Numbers and Operations
30%of exam
Measurement
35%of exam
Algebra
17.5%of exam
Data and Information
17.5%of exam
Quick Facts
- Test
- NEX Mathematics
- Items
- 45 total, 40 scored
- Time
- 60 minutes
- Pace
- About 80 seconds each
- Choices
- Four, no guessing penalty
- Pass
- No NLN cut score
- RN median
- 72.5% correct
- Calculator
- Basic four-function only
- Blueprint
- Jan 26 2026
Order of Operations
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
Parentheses, then exponentsMultiply/divide left to rightAdd/subtract left to right
Ratio vs Proportion
Ratio
- One comparison
- 3 to 4
- Part to part
Proportion
- Two equal ratios
- Cross multiply
- Solves for unknown
Compare vs solve
Percent Problem Picker
- Percent and whole known→Multiply them(Gives the part)
- Part and percent known→Divide part by percent(Gives the whole)
- Part and whole known→Divide part by whole(Gives the percent)
- Price after discount→Multiply by remaining percent
- Price after tax→Multiply by 1.08 for 8%
- Increase or decrease asked→Change over original
- Fraction to percent→Divide, move point right
Scored Item Counts
- Numbers and Operations
- 12 items30%
- Measurement
- 14 items35%
- Algebra
- 7 items17.5%
- Data and Information
- 7 items17.5%
- Pilot items
- 5 unscored, look identical
- Computation
- 15 items38%
- Problem solving
- 25 items63%
- Math share
- 28% of full NEX
Fraction Division
Keep, Change, Flip
Keep the first fractionChange to multiplyFlip the divisor
Percent Of vs Percent Change
Percent of
- Rate times whole
- Answer is a part
- 20% of 85 = 17
Percent change
- Change over original
- Answer is a rate
- 50 to 60 = 20%
Original is the denominator
Fraction Operation Picker
- Adding or subtracting→Common denominator(Then add tops)
- Multiplying→Go straight across(No common denominator)
- Dividing→Multiply by reciprocal(Flip the divisor)
- Comparing two fractions→Cross multiply(Compare the products)
- Mixed number appears→Convert to improper first
- Answer not listed→Simplify to lowest terms
Fraction Moves
- Add or subtract
- Common denominator first
- Multiply
- Straight across, no denominator
- Divide
- Flip second, then multiply
- Mixed to improper
- Whole times bottom plus top
- Improper to mixed
- Divide, remainder stays on top
- Simplify
- Divide both by GCF
- Compare
- Cross multiply, compare products
- Reciprocal
- Flip top and bottom
Computation vs Problem Solving
Computation
- 15 scored items
- Direct calculation
- 38% of items
Problem solving
- 25 scored items
- Word problems
- 63% of items
Most items are words
Decimal and Percent Moves
- Fraction to decimal
- Top divided by bottom
- Decimal to percent
- Point two places right
- Percent to decimal
- Point two places left
- Percent to fraction
- Over 100, then simplify
- 1/5
- 0.2 = 20%
- 1/4
- 0.25 = 25%
- 1/3
- 0.333 = 33.3%
- 5/8
- 0.625 = 62.5%
- 3/4
- 0.75 = 75%
- 1/8
- 0.125 = 12.5%
Percent Formulas
- Find the part
- Rate times whole
- Find the whole
- Part divided by rate
- Find the rate
- Part divided by whole
- 20% of 85
- 0.20 x 85 = 17
- 30 is 20% of
- 30 / 0.20 = 150
- Discount price
- Multiply by remaining percent
- Tax or tip
- Multiply by 1.08 for 8%
- The word of
- Means multiply
Order and Signs
- PEMDAS
- Parentheses, exponents, multiply/divide, add/subtract
- Multiply and divide
- Tie: left to right
- Add and subtract
- Tie: left to right
- 24 / 6 x 2
- Equals 8, not 2
- 2 + 3 x 4
- Equals 14, not 20
- Fraction bar
- Grouping symbol, finish top
- Two negatives multiplied
- Product is positive
- Unlike signs multiplied
- Product is negative
- Subtracting a negative
- Becomes addition
- Sign with exponent
- (-3)^2 = 9
Exponents and Roots
- Any base to zero
- Equals 1
- Same base, multiply
- Add the exponents
- Same base, divide
- Subtract the exponents
- Power of a power
- Multiply the exponents
- Negative exponent
- One over positive power
- Square root of 144
- 12
- Perfect squares
- 1 4 9 16 25 36
- Rational number
