the REx-PN
Preparing for
About
Along with other registration requirements, if you’re registering with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) as a practical
nurse, you must successfully complete a registration exam. Beginning January 4, 2022, that exam will be the Registration
Exam – Practical Nurse (REx-PN). This exam tests for the competencies — knowledge, skill and judgment — you will need
at the beginning of your career. It helps ensure that all new nurses in Ontario are safe to practice.
IMPLEMENTED
Jan. 4, 2022
This Fact Sheet is the second of three prepared by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) to provide you with general information to help you prepare for
the REx-PN. More-detailed exam-related information will become available soon from the website of the exam developer (NCSBN). Registration information is
available on CNO’s website.
Fall 2021
Fact Sheet 2: Available Resources
Click below to find out more
TM
Your education
If you’re a graduate of an Ontario Practical Nursing program, your Ontario nursing education
covers the competencies tested on the exam.Practical Nurse educators, clinicians and
administrators from Ontario and British Columbia help with the ongoing development of
the REx-PN, and hundreds of PN students from both provinces field-tested exam questions.
If you’re a graduate from a nursing program outside of Ontario, CNO will assess your
application to determine if you are eligible to write the REx-PN (read more about the education
requirement here).
The following pages provide resources in addition to your education that will help you prepare
to write the REx-PN.
TEST PLAN
COMPUTERIZED
ADAPTIVE TEST
TUTORIAL
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES &
INFORMATION
THIRD PARTY
TEST MATERIAL
Test Plan
REx-PN
™
Test Plan for the Regulatory Exam – Practical Nurse
Effective January 2022
The REx-PN Test Plan describes what will be tested and the types of questions on
the exam and includes some sample questions. It is designed to help you prepare
for the exam, and is the same guide used by those who write and review the
exam questions.
The Test Plan gives you details about the eight content areas covered on the exam,
which are based on client needs, as follows:
Management
of care
Basic care and
comfort
Health promotion
and maintenance
Reduction of
risk potential
Safety and
infection control
Pharmacological
and parenteral
therapies
Psychosocial
integrity
Physiological
adaptation
The REx-PN tests for the competencies needed by a nurse starting in the profession (see REx-PN Test Plan).
It does not test all competencies needed over the course of a career, and while nurses must know about the health care
system they work in, the REx-PN does not include questions about:
history of health car”
the Canadian/provincial health care system
specific cultural issues
Canadian/provincial laws and legislation (this is covered separately on the Jurisprudence Exam)
What’s not covered
BACK
The REx-PN uses Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) to measure your competence to perform safely and effectively
as an entry-level RPN. The computer’s goal is to get as much information as possible about your true ability level to provide
safe nursing care.
Every time you answer a question on the exam, the computer re-estimates your ability to respond, based on all your
previous answers and the difficulty of those questions. The computer then selects the next item, which you should have
a 50% chance of answering correctly. This way, the next item should not be too easy or too hard. You should find
each item challenging as each item is targeted to your previous response’s difficulty level. With each item answered,
the computer’s estimate of your ability to provide safe nursing care becomes more precise.
This video explains why CAT is used for the REx-PN and how it works.
Computerized
Adaptive Test (CAT)
BACK
REx-PN Exam preview
The exam preview allows you to review exam items similar to the REx-PN items you’ll see on test day.
The preview is a static exam that can be downloaded in English and French. The exam preview is not scored
nor a predictor of whether you will pass or fail your actual REx-PN. The 125 items included in this preview
will not appear on current or future exams. See the Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) educational video and
presentations, in English and French, for more details on how the actual exam is scored.
English and French FreeQuestions
125
$
*You do not have to complete both practice exams at the same
time, but they must be completed within 45 days of purchase
after which you will lose access to them.
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Tutorial
While most questions on the REx-PN are multiple choice, the exam also includes multiple response and
fill-in-the-blank questions.
Some questions may also include
The REx-PN Candidate Tutorial is designed to help you become familiar with the software used for the REx-PN
and give you instructions on how to answer the different types of REx-PN exam questions.
Each exam writer receives a unique set of questions. As a result, the frequency and number of each question type
will vary for each person.
Graphics
Multiple choice Multiple response Fill in the blank
Exhibits
When writing the REx-PN, you’ll receive the questions
one at a time. While there will be a time limit of 4 hours
to complete the overall exam, no time limit will be
set per question. On similar exams, writers generally take
60 – 90 seconds per question. You should not feel the
need to rush. Due to how a CAT exam works, you must
provide an answer to the current question before
you’ll be able to move to the next question.
GuessingAnswering every question
For more information on the time limit, please see
the section “Examination Length” in the REx-PN Test Plan.
