NLN NEX Exam Flashcards

Q: How many questions are on the NLN NEX?

The NLN Nursing Entrance Exam has 163 total questions: 145 scored questions and 18 unscored pretest questions. The exam is 3 hours, split into 60 minutes per section.

Q: What should NLN NEX flashcards cover?

NLN NEX flashcards should cover verbal ability, math, science, anatomy and physiology, reading, ratios, conversions, basic algebra, biology, chemistry, and test-taking vocabulary.

Q: What score do I need on the NLN NEX?

NLN NEX score expectations are program dependent. Many nursing programs look for competitive percentile performance, so candidates should confirm the cutoff with each school and use flashcards to stabilize weak subjects.

Question 1

What exam replaced the NLN PAX?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

How is the NEX organized?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

Why should every NEX question be treated as scored?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

Does the NEX have one national passing score?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

What does a NEX percentile rank mean?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

What is the NEX composite score scale?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

What retake rule should NEX candidates check first?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

What changed from PAX to NEX science content?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

Word knowledge strategy: unfamiliar medical term

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

Contraindicated

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Acute vs. chronic

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

Benign vs. malignant

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

Bilateral vs. unilateral

Accepted Answer

Bilateral means both sides. Unilateral means one side only.

Question 14

What should control your answer on a passage question?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Main idea vs. supporting detail

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

Inference questions

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

Author's purpose

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

Best first step in a math word problem

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

Percent change formula

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

Converting a decimal to a percent

Accepted Answer

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

Question 21

Ratio setup

Accepted Answer

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

Question 22

Why units matter in NEX math

Accepted Answer

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

Question 23

Metric ladder: kilo, base, milli

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 24

Temperature conversion clue

Accepted Answer

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

Question 25

Dosage total over time

Accepted Answer

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

Question 26

Solving a one-step linear equation

Accepted Answer

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

Question 27

What does slope represent?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 28

Reading a graph before calculating

Accepted Answer

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

Question 29

Mean vs. median

Accepted Answer

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

Question 30

Mitosis

Accepted Answer

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

Question 31

Meiosis

Accepted Answer

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

Question 32

DNA base-pairing rule

Accepted Answer

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

Question 33

Transcription vs. translation

Accepted Answer

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

Question 34

Osmosis

Accepted Answer

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

Question 35

Active transport

Accepted Answer

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

Question 36

Dominant vs. recessive allele

Accepted Answer

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

Question 37

pH scale

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 38

Covalent vs. ionic bond

Accepted Answer

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

Question 39

Buffer

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 40

Mitochondria

Accepted Answer

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

Question 41

Ribosome

Accepted Answer

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

Question 42

Anatomical position

Accepted Answer

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

Question 43

Superior, inferior, medial, lateral

Accepted Answer

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

Question 44

Path of blood through the heart

Accepted Answer

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

Question 45

Alveoli

Accepted Answer

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

Question 46

Nephron

Accepted Answer

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

Question 47

Insulin and glucagon

Accepted Answer

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

Question 48

Homeostasis

Accepted Answer

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

Question 49

Negative feedback

Accepted Answer

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

Question 50

Soluble fiber

Accepted Answer

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

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