- Terminates or repeats
- Irrational number
- Pi, square root 2
Ratio and Proportion
- Ratio
- Compares two quantities
- Proportion
- Two equal ratios
- Solve a proportion
- Cross multiply, then divide
- Unit rate
- Amount per one unit
- Scale a recipe
- Multiply both terms equally
- 3 to 4 ratio
- 3/7 of the total
- Label both sides
- Same units line up
Metric Prefix Ladder
King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk
kilo, hecto, dekaBase unit in middledeci, centi, milliEach step is ten
Area vs Perimeter
Area
- Space inside
- Length times width
- Square units
Perimeter
- Distance around
- Add all sides
- Plain units
Inside vs around
Conversion Picker
- Metric to metric→Move the decimal(Powers of ten)
- Metric to customary→Conversion factor(1 kg = 2.2 lb)
- Two or more steps→Dimensional analysis(Cancel units)
- Pounds to kilograms→Divide by 2.2
- Grams to milligrams→Multiply by 1,000
- Milliliters to liters→Divide by 1,000
- Fahrenheit to Celsius→Subtract 32, times 5/9
- Teaspoons to milliliters→Multiply by 5
- Fluid ounces to milliliters→Multiply by 30
Metric Ladder
- 1 kg
- 1,000 g
- 1 g
- 1,000 mg
- 1 mg
- 1,000 mcg
- 1 L
- 1,000 mL
- 1 mL
- 1 cc
- 1 m
- 100 cm
- 1 cm
- 10 mm
- 1 km
- 1,000 m
- Bigger to smaller unit
- Multiply, point moves right
- Smaller to bigger unit
- Divide, point moves left
Dosage Formula
Desired over Have, times Quantity
D = dose orderedH = strength on handQ = tablet or mL
Metric vs US Customary
Metric
- Powers of ten
- Move the decimal
- g, L, m
US customary
- Mixed factors
- 12, 16, 5,280
- in, lb, qt
Shift vs multiply
US Customary Units
- 1 ft
- 12 in
- 1 yd
- 3 ft
- 1 mi
- 5,280 ft
- 1 lb
- 16 oz
- 1 ton
- 2,000 lb
- 1 cup
- 8 fl oz
- 1 pt
- 2 cups
- 1 qt
- 2 pt
- 1 gal
- 4 qt
Temperature Swap
Subtract 32, then five ninths
F to C: minus 32Then times 5/9C to F: reverse it
Metric to Customary
- 1 in
- 2.54 cm
- 1 kg
- 2.2 lb
- 1 lb
- 0.45 kg
- 1 oz
- 28.35 g
- 1 L
- 1.06 qt
- 1 m
- 3.28 ft
- 1 km
- 0.62 mi
- 1 mi
- 1.61 km
- 176 lb
- 80 kg
Kitchen and Clinic Volume
- 1 tsp
- 5 mLApprox
- 1 tbsp
- 15 mL = 3 tspApprox
- 1 fl oz
- 30 mL = 2 tbspApprox
- 1 cup
- 240 mLApprox
- 1 pt
- 480 mLApprox
- 1 qt
- 960 mL, near 1 LApprox
- 8 fl oz glass
- 240 mL intake
- Fluid ounce
- Volume, not weight
Temperature and Time
- F to C
- Subtract 32, times 5/9
- C to F
- Times 9/5, add 32
- 98.6 F
- 37 C
- 212 F
- 100 C
- 32 F
- 0 C
- 1 hr
- 60 min
- 1 day
- 24 hr
- 1500 hours
- 3 pm
Dosage Style Setups
- Basic formula
- Desired over have times quantity
- Order 500 mg
- Have 250 mg: 2 tablets
- Weight based dose
- Dose per kg times kg
- Pounds to kilograms
- Divide by 2.2
- IV rate
- Total mL divided by hours
- Dimensional analysis
- Cancel matching units diagonally
- Unit check
- Wanted unit must survive
- Concentration
- Amount per volume
Area Perimeter Volume
- Rectangle area
- Length times width
- Rectangle perimeter
- 2 times length plus width
- Square area
- Side squared
- Triangle area
- Half base times height
- Circle area
- Pi times radius squared
- Circumference
- Pi times diameter
- Box volume
- Length times width times height
- Cylinder volume
- Circle area times height
- Area units
- Always squared
- Volume units
- Always cubed
Rates and Speed
- Distance
- Rate times time
- Rate
- Distance divided by time
- Time
- Distance divided by rate
- Average speed
- Total distance over total time
- Unit price
- Cost divided by amount
- Simple interest
- Principal times rate times time
Direct vs Inverse Variation
Direct
- y = kx
- Both rise together
- Ratio stays constant
Inverse
- xy = k
- One up, one down
- Product stays constant
Ratio vs product constant
Word Problem Setup
- Two units compared→Proportion(Cross multiply)
- Part, whole, percent→Percent formula(Rate times whole)
- One unknown amount→Equation(Let x equal it)
- Total from a rate→Multiply rate by amount
- Cost per unit asked→Divide total by count
- Before and after values→Percent change(Divide by original)
- List of numbers→Mean, median or mode
- Shape dimensions given→Area or perimeter formula
Equation Moves
- Goal
- Isolate the variable
- Undo order
- Add and subtract first
- Balance rule
- Same move both sides
- Distribute
- a(b + c) = ab + ac
- Like terms
- Same variable, same exponent
- Fraction coefficient
- Multiply by its reciprocal
- 3x + 5 = 20
- x = 5
- Check
- Substitute back and verify
Inequalities and Translation
- Flip the sign
- Multiply or divide negative
- At least
- Greater than or equal
- At most
- Less than or equal
- 5 more than x
- x + 5
- 7 less than x
- x - 7, not 7-x
- Per
- Divide
- Product
- Multiply
- Quotient
- Divide
- Twice a number
- 2n
- Consecutive integers
- n, n+1, n+2
Slope and Lines
- Slope
- Rise over run
- From two points
- Change in y over x
- Slope intercept form
- y = mx + b
- b
- Where line crosses y-axis
- Positive slope
- Rises left to right
- Negative slope
- Falls left to right
- Horizontal line
- Slope is zero
- Vertical line
- Slope is undefined
- Direct variation
- y = kx
- Inverse variation
- xy = k
Percent Change Base
Change over original, never the new
Original is the denominatorUp and down differ50 to 60 = 20%
Mean vs Median
Mean
- Sum over count
- Outliers pull it
- Every value counts
Median
- Middle after ordering
- Outlier resistant
- Position, not total
Average vs middle
Data Question Picker
- Typical value asked→Mean or median
- One extreme value→Median(Outlier resistant)
- Most common value→Mode
- Spread asked→Range(Highest minus lowest)
- Slice of a pie→Percent of total
- Chance of an event→Favorable over total
Mean Median Mode Range
- Mean
- Sum divided by count
- Median
- Middle of ordered list
- Even count median
- Average the two middles
- Mode
- Most frequent value
- No repeated value
- No mode
- Range
- Highest minus lowest
- Outlier
- Pulls mean, not median
- Missing value
- Mean times count minus sum
Reading Graphs and Charts
- Bar graph
- Compares separate categories
- Line graph
- Trend over time
- Pie chart
- Parts of one whole
- All pie slices
- Total 100%
- Histogram
- Counts inside numeric ranges
- Scatter plot
- Relationship between two variables
- Axis label
- Check units and scale
- Legend
- Says what colors mean
Percent Change and Probability
- Percent change
- Change divided by original
- 50 up to 60
- 20% increase
- 60 down to 50
- 16.7% decrease
- Probability
- Favorable over total outcomes
- Probability range
- 0 to 1
- Certain event
- Probability of 1
- Impossible event
- Probability of 0
- Complement
- 1 minus the probability
- Both events happen
- Multiply the probabilities
Common Traps
Percent change base
Divide by original ≠ Not by new value
Order of operations tie
Multiply and divide tie ≠ Not multiply before divide
Pounds and kilograms
Divide pounds by 2.2 ≠ Not multiply by 2.2
Fraction division
Flip the second fraction ≠ Not the first one
Percent as decimal
20% is 0.20 ≠ Not 20 when multiplying
Ratio to fraction
3 to 4 means 3/7 ≠ Not 3/4 of total
Area and perimeter
Area is square units ≠ Perimeter is plain units
Temperature order
Subtract 32 first ≠ Then multiply by 5/9
Mean and median
Mean uses every value ≠ Median resists outliers
Blank answers
Unanswered counts as wrong ≠ Guess before time ends
Last Minute
- 1.45 items, 40 scored, 60 minutes
- 2.About 80 seconds per item
- 3.Measurement is largest: 14 items
- 4.Numbers and Operations: 12 items
- 5.Algebra and Data: 7 items each
- 6.Most items are word problems
- 7.Percent change divides by original
- 8.Divide pounds by 2.2 for kilograms
- 9.1 tsp is 5 mL
- 10.1 fl oz is 30 mL
- 11.1 in is 2.54 cm
- 12.Fahrenheit: subtract 32, times 5/9
- 13.Divide fractions by flipping second
- 14.Median beats mean with outliers
- 15.Slope is rise over run
- 16.Simplify before checking answer choices
- 17.Basic four-function calculator only
- 18.Never leave an item blank
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