Re: Preparation for CRNE
Let's share it with everyone.
Organization of the exam
The breakdown of the multiple choice questions (about 300) on the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam is as follows
-40% per cent (120 questions) are presented as independent questions
-60% 180 (questions) are presented within case scenarios. Typically a case scenario gives a patient situation and then includes three to five questions.
If you are planning to write the CRNE in 2010 the plan is to have short answer questions re-introduced to the exam . These questions will be anywhere from 15-25% of the marks. A short answer question typically has a one to three word answer and can be worth anywhere from one to three marks.
The following are called
contextual variables and represent the context of the questions:
Type of health care recipient:
individual = 40-50%
Family 25 = 30%
Group Population Community = 20-30%
Age and Lifespan
0-18 yrs = 20-30%
19-64 years = 54-70%
65-79 yrs = 12-20%
over 80 years 3-8%
Culture - exam does not test specific variables of individual practices linked to different cultures but does test the basics of cultural competency and questions are worded to measure awareness and sensitivity to diversity.
Health situations - exam questions test a cross section of health situations, sometimes with more than one health condition being in one question as the patient is viewed holistically. Health situations that reflect stable and unstable patient conditions will be tested.
Health care environment - it is assumed that nurses work in a number of different environments. The specific environment may not be specified (clinic, home, communities) as it is assumed that nursing practice can occur in any environment of setting where a nurse is engaged in the practice of nursing. This brings up the issue of community health nursing which is an entry level competency for nurses in Canada.
That is the structure and context of the exam but there is so much more to it that that. It is important to understand the level of critical thinking which is really about the taxonomy of the questions.
Go to the Canadian Nurses Association Website and look at the competencies. You will also need to know the Code of Ethics. Both are available on the web.
Anything else??
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