Published May 23, 2011
NeuroNP
352 Posts
Anyone know of a good place to get CEN practice questions/test? I've got a book (Pass CEN) that has some, so I don't really want to pay for more, but it'd be great if there were some more out there. I find that I do best by doing lots of practice questions. Not only does it help cement my understanding, but it bolsters my confidence when I start getting a lot correct! Starting NP school in the fall (I'm also planning to take the CCRN this summer!!) and I'd really like to have this under my belt before then!
Thanks,
Bryan
emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B
2,942 Posts
Free? Nope. You'll need to pay for those practice questions.
LegzRN
300 Posts
If you pay the 50 or 75 bucks, you can get ones from the BCEN website. It comes as a few practice tests that you can retake as many times as you want, and they're worth ~6ceus a piece.
mwboswell
561 Posts
There are FREE ones out there, you just have to search for them. One of the problems with "FREE" is that they aren't necessarially quality or reliable questions. Some online websites lure you in with FREE questions just to sell you a product. However, with diligent searching you can find some (trust me I've found them). Also you need to look at who's writing them and their motivation. Check their credentials; the person writing them should be CEN certified, should have taken the test recently AND should be active in CEN education/preparation.
murphyle, BSN, RN
279 Posts
I agree with Legz: get the ENA's test book. For $62 and tax/shipping you get five full-length practice tests plus two full-length online tests, written by the people who design the test, and it's worth CEU credit. As far as I'm concerned it was worth every penny. There are free question banks out there, but you'll get what you pay for: the questions are apt to be out of date, poorly written, or outright wrong.
Best of luck to you!
ImThatGuy, BSN, RN
2,139 Posts
Did any of you that did a practice test do so before reading any study material? If so, how'd you do on it?
crb613, BSN, RN
1,632 Posts
If you do order from ENA I think you will need to test before July 2011. The test is changing in July, so the book will not be up to date for testing after July....y'all correct me if I am wong on this.
Any good recommendations?
Like I said, I've got a book with a website (haven't really looked at it yet) so I don't really want to spend a lot of extra $$. I've already registered to take the test (need to schedule a date) so I have to take it by July anyway.
I agree with Legz: get the ENA's test book. For $62 and tax/shipping you get five full-length practice tests plus two full-length online tests, written by the people who design the test, and it's worth CEU credit. As far as I'm concerned it was worth every penny. There are free question banks out there, but you'll get what you pay for: the questions are apt to be out of date, poorly written, or outright wrong.Best of luck to you!
How did you figure $62...?????
The book is $61.95 (for members) and $78.50 (for non members)
Shipping is $18.50 (for members) and $23.50 (for non members)
So...
Member price total is: $80.45
Non Member price total is: $102.00
To get member pricing you have to purchase/be an active member which is $100/year for most states.
I agree with Legz: get the ENA's test book. For $62 and tax/shipping
...which, as you so helpfully pointed out, is the aforementioned $18.50. :)
I quoted the member price under the assumption that the OP would have at least considered ENA membership at some point, considering that A) it's our major professional organization in emergency nursing, and B) membership gives you a bunch of discounts on educational opportunities, including the CEN exam itself ($220 for members vs. $360 for non-members - there's your $100 membership saved right there, and then some). Apparently that was a bad assumption, for which I apologize.
Back to the discussion at hand. A Google search for "free CEN review" turned up only one site with test questions, and there appeared to be only 17 of them. Everything else I found fell into the "five free questions, pay to see the rest" category. If cost is an issue, you may be smarter to borrow a review book from your hospital's or local university's medical library. If nothing else, they're bound to have a copy of Sheehy's that you can study from in conjunction with your existing review book. You might also ask your department educator (if available) or your hospital's clinical education department if they have any resources you can borrow.
Are you currently working? Jeez, it's less than a hundred buck and, as I see it, it's a pretty good investment IMHO. Loosen those purse strings Ebeneezer Scrooge.
I am an ENA member. You're right, if you're going to take the CEN, it doesn't make any sense NOT to be a member. I joined recently along with several people from work and so we got a group discount. Joining if you're taking the CEN is basically taking the CEN and getting a membership for a year for free.