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Are You Prepared For the Practical/Vocational Nursing Entrance Exam?

The PNEE or Practical/Vocational Nursing Entrance Exam will test your ability to learn in three specific areas: English, mathematics and reading comprehension. The test is held four times a year but could vary with different schools but is usually in January, May, July and August. You should check with the nursing school in which you are applying to determine the exact times.

Eligibility for the PNEE requires that you have passed the Nursing Entrance Exam or NET and that you have not taken this examination more than three times. You are eligible to retest again in six months if you fail the test.

The PNEE is generally offered at the school site where you can take it in one of two ways: old fashioned pencil and paper or computer based or CBE. With the computer based exam you will get your test results immediately with a copy sent to your school while the pencil and paper exam takers will get their results within twenty-four hours after it has been received by the testing center. Obviously the CBE exam is faster. No calculators are allowed in the testing center so you will only have scratch paper and pencil to help you.

Each of the test areas are scored separately and then you will receive an overall score. Passing this examination will be one step closer to becoming a nurse as you will then only have practical training left to do. The test is a multiple choice exam and will cover each of the three sections below:

•  English - This section covers grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and spelling.

•  Mathematics - This section covers decimals, equations, fractions, metric conversion, percentages and ratios.

•  Reading - This section covers comprehension, conclusions and inferences.

Studying for the PNEE is imperative and you should purchase a study guide that will provide you tips on how to study and types of questions that will be asked. It will also give you self assessment modules that will give you an idea of any weak areas you should focus on. It is recommended that you take advantage of practice tests, flash cards or any other tools that will adequately prepare you for the exam. Taking a practice test in the early stages of studying and then periodically as you go along will keep you apprised of your progress and allow you to concentrate on problem areas so that you won't have any problems passing this exam.