Nursing Entrance Test, An Introduction

One of the biggest hurtles that aspiring nursing school students must face is the Nursing Entrance Test. This is a nationally standardized test that is administered prior to placing students on the long waiting list for nursing school. Even if the student has passed all the prerequisites required for admission, such as anatomy and physiology, English 131 and 132, Sociology, Pharmacology, and Chemistry, this doesn't guarantee admission to nursing school.

Most RN as well as LVN/LPN nursing schools are now requiring an entrance exam. The most popular is the NET, or Nursing Entrance Test. It is a computer-based test which consists of seven parts. These include:

* math skills (from basics through algebra)

* reading comprehension (at the 10th grade level) for science textbooks

* a reading rate exam

* an evaluation of test-taking skills

* a stress level profile

* a social interaction profile

* learning style evaluation

Although there are required passing grades, of a C at the least, the Nursing Entrance Test must be passed in order to be put on the list for admission to nursing school. This is by far the most nerve racking test that students must face. The main reason for this anxiety is that many students have come into the test either unprepared or just overconfident. Unfortunately, the preparatory literature that is currently available does not do complete justice to covering all that is necessary for the Nursing Entrance Test.

Most schools require at least a score of 50 on the math and reading comprehension sections. Students must be able to comprehend science textbooks which are written at a 10th grade reading level. This is considered to be the "norm" for adult reading levels for college applicants. Algebra is essential for medication calculations. The two combined give a good indication of the ability to use critical thinking skills which are essential to RN programs.

If you're a prospective nursing student still in high school, you can do a number of things to prepare yourself. First, talk to your school guidance counselor. He or she can point you in the direction of appropriate schools and help determine your course of study. Most nursing programs will look for two to four years of math and science, four years of English, one to two years of health studies, and some foreign language and computer science skills.

Most of the prep books cover a plethora of topics associated with various exams offered in the many fields of health care. This is insufficient for the knowledge that is required for passing the Nursing Entrance Test. Those who feel that the test is simply a remedial exercise in review are surprised when they sit for the test, because many have forgotten some basic math and algebra principals. Unfortunately, there are those who have been away from school for such a long time that when they sit for the exam they do very poorly. Some students have never learned math skills efficiently enough to be able to apply them in a test setting. The key to remedy much of this stress is to provide those students that are going to be taking the test with materials that will prepare them for exactly what to expect in the same method that the test is administered.

There is another level of stress that has been added to the test recently. That is, that the student is now only allowed to fail up to three times. After which, the student can no longer enroll in the nursing program at that particular school. For instance, Henry Ford Community College has now adopted this rule. This is very annoying and frustrating to those students who have taken all of their prerequisites and are on their last chance. They are faced with having to transfer their credits to another nursing school program and take the test again at another school. This prolongs their admission to nursing school which is usually a two to three year wait at the minimum. Some students have opted to take a refresher math course. However, this is in no way a guarantee that they will pass the Nursing Entrance Test. Much of the math in a remedial math course is not sufficient to pass the Nursing Entrance Test.