There is no time limit for you to spend on each question,
but, if you’re unsure of the correct answer, consider all
response options and provide your best answer. The
computer won’t let you proceed to the next question
without providing an answer for the current one.
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Third-party prep
material
Your nursing education and the resources above will help you prepare for the REx-PN. Also, some people find third-party
prep courses helpful. CNO is aware of some third-party prep courses being developed, but we cannot attest to their success
in helping you prepare to write the REx-PN — the choice is yours as to what you will need to prepare.
No third party has access to
the REx-PN question bank.
Be wary of any party claiming
to have such access.
As the regulator, CNO does not
review third-party prep courses
and cannot endorse them.
BACK
Additional information
& resources
Fact Sheet 1: General Information
Gives you a general overview of
the exam, including information about
the purpose of the exam, what the
content tests, the exam format,
the number and types of questions,
how a pass is determined, and
the number of writes possible.
2022 REx-PN Examination
Candidate Bulletin
Guides you through the exam process
from before to after you write the
REx-PN, including important contact
information, details on how to register
for the exam, exam rules, and how
your results are processed.
Fact Sheet 3: Writing the REx-PN
Learn about applying to CNO,
registering to write the REx-PN,
scheduling an exam date,
and brief details on what to
expect before and after
the exam.
Find more information in our Frequently Asked Questions sections on our websites:
Practical Nurse
Regulatory Exam –
About
The Regulatory Exam – Practical Nurse (REx-PN) is an entry-to-practice exam for
those applying to become a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in Ontario. It will
test for the knowledge, skills and judgment RPNs need at the beginning of their
careers.
Purpose
Registration exams such as the REx-PN contribute to patient safety. Regulators
of the nursing profession are accountable for ensuring that only those who
demonstrate the ability to apply nursing knowledge and provide safe care at
the beginning of their careers are able to practice in Ontario. The registration
exam helps to do this.
IMPLEMENTED
Jan. 4, 2022
This Fact Sheet is the first of three prepared by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) to provide you with general information about the exam.
More-detailed information will become available during 2021 from the exam developer (NCSBN).
Summer 2021
Fact Sheet 1: General Information
Click below to find out more
TM
MORE RESOURCES
CONTENT
FORMAT
PASSING
QUESTIONS
AND AFTER EXAM DAY
BEFORE, DURING
Congratulations!
You are about to embark on the final stage of the journey needed to practice to practice as a nurse in Ontario.
This fact sheet highlights some of the steps you will need to take to write the REx-PN, one requirement of your application
to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). You can find full details here:
This Fact Sheet is the third of three prepared by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) to provide you with general information to help you prepare for
the REx-PN. More-detailed exam-related information will become available soon from the website of the exam developer (NCSBN). Registration information is
available on CNO’s website.
Fall 2021
Fact Sheet 3: Writing the REx-PN exam
Click below to find out more
TM
Becoming a nurse in Ontario
CNO’s website contains information you need to apply to
practice nursing in Ontario, including information on all
of the requirements you will need to meet in order to be
registered to practice.
Candidate Bulletin: Your guide to writing the REx-PN
This document from the exam provider, NCSBN, guides you
through the exam process from before to after you write
the REx-PN. It includes contact information, how to register
for the exam, exam rules, and how your exam results are
processed.
BEFORE EXAM
DURING EXAM
AFTER EXAM
Health care terminology
Ontario and BC nurses, educators and clinicians review
the exam questions to ensure they contain terminology
that is understood and used by nurses across Canada.
See page 46 of the REx-PN Test Plan for a list of terms
and their meanings as used on the REx-PN and the lexicon
of terms for those writing the French version of the exam.
Medication names
On most occasions, only generic medication names will
be used. This use is more consistent, while a medication’s
brand/trade name may vary. Some items may refer to
general classifications of medications. A list of medications
that are on the exam will not be provided.
Lab values
The lab values you are expected to know are located
on page 36 of the REx-PN Test Plan. All other values will
be provided.
Measurement
Measurements are provided in metric units.
Using calculators and writing notes
An on-screen calculator and erasable note board/marker
are available for your use within the testing environment.
French version of exam
You can choose to write the REx-PN in either English
or French, but you will not be able to toggle between both
during one exam write.
A rigorous process is used to translate exam questions
into French. Government-level standards are used to
translate the questions; further, they apply a lexicon that
was developed by French-speaking Ontario nurse educators.
Translations are then reviewed by Canadian nurses who
are fluent in French and English, and who work in bilingual
health care settings or facilities.
2021-89
© College of Nurses of Ontario 2021
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NCSBN WEBSITE