PSB-RN EXAM:

Long. · Feb 1, 2010

]Aww I woke up today expecting to get some replies, but I guess not. ;(

There's gotta be someone out there!

FLmomof5 · Feb 1, 2010

I saw your post but I took it over a year ago....and honestly, I can't remember the specifics. All I remember is the guy in the testing center asking me if I got the recommended study book and I said No. He thought I was crazy and reminded me that it was highly recommended...blah, blah, blah.... But, I took it anyway and scored in the 98%ile. For me it was easy, but I also have an Elect Eng degree and a fairly high IQ.

SaraFL · Feb 1, 2010

No calculators. I bought the book but didn't use it. There were a few electrical and mechanical questions that I guessed at. There were several of those shapes questions that I am awful at.

Here's the website for the practice test:

http://www.psbtests.com/

Go to Student Applicant: Resources for Test Taking

I think you choose the RNSAE but you can explore a little (I'm at work so I can't open everything here).

Spelling was a little difficult, and they had some really off-the-wall words. My vocabulary is usually pretty good and I had never heard of a few of them. I think the main idea is can you sound stuff out and use your best judgment as to what "looks right".

You really have to pay attention the time and go quickly. I skipped several questions, especially the math/mechanical to try to speed through the others, then I came back to the skipped ones. I still had to just pick something for a few questions before I ran out of time. At least pick SOMETHING. Don't leave anything blank when your time runs out.

Hope that helps.

Ert2Rn · Apr 18, 2010

hey long did u have ure test yet? I have mine in a few weeks and was wondering how u felt urse went. Thanks!

mcRN2b · Apr 18, 2010

I just retook the math section yesterday for UPMC Shadyside. I applied to CCAC but, I have a change of heart. I am hoping for a rejection letter. I am seriously hoping that I did better on the math section this time so I can get mu application in for Shadyside. When I first took the PSB I thought I messed up the reading comp cause I ran out of time and left quite a few blank answers but, much to my surprise I had 98 in vocab, 87 in reading and 94 in science. My math was what suffered cause we don't do a lot of word problems at CCAC's math classes. I studied from the Arco book all week and put my math and A&P on hold just to get prepped and I was still so darn nervous at the retake. And I am A's and B's in my math classes. I am praying that I made it cause I think CCAC sucks!!!

Ert2Rn · Jun 11, 2010

hey did u make it into shadyside? I was planning on going to ccac, out of convience, but since im here on my husbands orders i dont have too much time. i opted for heritage valley sewickley school of nursing, which happens to be right down the rd from me. I didnt do as well as i thought i would on the test, but still made it wth in the 50th percentile, so now i just have to wait to see if i get called for an interview. to the person who posted this thread- if u havent taken ure exam yet, you are given various times to complete each section of the test. I took mine on the computer, and it automatically brought you to the next section when u either ran out of time or finished the previous part. I had a hard time with the math- not because it was hard, but bc i was given 25 minutes to answer 90 qs! i think its nore of how many qs u answer, not how many u get right. i was able to answer 71. at one point i stopped answering the numerical type questions that required thinking, lol and focused on the "this is to this, as that is to what" qs, bc they were faster, and i thought i could answer more. the spelling was insane bc i hadnt heard of more than half of the words, and i read alot!! lol i didnt even know how they were supposed to sound, so spelling was out of the question! the "psychological" part is easy, u pretty much use common sense and pick what they want to hear. reading was basic, but dont actually read the excerpt, you wont have time to answer all the qs. hope this helps!!

allnurses Guide · Jun 11, 2010

Honestly I didn't study, pretty much forgot I needed to take it until a "Doh!" moment when I woke the day of it and scrambled to get down there, and I scored extremely high. I was surprised at the exam being as easy as it was.

The spelling looks overwhelming. Cover up section and look only at the line you are on. Don't second guess yourself. If you have a solid spelling base and know your basic spelling rules you can get it right even if you have never seen the word before. Go with your gut.

The science section was just basic chemisty, biology, A&P and earth science.

The reading portion was dull and complicated.

The math portion was pretty breezy.

Just remember - you are only scored on those questions you actually answer. So if you don't finish a section, don't panic and DEFINITELY don't go filling in circles willy nilly. Just leave them blank. They don't count against you.

Best advice - relax, eat a good breakfast beforehand, take a little walk during the break to get your blood flowing again, don't eat a bunch of carbs before or during the break. And then just trust yourself.

8674 · Jun 11, 2010

Which books should I buy to study for the PSB test. Any suggestions please

mcRN2b · Jun 12, 2010

Well, I did get accepted into Shadyside and attended the information session on Wed. this week. I am not sure if it is wise to leave blank questions if you run out of time. I guessed what I could and left only 2 questions blank when I retook the math section and passed with an 80. You might want to clarify that with the one who will sit the exams. I like the Arco book better than the Barrons. The math section in the Barrons example questions are much harder than what's on the PSB (my opinion). The Arco book breaks things down really well. Watch out for the science. I passed it with flying colors but, for someone not coming fresh from A&P1, Micro and Bio, it might be a pain. So, revise well for that. The reading comprehension in my opinion was much easier than the NET that CCAC used to use as a pre-entrance exam before they started using the PAX-RN. The questions were very straight forward. I got in the high 80s on that and it was bacause I could have read much faster (I thought I failed that part). Peterson's Arco book is the best.

tmow86 · Jun 22, 2010

Hello! This is actually my first post!! :)

I am getting ready to take the PSB for St Margaret's SON July 21. I have the McGraw-Hills study guide. I am a bit confused on how it is scored. Do you get partial credit for at least answering it since they say to NOT leave any blank? I am nervous, I have been out of school since 1997 and DO NOT remember any of this stuff. I did however just finish AP I with an 87% and I got a B last summer in Chem. I just need refreshed on the grammar stuff and simple math basic!

I am going to apply to BC3/ST Mags/Shadyside. I like the fact that Shadyside has a part time evening/weekend program that will enable me to still work part time.

allnurses Guide · Jun 23, 2010

Yours must be different then than ours. We were specifically told we were only scored on those we answer. Of course, the number of questions answered figures into the overall percentile. Best of luck. I scored in the high 90s on each aspect of the exam.