Passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) is one of the final milestones on the way to becoming a working Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). practical nurse. Here’s a rundown on the exam for those thinking about an LPN career.
What is the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses?
The NCLEX-PN is a general standardized test that is administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). It tests your ability to practice as a safe entry-level practical nurse. This test isn’t about just memorizing information. It’s designed to assess your critical thinking and clinical judgment ability, rooted in applying what you learn about the practical aspects of nursing to real-life scenarios.
The Exam Format: Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT)
The NCLEX-PN isn’t like exams you may have taken before where everyone taking the test simply answers the same questions in the same order with a set time limit. Instead, the NCLEX-PN uses a computerized adaptive testing format. Here’s how it works:
- Each time you answer a question, your response determines what question you get next.
- If you answer a question right, the next one will be slightly harder.
- If you answer wrong, the next question is easier.
- The system continually tests your competency, then automatically ends the exam after it’s 95% sure you passed or failed.
The number of questions you answer can be anywhere from 85 to 150 over the course of 5 hours (with breaks).
What the Exam Covers: The Four “Client Needs” Categories
The NCLEX-PN question material is organized into four main categories to evaluate your knowledge of making safe and effective nursing decisions.
- Safe and Effective Care Environment: This section tests your knowledge of legal and ethical responsibilities, delegation and prioritization of workload, and issues related to safety (like infection control, accident prevention, and hazardous materials risk management).
- Health Promotion and Maintenance: The questions in this category relate to preventive care, health screening, and patient instruction. You’ll be tested on the aging process, developmental stages, and lifestyle factors, and how they affect a patient’s health.
- Psychosocial Integrity: This module includes the ability to provide care responsive to a patient’s mental, emotional, and social health, including stress management, coping strategies, and use of therapeutic communication.
- Physiological Integrity: This category is the largest part of the examination, and it contains four subcategories: Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential, and Physiological Adaptation. These questions cover everything from how to administer medication to how to manage fluid levels and spot signs of complications.
Your Path to Success Starts with IMBC
Our Practical Nursing Program at IMBC has been specifically designed to give you the knowledge, critical-thinking skills, and hands-on experience to prepare you for the NCLEX-PN. Enroll today or contact us for more information about the LPN career path and how you can get your start by training at IMBC.
