you to work extremely hard.