Questions about the NLN RN Pre-Entrance Exam...

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Hi, I have a few questions about the NLN RN Pre-Entrance Exam (PAX) for those who have taken it.

I understand that students are not allowed to use any form of a calculator during the test; with that being the case, did you find most of the math to be pretty easy anyways? Did you use a lot of scratch paper?

Also, how in-depth is the coverage of chemistry and physics? I have heard that only a few basic topics from each discipline are tested, but I'm curious as to how much studying time I'll need to devote to learning these topics.

I actually took the TEAS a while back and did really well (99th percentile), but the test itself included a "built-in" calculator, and the science section only covered a fraction of the topics and disciplines the NLN covers.

Thanks!

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I took a few practice exams online and the math to me seems pretty easy, fractions adding, subtracting, diving multiplying. Nothing that requires a calculator. I too am curious about the in depth-ness of Chem and physics because last time I took Chem was a decade ago with a bad teacher and have never taken physics. I'm renting the PAX RN Study guide from Amazon for less than $20

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I took a few practice exams online and the math to me seems pretty easy, fractions adding, subtracting, diving multiplying. Nothing that requires a calculator. I too am curious about the in depth-ness of Chem and physics because last time I took Chem was a decade ago with a bad teacher and have never taken physics. I'm renting the PAX RN Study guide from Amazon for less than $20
I also purchased a study guide, so we'll see how it goes. The program I'm applying to doesn't even require chemistry or physics to be taken as pre-requisites, so it's kind of weird that they require their applicants to take an entrance exam that tests on both subjects.
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Definitely worth buying the book and doing all the practice tests. Also, timing is important. Math, science, and English have a certain amount of questions per time slot ( can't remember exact but like 80 questions in 60 mins?? For one section. Not each section is exact. Plus they don't grade each question, but you won't know which ones are extra.)

Math and science are not hard. English, on the other hand, is challenging. It's hard even for those that English is their first language.

So I would say focus on the English. Time your questions. Practice reading comprehension.

Where I took my test they strict about the English portion. Must get over a 50 to be considered. Check with your place to see their criteria.

Good luck!

Don't stress,and don't study the morning of the test- it's not worth it.

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Definitely worth buying the book and doing all the practice tests. Also, timing is important. Math, science, and English have a certain amount of questions per time slot ( can't remember exact but like 80 questions in 60 mins?? For one section. Not each section is exact. Plus they don't grade each question, but you won't know which ones are extra.) Math and science are not hard. English, on the other hand, is challenging. It's hard even for those that English is their first language. So I would say focus on the English. Time your questions. Practice reading comprehension. Where I took my test they strict about the English portion. Must get over a 50 to be considered. Check with your place to see their criteria. Good luck! Don't stress,and don't study the morning of the test- it's not worth it.
Thanks for the advice. I'm surprised to hear you say that the English section is the hardest; I typically do well in English courses, and I previously took the TEAS and scored really high on the English/verbal section. If you don't mind, can you be more specific regarding what was so difficult about the section? Is it the vocabulary or reading comprehension questions?
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It's a combination of both the vocabulary and the reading comprehension. You can't study the whole dictionary and you can't improve reading comprehension so quickly. English is a buildup skill from when you are young. But you definitely can practice. There are some great apps. Gre and SAT ones should help. But most importantly, TIME yourself!

I used to freak out about the science section, specifically the physics and chemistry ( we had to take a prep class which was combined physics/ chemistry, which was hell), but it was so not hard. The bio on there is simple. They might even throw in some general bio, but don't even bother studying a whole topic ( do read the book though bec. It has a nice brief summary for each topic )for like two or three questions.

We were warned about the English and it was true.

I scored in the 97 percentile for science and like in the 60th for English.

Oh, and if your school offers workshops, you should go- they help!

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It's a combination of both the vocabulary and the reading comprehension. You can't study the whole dictionary and you can't improve reading comprehension so quickly. English is a buildup skill from when you are young. But you definitely can practice. There are some great apps. Gre and SAT ones should help. But most importantly, TIME yourself! I used to freak out about the science section, specifically the physics and chemistry ( we had to take a prep class which was combined physics/ chemistry, which was hell), but it was so not hard. The bio on there is simple. They might even throw in some general bio, but don't even bother studying a whole topic ( do read the book though bec. It has a nice brief summary for each topic )for like two or three questions. We were warned about the English and it was true. I scored in the 97 percentile for science and like in the 60th for English. Oh, and if your school offers workshops, you should go- they help!
Thanks for the advice! Nope, as far as I know, the program I'm applying to doesn't offer a workshop/review course, so it looks like I'm on my own. Better get to studying...
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