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100+ Free CPNRE / REx-PN Practice Questions

Prepare for the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE) / Regulatory Exam - Practical Nurse (REx-PN) exam with instant access — no signup required.

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VideoCanadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE) Guide 2026: Format, Blueprint, Dates, and Study PlanThis examArticleCanadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE) Guide 2026: Format, Blueprint, Dates, and Study Plan13 min readArticleCPNRE vs REx-PN in 2026: Which Practical Nurse Exam Does Your Province Use?12 min read

Sample CPNRE / REx-PN Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your CPNRE / REx-PN exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A practical nurse is assigned to care for four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first at the start of the shift?
A.A client with COPD whose oxygen saturation has dropped from 92% to 85%
B.A client who is 1 day post-op reporting incisional pain rated 5/10
C.A client with a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes awaiting teaching
D.A client requesting discharge paperwork before leaving in the afternoon
Explanation: Using the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation) and Maslow's hierarchy, a physiologically unstable client takes priority. A drop in oxygen saturation to 85% in a client with COPD signals deteriorating gas exchange and a potential airway/breathing emergency requiring immediate assessment.
2A practical nurse is delegating tasks to an unregulated care provider (UCP/PSW). Which task is appropriate to assign to the UCP?
A.Performing the initial admission assessment on a new client
B.Assisting a stable client with bathing and oral hygiene
C.Administering a scheduled oral medication to a client
D.Evaluating a client's response to a new pain protocol
Explanation: Delegation to unregulated care providers is appropriate for stable, predictable tasks within their role, such as assisting a stable client with personal hygiene and activities of daily living. Assessment, medication administration, and evaluation require nursing judgment and cannot be delegated.
3A client tells the practical nurse, "I don't want any more chemotherapy. I'm done." The client is alert and oriented. What is the nurse's most appropriate response?
A."You should keep fighting; your family needs you."
B."I will let the doctor know you are refusing treatment right away."
C."Tell me more about what is leading you to this decision."
D."Your physician knows what is best, so let's continue the plan."
Explanation: A competent, alert client has the autonomous right to refuse treatment. The nurse should use therapeutic communication to explore the client's feelings and understanding before any documentation or notification, respecting autonomy while ensuring informed decision-making.
4A practical nurse witnesses a colleague documenting vital signs that were not actually taken. What is the nurse's most appropriate initial action?
A.Report the colleague to the provincial regulatory college immediately
B.Re-take the vital signs and document them under the nurse's own name
C.Ignore it because the client appears stable at this time
D.Speak privately with the colleague about the falsified documentation
Explanation: Falsifying documentation is a serious professional and ethical breach. The most appropriate initial step is to address the concern directly and privately with the colleague, giving them an opportunity to correct it, before escalating through the chain of command if needed.
5Which situation requires the practical nurse to obtain a new informed consent before proceeding?
A.A client signed consent but the surgical approach has been significantly changed
B.A client previously consented and the procedure is now being rescheduled to a later time
C.A client asks a routine question about post-operative pain management
D.A family member requests to be present during the procedure
Explanation: Informed consent is specific to the procedure described. If the nature or scope of the procedure changes significantly, the original consent is no longer valid and new informed consent must be obtained so the client understands the revised risks and benefits.
6A practical nurse is reviewing the personal health information of a client who is not assigned to the nurse's care, out of curiosity. This action is a violation of which principle?
A.Beneficence
B.Confidentiality and privacy legislation
C.Veracity
D.Distributive justice
Explanation: Accessing a client's health record without a legitimate care-related reason breaches confidentiality and privacy legislation (such as provincial health information acts). Nurses may only access records on a need-to-know basis for clients in their care.
7During shift report, the off-going nurse provides handover for a post-operative client. Which piece of information is the highest priority to communicate?
A.The client prefers to have the curtains open during the day
B.The client's spouse will visit in the evening after work
C.The client's last analgesic dose was given 30 minutes ago and remains in pain
D.The client had a regular bowel movement two days ago before surgery
Explanation: Effective handover prioritizes time-sensitive clinical information affecting immediate care. Knowing the client received analgesia 30 minutes ago yet remains in pain alerts the incoming nurse to reassess and consider intervention without over-medicating.
8A practical nurse is caring for a client who speaks limited English. Which action best supports culturally safe and effective communication?
A.Ask the client's adult son to interpret medical information
B.Speak loudly and slowly using simple English words
C.Provide written English instructions for the client to read later
D.Arrange for a professional interpreter to assist with the discussion
Explanation: Using a qualified professional interpreter ensures accurate, confidential, and unbiased communication of health information. Family members may filter information, lack medical vocabulary, or breach confidentiality, so they are not the preferred option for clinical communication.
9A practical nurse identifies that a client's prescribed medication dose appears unusually high and potentially unsafe. What is the nurse's most appropriate action?
A.Withhold the medication and clarify the order with the prescriber
B.Administer the dose as written because the prescriber ordered it
C.Reduce the dose to what the nurse believes is safe and administer it
D.Ask another nurse to administer the medication instead
Explanation: Nurses are accountable for the medications they administer. When an order appears unsafe, the nurse must withhold the medication and clarify with the prescriber before administering. Nurses cannot independently alter a prescribed dose.
10Which of the following best describes the practical nurse's role within the interprofessional health care team?
A.To take direction only from physicians and avoid independent judgment
B.To collaborate and contribute nursing knowledge while respecting each member's scope
C.To supervise all other regulated and unregulated team members
D.To work independently without consulting other disciplines
Explanation: Collaborative practice involves the practical nurse contributing nursing expertise, communicating client information, and respecting the distinct scope and contributions of each interprofessional team member to achieve coordinated, client-centred care.

