PSB Registered Nursing School Exam at Collin Collage 2018

Published

Hello, everybody!

I have recently completed taking the PSB test at Collin College and this post will be a complete summary of the exam and my experiences. I figured I would take the time to write this post as I found there is very little complete information online regarding the PSB test verses other entrance exams such as the TEAS.

The PSB exam that is taken for the nursing program at Collin College is the Registered Nursing School Aptitude Exam. Not the Health Occupations Nursing Exam or the Aptitude for Practical Nursing Exam. I have seen this confuse some individuals so I thought I would clarify.

Since Collin College no longer uses a points system for their nursing school applicants I was told at a nursing information session to be competitive one should strive to score in the 40th percentile or better on the PSB exam and its sections. I was also told they will look at individual sections of the PSB. As an example, they would take into more consideration of how well you did on your arithmetic questions than your spelling questions.

I studied using the Mometrix PSB study guide which I purchased off of Amazon. Via the Collin College Nursing website homepage in the PSB section there is a resource list with books and other study materials that can be provided through the library at the Central Park campus. I did not use any of the available Collin College resources. I also watched plenty of Crash Course and other YouTube videos. Overall, I felt I did not study as much as I thought I would need to going into the exam which caused me to be excessively stressed before the exam. Spoiler - I was overly stressed for no reason.

One of the first important points I do wish to convey is the PSB test is now taken via computer rather than on paper. The testing center did supply scratch paper for the exam. Because it is computer-based you will have your results presented to you immediately following the exam. There is also a timer present on the exam program. You are free to move from any question during the section you are working on. You are allowed one 3 minute break during the exam period. The exam took about two hours to complete.

Another important point to remember on the PSB is that it is scored on what you get right rather than what you get wrong. So, think of it as starting at 0% and working your way up to 100% with every question you get correct rather than starting at 100% and going further down towards 0% for every question you get wrong. Thus, I was told to answer every single question and did my best to not leave any answers blank. While leaving an answer blank will not count against you, leaving it blank will also give you a 0% chance of getting that guessed answer correct and potentially bettering your score.

For the test itself I brought two pencils and my ID for the testing center as those are the only times you are allowed to have with you during the exam. There is an area for your other personal belongings in the testing center. I was not bothered by the ambient noise in the testing room or the clicking of other individuals mouses.

The exam is broken into five timed sections. I will be posting my percentile scores for each section, not to be conceited, but to show what I have scored verses the time I actually prepared for the exam.

The first section is the Academic Aptitude section which contains 90 questions with a time limit of 30 minutes. There are three types of questions that are shuffled all together within the section. I went through the entire section and completed each question type one at a time. First completing the non-verbal, then the verbal, then the arithmetic. Being the first section I did feel a bit overwhelmed and was crunched for time. I did end up leaving a few answers blank as I did not get to them in time. I scored overall in the 96th percentile on this section.

The non-verbal questions were very easy. These questions are matching shapes and patterns in the "if this is to this then this is to blank" style of question. There are 30 total non-verbal questions. I scored in the 99th percentile on this sub-section.

The verbal questions were also easy. These questions are choosing the word that does not belong out of 5 total words. There are 30 total verbal questions. I scored in the 90th percentile on this sub-section.

The arithmetic questions were fairly easy as well. Mainly simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. I used a majority of the 30 minutes for these questions. This is where the scratch paper comes in the most handy. I scored in the 88th percentile on this sub-section.

The second section is the Spelling section which contains 60 questions with a time limit of 15 minutes. I feel that 15 minutes was plenty of time for this section. However, this can be tricky for those such as myself who are not stellar spellers and have always had trouble spelling since being a child. Each question has three different spellings of a word and you must select the correct spelling. I scored in the 52nd percentile on this section.

The third section is the Reading Comprehension which contains 40 questions with a time limit of 20 minutes. There were three separate passages to read. Each passage were more of a paragraph each than a short story. I read each question before reading the passage and then skimmed the passage for each answer. I was definitely pressed for time during this section but managed to answer each question. I scored in the 92nd percentile on this section.

The fourth section is the Natural Science section which contains 60 questions with a time limit of 30 minutes. A majority of the questions were biology and anatomy based. There were some very basic scientific questions as well. There were a few covering chemistry and physics. I feel that 30 minutes was enough time to complete this section. I scored in the 75th percentile on this section.

The final section is the Vocational Adjustment section with 90 questions with a time limit of 15 minutes. This section is simply selecting 'agree' or 'disagree' with the statements within the questions. I scored in the 94th percentile on this section.

All-in-all the exam was not too bad at all. I did better than what I thought I would on the exam given the minimal time I actually studied. My girlfriend who also took the exam at the same time scored 96 VE, 84 AR, 99 NE, 98 AA, 92 SP, 99 RC, 77 INS, 94 VAI. She had barely studied for the exam at all other than taking two timed practice exams.

My recommendation would be to purchase a study guide with a complete PSB practice exam and practice by doing timed exams to prepare for the stress of being in a timed situation. This is what aided me the most before taking the exam. I did a total of three timed exams.

The particular study guide did have some handy tips and tricks regarding answer selection and time management.

I feel that there is not really much you can study for the exam regarding the material itself. I probably could of brushed up on my physics and chemistry as it has been years since I have taken a course in either subject. I believe that would of helped me a little more within the Natural Science section.

To all those who are about to take the exam I will say do not stress as much as I did! The PSB is not a difficult exam by any means and caused me a lot more stress than what was warranted. Relax, manage your time, and you will do great.

Please post any questions that you may have and I will be glad to answer them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you for this tip! I am about to take my PSB tomorrow and I didn't have as much time as I wanted to prepare for the exam. I am nervous as hell but your tips have put me at ease a little bit!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks alot for sharing, I'm extremely stressed just because I don't know exactly what I need to study. I am taking my test in early May

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Can you advise what Crash courses and Youtube videos did you watch? My daughter is about to go take the test again at Collin College in May 2018. So are you saying to not leave anything blank on the test?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, I was told this at the information session at the college

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Can you advise what Crash courses and Youtube videos did you watch?

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Its been so long since ive taken it. I have a classmate taking it tomorrow, she is going to give me an idea of what the test looks like, then ill report back tomorrow

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Please do. Also can she advise on what to study for math section and her test strategy?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

REMOVED

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thank you for this tip! I am about to take my PSB tomorrow and I didn't have as much time as I wanted to prepare for the exam. I am nervous as hell but your tips have put me at ease a little bit!

You are very welcome and I hope that you did very well!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thanks alot for sharing, I'm extremely stressed just because I don't know exactly what I need to study. I am taking my test in early May

You are welcome! I know you will do great!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Can you advise what Crash courses and Youtube videos did you watch? My daughter is about to go take the test again at Collin College in May 2018. So are you saying to not leave anything blank on the test?

The main Crash Course videos that I watched were over the basics of physics and chemistry as it has been a while since I have taken a course in either subject and did not know how much of the science section would contain either of those topics. Crash Course also has plenty of videos covering biology and then anatomy and physiology. Armando Hasudungan has many very excellent videos on anatomy and physiology.

It is best to try to answer all questions on the exam.

Good luck to her and I am certain she will do great!

EDIT: Sorry, just saw the question regarding the math as well.

The math was very basic. Nothing too extreme. Adding and multiplying fractions. Finding proportions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion