Free NLN NEX Exam Flashcards

The NLN Nursing Entrance Exam, or NEX, replaced the PAX. If a school still says PAX, confirm whether it now means the updated NEX requirement.

It has three major sections: Verbal Ability, Mathematics, and Science. Each section has its own 60-minute testing block.

Some items are unscored pretest questions, but they are mixed into the exam and not identified. Work each question as if it counts.

No. The NLN reports composite and percentile-based results, but each nursing program sets its own admission cutoff.

A percentile compares you with other test-takers. A 60th percentile result means you scored higher than about 60% of the comparison group, not that you answered 60% correctly.

NEX composite scores are reported on a 0-300 scale using section performance and percentile ranking. Schools decide how they use that score.

Check the nursing program's policy. NLN guidance may suggest a wait, but schools often control retake windows, attempt limits, and which score they accept.

The NEX is more nursing-focused: physics was removed, while biology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and health concepts remain important.

Break the word into prefix, root, and suffix. Then use the sentence context to test whether your meaning fits the passage.

Means a treatment or action should be avoided because it may be harmful for that person or situation.

Acute usually means sudden or short-term. Chronic means ongoing, recurring, or long-lasting.

Benign means not cancerous or not likely to spread. Malignant means cancerous, invasive, or capable of spreading.

Bilateral means both sides. Unilateral means one side only.

Use what the passage states or strongly supports. Do not choose an answer only because it is true from outside knowledge.

The main idea is the passage's central point. Supporting details explain, prove, or illustrate that point.

An inference is a reasonable conclusion based on clues in the text. It should be supported by the passage, not guessed from personal opinion.

Ask why the passage was written: to explain, compare, persuade, warn, summarize, or describe a process.

Identify what the question asks for, list the given values, and set up units before calculating.

Percent change = difference divided by original value, then multiply by 100. Use the original value as the denominator.

Move the decimal two places to the right. For example, 0.375 becomes 37.5%.

Keep the order consistent. If the problem says medication to saline, every equivalent ratio must keep medication first and saline second.

Units show whether you need to multiply, divide, or convert. If the final unit does not match the question, the setup is probably wrong.

Kilo is 1,000 base units. Milli is 1/1,000 of a base unit. This supports common conversions like kilograms to grams and liters to milliliters.

Use F = (C x 9/5) + 32 for Celsius to Fahrenheit. Use C = (F - 32) x 5/9 for Fahrenheit to Celsius.

Find the amount per dose, multiply by doses per day, then multiply by number of days. Track units at each step.

Use inverse operations to isolate the variable. Whatever you do to one side of the equation, do to the other side.

Slope is rate of change: change in y divided by change in x. In data problems, read it as how much one quantity changes for each unit of another.

Check the title, axis labels, units, scale, and legend. Many graph errors come from reading the wrong variable or interval.

Mean is the arithmetic average. Median is the middle value after ordering the data and is less affected by extreme outliers.

Cell division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells. It supports growth, repair, and replacement of body cells.

Cell division that produces gametes with half the usual chromosome number. It creates genetic variation for sexual reproduction.

In DNA, adenine pairs with thymine, and cytosine pairs with guanine. In RNA, uracil replaces thymine.

Transcription makes RNA from DNA. Translation uses mRNA at the ribosome to build a protein from amino acids.

The passive movement of water across a semipermeable membrane toward the side with higher solute concentration.

Movement of substances against a concentration gradient using energy, usually ATP. The sodium-potassium pump is a classic example.

A dominant allele can show its trait with one copy. A recessive trait usually appears only when both alleles are recessive.

A pH below 7 is acidic, 7 is neutral, and above 7 is basic. Each whole pH step reflects a tenfold change in hydrogen ion concentration.

Covalent bonds share electrons. Ionic bonds form when electrons are transferred and oppositely charged ions attract.

A buffer resists large pH changes when small amounts of acid or base are added. Body fluids rely on buffering to protect cells and enzymes.

Organelles that generate much of the cell's ATP through aerobic cellular respiration.

The cell structure where proteins are assembled from amino acids using the instructions carried by mRNA.

The reference position for body directions: standing upright, facing forward, arms at sides, palms forward. Directional terms assume this position.

Superior means toward the head, inferior toward the feet, medial toward the midline, and lateral away from the midline.

Right heart sends blood to the lungs. Left heart receives oxygenated blood and pumps it to the body through the aorta.

Tiny air sacs in the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse between air and blood.

The functional unit of the kidney. It filters blood, reabsorbs needed substances, secretes wastes, and helps regulate fluid and electrolytes.

Insulin lowers blood glucose by helping cells take up glucose. Glucagon raises blood glucose by signaling the liver to release stored fuel.

The body's process of maintaining a stable internal environment, such as temperature, blood pH, blood glucose, and fluid balance.

A control loop that reverses a change and moves the body back toward a set point, such as sweating when body temperature rises.

Fiber that dissolves in water, can slow digestion, and may help support healthier cholesterol and blood glucose patterns.