5.4 Comprehensive Practice Questions

How to Use This Practice Set

This set mixes items from all three NEX sections — Verbal Ability, Mathematics, and Science — so you can rehearse the real exam's blend and pace. Treat it as an active-recall checkpoint, not a reading assignment: answer the entire set before reading any explanation, then mark each miss by skill area, rule, or term.

Instructions

• Set a timer and aim to finish in about 30 minutes to mirror the NEX's roughly 1-minute-per-item pace
• Answer each item from memory before checking the explanation
• Tally right vs wrong and note the topic each wrong answer belongs to
• Use your results to choose the chapters that get one last review

For every miss, write the reason the correct option wins and why the most tempting distractor fails. That habit matters because the real exam tests the same concept with different wording — if you only memorize the right letter, the reworded version will still trap you. If you miss several items from one domain (say, blood flow through the heart, or percentage change), stop and reread that chapter before moving on.

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A Three-Column Review Log

After finishing, build a log with three columns and fill one row per miss:

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A Strong Final-Review Loop

1. Timed attempt of the full set
2. Explanation review of every item, right and wrong
3. Targeted reread of the chapters behind your misses
4. Second attempt after a short break — but mix in a few new items so you are recalling concepts, not memorizing answer order

For calculation or scenario items, say the first step aloud before choosing an option ("first I find the daily dose, then multiply by days"). Verbalizing the plan stops you from snatching a familiar-looking but wrong answer. A score above roughly 70% across this mixed set is a reassuring readiness signal — but the misses, not the score, are what you study in your final days.

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Verbal Ability Practice

The items below test vocabulary-in-context and medical-term roots, exactly the Word Knowledge skills the 58-item Verbal section rewards. Use prefix/suffix logic to reason toward each answer rather than relying on a memorized definition. A short, high-yield reference table:

When a vocabulary item stumps you, build the meaning from its parts before reading the choices, then match. This converts a memory test into a reasoning test, which is far more reliable under time pressure.

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Mathematics Practice

These items rehearse the Numbers & Operations, Measurement & Conversions, and word-problem skills that dominate the 45-item Math section. Remember there is no geometry on the NEX, so do not waste review time on area/volume formulas. Estimate first, then verify with your optional 4-function calculator. Keep these conversions memorized — they recur constantly:

The single most common careless error in this section is dividing by the wrong base in a percent-change problem (using the new value instead of the original) — circle the word "original" or "started" in the stem before you compute.

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Science Practice

These items span biology, anatomy & physiology, genetics, and nutrition — the content that fills the 60-item Science section (the largest on the NEX, and physics has been removed, so skip mechanics in review). Eliminate options from the wrong body system, and let absolute words ("always," "never," "all," "none") flag likely-wrong choices. A quick orientation to the eight systems most tested:

When two answers both look plausible, the one stated in moderate, precise language usually wins over the extreme-sounding option.