About the CPNRE / REx-PN Exam

The CPNRE and REx-PN are the entry-to-practice registration exams for licensed/registered practical nurses (LPN/RPN) in Canada. Most provinces and territories use the CPNRE (160-170 questions, 4 hours), while Ontario and British Columbia use the NCSBN-developed REx-PN, an adaptive exam of 90-150 items. Both are pass/fail and assess safe, competent entry-level practical nursing.

Assessment

CPNRE: 160-170 multiple-choice questions, 40-60% case-based, single-best-answer. REx-PN: adaptive multiple-choice plus select-all-that-apply (SATA) and dosage-calculation items, organized by NCSBN Client Needs.

Time Limit

4 hours (240 minutes) for both exams

Passing Score

Pass/fail. CPNRE pass mark set by a Standard Setting Committee using the modified Angoff technique; REx-PN uses a fixed NCSBN logit passing standard with adaptive scoring. No fixed percentage is published.

Exam Fee

CPNRE fees vary by province; the current REx-PN bulletin lists CA$350 plus applicable taxes, with additional fees for international scheduling. (CPNRE administered for provincial LPN/RPN colleges (ASI/Yardstick); REx-PN administered by NCSBN for ON (CNO) and BC (BCCNM))

CPNRE / REx-PN Exam Content Outline

28-40%

Safe and Effective Care Environment

Management/coordination of care (18-24%) and safety and infection control (10-16%): delegation, prioritization, advocacy, confidentiality, consent, infection prevention, and environmental safety.

6-12%

Health Promotion and Maintenance

Growth and development, immunization, prevention and early detection, prenatal and newborn care, and health teaching across the lifespan.

8-14%

Psychosocial Integrity

Mental health, coping, grief and loss, therapeutic communication, crisis and substance-use care, and support for emotional and behavioural needs.

34-58%

Physiological Integrity

Basic care and comfort (6-12%), pharmacological and parenteral therapies including dosage calculation (14-20%), reduction of risk potential (8-14%), and physiological adaptation (6-12%).

How to Pass the CPNRE / REx-PN Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Pass/fail. CPNRE pass mark set by a Standard Setting Committee using the modified Angoff technique; REx-PN uses a fixed NCSBN logit passing standard with adaptive scoring. No fixed percentage is published.
  • Assessment: CPNRE: 160-170 multiple-choice questions, 40-60% case-based, single-best-answer. REx-PN: adaptive multiple-choice plus select-all-that-apply (SATA) and dosage-calculation items, organized by NCSBN Client Needs.
  • Time limit: 4 hours (240 minutes) for both exams
  • Exam fee: CPNRE fees vary by province; the current REx-PN bulletin lists CA$350 plus applicable taxes, with additional fees for international scheduling.

Keys to Passing

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CPNRE / REx-PN Study Tips from Top Performers

1Weight your study time toward Physiological Integrity (34-58% of the blueprint), especially pharmacological and parenteral therapies and dosage calculation, which carry the most items.
2Practise prioritization and delegation questions using the ABCs, Maslow, and safety frameworks, since Safe and Effective Care Environment is the second-largest category.
3Drill dosage-calculation and unit-conversion problems and become comfortable with select-all-that-apply (SATA) items, both of which appear on the REx-PN.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the CPNRE and the REx-PN?

Both are entry-to-practice exams for Canadian licensed/registered practical nurses. The CPNRE (developed with Yardstick) is used by most provinces and territories and is a fixed-form 160-170 question exam. The REx-PN (developed by NCSBN) is used only in Ontario and British Columbia and is a computerized adaptive test of 90-150 items.

How many questions are on the REx-PN and CPNRE?

The REx-PN delivers between 90 and 150 items (60-120 scored plus about 30 unscored pretest items), adapting in real time. The CPNRE has 160-170 questions, some of which are experimental and do not count toward the score.

How long do I have to write the exam?

Both exams allow a maximum of 4 hours (240 minutes). For the REx-PN this total includes the tutorial and any optional breaks; there is no per-question time limit.

What is the passing score?

Both exams are pass/fail and do not report a fixed percentage. The CPNRE pass mark is set by a Standard Setting Committee using the modified Angoff method; the REx-PN compares your measured ability against a fixed NCSBN logit passing standard.