NCLEX/REx PN

All You Need to Know

The following are strategies to consider when preparing to write your license.

Applicants may choose to use all or some of these suggestions or may decide to develop their own strategies for taking the test. Regardless of how they choose to prepare for their test, all applicants should evaluate their learning needs and upgrade their skills and knowledge where needed before attempting the test.

Review CNO’s practice documents.
If you are an internationally educated nurse, consider enrolling in a program offered by an educational institution designed to help applicants to CNO become familiar with current nursing practice in Ontario.
If English or French is not your first language, take an English or French language course that emphasizes both written and oral skills.
Consider joining a nursing peer support group. These groups can provide suggestions for preparing to write the exam.
Review the test plan. The Test Plan details the content areas that the NCLEX/REx-PN tests. It also describes how the exam is structured, including length and scoring.
Review questions , which can be downloaded in English and French. The preview allows you to review exam items similar to the REx-PN/NCLEX items you’ll see on test day. The preview is a static exam that is not scored nor a predictor of whether you will pass or fail your actual exam.

Some applicants may choose to enrol in an examination preparation course that may help them review content and learn techniques for computer adaptive tests.

You may find prep courses helpful in preparing to write the exam, but the choice of what will help you prepare is yours. Third-party vendors may develop and offer preparation courses, but it is important to know that they do not have access to the question banks. CNO is aware of some prep courses being developed in English but cannot attest to their success in helping someone to prepare to write the exams.

Information provided from CNO website

Exam Question Types

These include:

Drag-and-Drop: When choosing a response, test-takers can drag an option to the answer box, keeping in mind that multiple answers might be correct. Test-takers can also drag the option back to its original list or eliminate it from the question entirely.

Drop-Down: This involves a section that offers a selection of drop-down choices for completing a sentence or paragraph, with each choice presenting three to five potential answers.
Drag-and-Drop Rational: This query involves a question with either a singular cause and effect or dual causes. Test-takers can select an answer from a list and place it over a specified target. They can easily drag the answer back to the list or remove it if they want to change their choice. This method ensures a dynamic and interactive approach to assessing understanding, allowing for a straightforward and efficient evaluation process.
Drop Down Rationale and Table: This type of question involves one sentence that outlines a cause and its effects, potentially leading to multiple outcomes. The response might take the form of a dyad, consisting of a single sentence with two options to choose from, or a triad, presenting a single sentence accompanied by three selectable options.
Matrix Multiple Choice and Response: These inquiries consist of four to ten lines, each offering two or three choices. Participants must select one option per line to proceed. Completing all selections is mandatory before moving on to the subsequent question.
Multiple Response Select N: This type stands out from other multiple-choice questions because test-takers select only a specified number of options, unlike in other formats where they might be allowed to choose all that apply.
Multiple Response Grouping: The multiple-choice question format involves a structured table containing two to five categories, each offering two to four choices. All categories feature an equal number of options, requiring test-takers to make at least one selection per category to proceed.
Highlight Text and Table: Taste-takers select key parts of the text to pinpoint what’s crucial for the task at hand. The type of question features answers broken down into manageable pieces, with a limit of ten options available. Test-takers have the flexibility to choose or remove options as they deem appropriate.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation CPR/ Basic Life Support BLS

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until spontaneous breathing and heartbeat can be restored. It is recommended for those who are unresponsive with no breathing or abnormal breathing, for example, agonal respirations.

CPR involves chest compressions for adults between 5 cm (2.0 in) and 6 cm (2.4 in) deep and at a rate of at least 100 to 120 per minute. The rescuer may also provide artificial ventilation by either exhaling air into the subject's mouth or nose (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) or using a device that pushes air into the subject's lungs (mechanical ventilation). Current recommendations emphasize early and high-quality chest compressions over artificial ventilation; a simplified CPR method involving only chest compressions is recommended for untrained rescuers.

Cardiac arrest, heart attack and heart failure.

These terms may seem interchangeable, but they are not. Understanding the difference between the three is important for getting the right treatment, and potentially saving a life. Dr. Farhan Bhanji a professor, attending physician and he represents Heart & Stroke on international resuscitation committees:

Heart attack

A heart attack is when the flow of blood to part of the heart muscle gets blocked. Without oxygen, that section of the heart begins to die. Depending on how long blood is cut off, the results can be mild damage, or it could be massive — even fatal.

Dr. Bhanji says the earlier you identify a heart attack, the better a person’s chance for survival.

“If someone is having chest pains, is sweating, has pain radiating to the shoulder, the arm, the jaw, or looks uncomfortable, you need to get them to the hospital as soon as possible.”

Cardiac arrest

A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating and oxygen-carrying blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any age, for a variety of reasons, including a heart attack. This is a medical emergency that requires immediate action: call 9-1-1, perform CPR and use an AED (automated external defibrillator) as soon as one is available until emergency help arrives.

“For all intents and purposes, that person is dead at that point, and if you don’t act they will not survive,” says Dr. Bhanji. “If you do act, you can double their chance of survival.”

Only one in 10 Canadians who have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest will survive to go home to their families.

“Most of the cardiac arrests that happen are in a home setting or environment where if there’s anyone around, it’s going to be your loved one,” says Dr. Bhanji.

Heart failure

Heart failure is a condition where the heart is weakened or damaged and cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to the body. It can be caused by many things, but most commonly it develops as a result of damage from a heart attack or high blood pressure (hypertension).

Someone with heart failure may feel shortness of breath, tiredness, swelling in the feet and ankles and bloating. There is no cure for heart failure but early diagnosis, lifestyle changes and appropriate drug treatments can help you maintain a normal, active life.

Learn CPR today

At its most basic, CPR is as simple as pushing hard and fast on the centre of the person’s chest (think to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive”).

Dr. Bhanji says it is everyone’s responsibility to learn CPR – and how to use an AED – so that we are prepared for any heart related emergency.

“It’s a really scary moment, but we need to be able to act on these things and the best way to be able to do this is to take a CPR course with Heart & Stroke, or practise while you watch a video.”