How hard is the NCSN exam

bergren · Sep 13, 2004

It was harder and longer than I thought it was going to be. 250 questions. Harder in that some of it felt more like an undergraduate Pediatric exam with very specific questions about specific conditions than a practicing professional's exam that was measuring critical thinking in school health. I had a flight to catch and did not have time to waffle on answers. I had to go with my best guess after narrowing down and I think in ther long run it was probably a good thing. I was tired by the end of the test. There were a lot of questions that if you never had a child in your caseload with a diagnosis, you would not know the answer, and in practice, you would have to look it up anyway. I was shocked at the number of questions on tinea capitus and pediatric renal disease. Less emphasis on public health and casefinding and health promotion to populations than one would expect and more emphasis on acute pediatrics in schools that one actually deals with. I really did not "study" for it, but did look at the practice materials. Other than the hints we posted in the other thread, I do not think studying more would have helped me much. I did not take a prep course, but if it had been convenient, I probably would have and it would have given me more confidence. Good luck.

jmcclure · Sep 9, 2009

I am starting a new position as a school nurse and need to get my national certification within 3 years. Its has been YEARS since I have been back "studying". Would love to hear feedback from those of you who have already completed this exam and tips on what materials to focus on.
Thanks :rotfl:

It is difficult due to the amount of information. I successfully certified/recertified the CEN 3 times. There was a core cirriculum for that. I highly recommend the NASN School Nurse Certification Review and School Nursing: A Comprehensive Text. Study slowly and methodically.

John McClure RN NCSN

Artistyc1 · Sep 10, 2009

I just took the test in August, and passed. I had done a lot of studying to prepare for this. The books that John McClure suggested helped the most, all the answers are right there. Give yourself a lot of time to prepare for it, as Martha stated the truth- it is not a measure of problem solving or critical thinking.

Another thing that helped a LOT- "Pearls Review", which is an online CE site. They have a number of CE offerings that were good to help prepare me for the test taking for the NCSN. You pay one fee, and can access it for a year. They have suggestions for which CE modules to study for school nursing. Good luck. If you would like a little more information, e-mail me privately.