NLN Exam Questions.

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

Hi Dawn, and Welcome! Sorry, I never had to take the NLN exam so I can't tell you how difficult it is. The yuck factor - yes, in my experience, there are procedures that you get used to, but I think there will probably always be a couple of things that might gross you out. Sorry I can't help more...good luck!:)

Nrs_angie, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

I am considering going into nursing and I am in the process of studying for the NLN Exam. The study guide seems hard to me. I graduated a business college 6 years ago and some of the questions are still stumping me. Is it as hard as it seems? Can you use a calculator?
Also, do you have to take this test each time you apply to a different school? Or can they just send the results to many schools?
One more VERY important question if you please. Is the "yuck" factor of nursing something you get desensitized to eventually? Or, do you have to be born with the mind to see horrible things? I believe I have the desire, but sometimes emergency situations are my downside!
Thanks for the advice.
Dawn

Hey Dawn,

I am not sure what the NLN exam is.... Before I was accepted to my nursing school I had to take a NET which is Nurse's Entrance Test and it didnt even have any nursing questions. It was just high school level math, science, reading comprehension, ect. :rolleyes:

What is on the NLN and what questions are stumping you? So far in nursing school we have not been allowed to use calculators to take exams... But the questions have been calculations that you can figure out on paper. I have never needed a calculator unless I was feeling really lazy. :coollook:

Gross things don't seem to bother me. When you take anatomy you will have to disect animals and if you can get through that... then you will do fine. It really is not that bad. Your mind says I am a nurse and I have to do this. You are focussing so much on what you have to do at the moment that you are not thinking how "gross" something is. It is amazing how if you really want to be a nurse you will do what you have set out to do. The mind is wonderful like that. Don't forget, you do not have to work in th Emergency dept. You can be a nurse on a Med-Surg unit where you will see much less "yucky" things.

blee1 · Apr 12, 2005

I took the NLN exam and did well. It covers basic alg (make sure you know decimals real well div/mult), sciences (review basic chem/phys/a&p/bio), and eng comp as well as vocab.

You can only take the test once every 6 months and you can send it to as many schools as you want (for an extra charge of course). Oh yah and you cant use a calc.

Let me know if you got anymore questions...

domestikgodes · Apr 13, 2005

Hmmm, I have NLN exams evey semester at our school. They use them- with specific topics- as reference for where we are, or rather, how well we have understood the topic. They are Because they are specific to topics, they most likely different than the one you would take for an entrance exam.

I wanted to say something about grossing out. I know most of us worry so much about poop and barf before we ever encounter it! However, i have found that when you are in it, up to your knees sometimes, it doesn't really matter. You get so focused on helping the patient, cleaning them up, and maintaining their dignity that you lose the gag factor. It becomes more about treating the pt like you would want to be treated in a similar situation. That's how i have always gotten thru it. Oh, a good sense of humor never hurts! Truely, sometimes you can smell smells for hours later!

It is never a dull moment in nursing school! Oh yea, I graduate in Dec from a BSN prog.

soontobe_RN · Apr 14, 2005

Hello and welcome! I am currently a nursing student in DE. I did take the NLN and I actually did fairly well on it. The NLN isn't that hard, however, it is very time consuming. I took it a year ago. The best advice I can give is:

1) RELAXE!!! Don't stress yourself out.

2) Learn as many prefixes, suffixes, & roots as you can. The reason for this is b/c on the NLN, in the reading section, it will ask for synonyms and antonyms for words you have never even heard of. If you know parts of the words you can more than likely figure out what the word means. Trust me on this!!

3) get a full nights rest before the exam

4) eat a bowl of healthy cereal for breakfast (Cheerios, Frosted Mini-Wheats, etc).

5) Wear comfortable clothing!!! This is extremely important b/c if you are unconfortable, you will defocus from the exam and won't do as well.

6) Lastly, reveiw the basic math skills, (multiplication, division, long division, fractions, decimals, rounding, finding the mean, median, ect).

As for the rest of the sections on the NLN, you either know it or you don't. Like I said try not to stress and follow the suggestions that were given to me. You will befine :)

Good Luck,

Jennifer

PS. as for being able to stomach nursing, I really don't have any advice on that. I fortuantly have never had a problem with stomaching the different things nurses need to do. Don't worry you will know if you can handle it or not by the time you finish the labs in Anatomy & Physiology.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 6, 2005

I am considering going into nursing and I am in the process of studying for the NLN Exam. The study guide seems hard to me. I graduated a business college 6 years ago and some of the questions are still stumping me. Is it as hard as it seems? Can you use a calculator?
Also, do you have to take this test each time you apply to a different school? Or can they just send the results to many schools?
One more VERY important question if you please. Is the "yuck" factor of nursing something you get desensitized to eventually? Or, do you have to be born with the mind to see horrible things? I believe I have the desire, but sometimes emergency situations are my downside!
Thanks for the advice.
Dawn

Hello,

I took the NLN exam about three weeks ago and to be honest with you it was easier than the review guide to me. I work 2 jobs plus full time school, I just couldn't sit down and study but decided to give it a try anyways.

I did some of the practice tests in the review guide and missed lots of them, however the english and math were much simpler and easier than those in the guide. It is the same exact format and type of questions though.

The science was brutal to me, it had lots of physics and chemistry. I have never taken physics nor does my school offer it. I pretty much guessed on those. According to our nursing director, it is best to guess on any question you might not know rather than leaving it blank. You do not get penalized for guessing, the score is based on the number of questions answered correctly.

I have been waiting for my results, and let me tell you it is not easy having to wait. Of course upon leaving I felt I did horrible, but I cannot say that for sure until I get my results. I pray I pass.

Good Luck to you, :)

Jessica