REx-PN        

This is a licensure exam taken by Registered Practical Nurses across British Columbia and Ontario. Our course covers preparation content, test taking strategies, and tools to help you confidently pass the exam.

REX-PN

The REx-PN is a new Canadian Practical Nurse exam developed for the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) and the College of Nurses of Ontario(CNO).

REx-PN is administered on a computer. An on-screen calculator will be available during the examination.

The majority of REx-PN items are multiple-choice, but there are other formats as well.

All item types are scored as either right or wrong.

There is no partial credit.

The REx-PN is designed to test knowledge, skills and abilities essential to the safe and effective practice of nursing at the entry level.

The REx-PN is a variable length, computerized, adaptive test.

The REx-PN is not offered in paper-and-pencil or oral examination formats.

The REx-PN can be anywhere from 90 to 150 items.

Regardless of the number of items administered, the time limit for this examination is four hours. It is important to note that the time allotted for the examination includes the introductory screen, all breaks (restroom, stretching, etc.) and the examination.

All breaks are optional.

The REx-PN result is an important component used by nursing regulatory bodies (NRBs) to make decisions about licensure/registration.

Only Nursing Regulatory Bodies can release the REx-PN result to candidates

 

The REx-PN Uses CAT to Administer the Exam

CAT merges computer technology with modern measurement theory to increase the efficiency of the exam process.

Every time a candidate answers an item, the computer re-estimates their ability based on all the previous answers and the difficulty of those items. The computer then selects the next item that the candidate should have a 50% chance of answering correctly. This way, the next item should not be too easy or too hard. The computer's goal is to get as much information as possible about the candidate’s true ability level. Candidates should find each item challenging as each item is targeted to their ability. With each item answered, the computer's estimate of their ability becomes more precise.

 

Why CAT?

• Reduces the number of "easy" items that high-ability candidates receive; "easy" items tell a little about a high performing candidate's ability,

• Reduces the number of "difficult" items low-ability candidates receive; candidates tend to guess on items that are too difficult which can skew results,

• Reduces item exposure and subsequent security risks,

• Improves precision of measurement of the REx-PN candidate's ability related to nursing and

• Provides a valid and reliable measurement of nursing competence. Why CAT?

• Reduces the number of "easy" items that high-ability candidates receive; "easy" items tell little about a high performing candidate's ability,

• Reduces the number of "difficult" items low-ability candidates receive; candidates tend to guess on items that are too difficult which can skew results,

• Reduces item exposure and subsequent security risks,

• Improves precision of measurement of the REx-PN candidate's ability related to nursing and

• Provides a valid and reliable measurement of nursing competence.

 

How is the Passing Standard Set?

To ensure that the passing standard for REx-PN accurately reflects the amount of nursing ability currently required to practice competently at the entry-level, the REx-PN's Practical Nurse Exam Committee (PNEC), the Registrar and CEO of BCCNM and the Executive Director and CEO of CNO will evaluate the passing standard every five years when the test plans are reviewed. The methodology for setting the standard consists of a representative panel of experts using a well-respected and widely used criterion-referenced standard-setting method with additional statistical procedures providing supplemental information.

Pass/Fail Rules

The computer decides whether a candidate passed or failed the REx-PN using one of three rules:

● 95% Confidence Interval Rule: This scenario is the most common for candidates. The computer will stop administering items when it is 95% certain that the candidate’s ability is either above or below the passing standard.

● Maximum-Length Exam Rule: Some candidate’s ability levels will be very close to the passing standard. When this is the case, the computer continues to administer questions until the maximum number of items is reached. At this point, the computer disregards the 95% confidence interval rule and considers only the final ability estimate:

A. If the final ability estimate is above the passing standard, the candidate passes.

B. The candidate fails if the final ability is at or below the passing standard.

● Run-out-of-time (R.O.O.T.) Rule: If the candidate runs out of time before reaching the maximum number of items, the computer will not be able to decide whether the candidate passed or failed with 95% certainty. Therefore, an alternate rule must be used:

a) If the candidate has not answered the minimum number of items, the result will failure in the exam.

b) If the candidate has answered the minimum number of items, then the exam is scored by using the final ability estimate computed from responses to all completed items.

c) If the final ability estimate is above the passing standard, the candidate passes.

d) If the final ability estimate is at or below the passing standard, the candidate fails.

 

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