What is the RPNCE Study guide
An 87 page study guide for the 2024 RPNCE examination administered by the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses (respective to each provincial or territorial regulatory body title) which measures skills, knowledge, and competencies within the Registered Psychiatric Nursing scope. This guide is quickest, easiest, and most foolproof way to study for the RPNCE examination and guarantee success upon writing the RPNCE examination!
Why is the RPNCE study guide beneficial
The RPNCE Study Guide is extremely beneficial to all nurses, both student, and working. It is comprised of easy to understand questions and answers which are identical in every way, to the questions that will be presented to the nursing student (in scenario format) while writing the RPNCE examination.
How does the examination work
You are presented with a patient 25 years old, who is diabetic, with a history of fractures due to various sports injuries and familial rheumatoid arthritis. The patient is complaining of radiating pain and stiffness of muscles and joints. The physician prescribes Prednisone (Deltasone) 2.5 mg TID PO QD. What should the nurse be aware of?
A. The patient is too young for Prednisone (Deltasone) treatment
B. The patient’s diabetes has nothing to do with the prescribed treatment
C. The history of sports injuries has nothing to do with the patients prescribed treatment
D. The patient’s blood glucose levels may be increased; therefore insulin dosage should be increased
As you can clearly see, the questions on the RPNCE examination are loaded with information which may not, and 90% of the time, is not pertinent to what the correct answer requires. The answers all seem to blend and mix together with nothing really standing out.
A. The patient is too young for Prednisone (Deltasone) treatment
B. The patient’s diabetes has nothing to do with the prescribed treatment
C. The history of sports injuries has nothing to do with the patients prescribed treatment
D. The patient’s blood glucose levels may be increased; therefore insulin dosage should be increased
As you can clearly see, the questions on the RPNCE examination are loaded with information which may not, and 90% of the time, is not pertinent to what the correct answer requires. The answers all seem to blend and mix together with nothing really standing out.
How does the RPNCE study guide work
What is a common side effect of steroid (Prednisone) treatment?
Increased blood glucose levels. Increase insulin dosage
As you can see, upon memorizing the easy to understand material within the RPNCE Study Guide, students can EASILY see when this answer is due on the RPNCE examination. Once students recognize the “steroid (Prednisone) question” so to speak, it will be easy to recall “increased blood glucose, increase insulin dosage” and the correct answer will stand out to students like never before when writing a nursing examination. Students remember increased blood glucose levels, increase insulin dosage and students visually see…
A. The patient is too young for Prednisone (Deltasone) treatment
B. The patient’s diabetes has nothing to do with the prescribed treatment
C. The history of sports injuries has nothing to do with the patients prescribed treatment
D. The patient's blood glucose levels may be increased, therefore insulin dosage should be increased
It really is just that simple! That is what sets this guide apart from the dozens of alternatives available to students. The RPNCE Study Guide only focuses on questions and answers pertinent to the RPNCE examination and not psychiatric nursing as a whole. It is not to say information related to psychiatric nursing and not the RPNCE examination is not important, it is only to say that this guide is designed to make it virtually impossible for students to fail the RPNCE examination because the exact material on the RPNCE examination is laid out in an easy to understand and easy to memorize format. Upon repetition and memorization of the material in the RPNCE Study Guide, students will easily push through their RPNCE examination and feel confident after having finished, knowing that what they studied was in fact presented during their examination.
Increased blood glucose levels. Increase insulin dosage
As you can see, upon memorizing the easy to understand material within the RPNCE Study Guide, students can EASILY see when this answer is due on the RPNCE examination. Once students recognize the “steroid (Prednisone) question” so to speak, it will be easy to recall “increased blood glucose, increase insulin dosage” and the correct answer will stand out to students like never before when writing a nursing examination. Students remember increased blood glucose levels, increase insulin dosage and students visually see…
A. The patient is too young for Prednisone (Deltasone) treatment
B. The patient’s diabetes has nothing to do with the prescribed treatment
C. The history of sports injuries has nothing to do with the patients prescribed treatment
D. The patient's blood glucose levels may be increased, therefore insulin dosage should be increased
It really is just that simple! That is what sets this guide apart from the dozens of alternatives available to students. The RPNCE Study Guide only focuses on questions and answers pertinent to the RPNCE examination and not psychiatric nursing as a whole. It is not to say information related to psychiatric nursing and not the RPNCE examination is not important, it is only to say that this guide is designed to make it virtually impossible for students to fail the RPNCE examination because the exact material on the RPNCE examination is laid out in an easy to understand and easy to memorize format. Upon repetition and memorization of the material in the RPNCE Study Guide, students will easily push through their RPNCE examination and feel confident after having finished, knowing that what they studied was in fact presented during their examination.
Is the examination the same for every student and for every re-write
The RPNCE examination has multiple different versions. Each version has different questions, and in a different sequence, in order to alleviate cheating during the examination (e.g. looking at another student's answers). The minimum number of questions presented during an examination is 190 and the maximum is 200. The student will never get the same exact examination twice, so it is important if the student fails the examination, to begin studying using a different approach to the material. It is a common mistake for students not to change how they study and to result in 3 failed attempts, approximately $1950.00 lost in examination fees, and the unbearable task of having to RE-ATTEND THE ENTIRE RPN COURSE AGAIN! It happens every day, and without the proper tools to pass, it can and has happened to students who graded with honors, students who scraped by, and everyone in between!
Are any questions omitted or counted for additional marks
Approximately 2% of the examination questions are advanced scope Registered Nursing questions and are omitted. In addition to this, approximately 3% of the examination questions are "future test questions" for a total of 5% of the examination not counting for or against students over all mark. These omitted questions are simply beta questions which are used to assess how well the average student is able to respond. If the general consensus is able to answer correctly, they are submitted for approval to the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses (respective to each provincial or territorial regulatory body title) and will most likely show up on a future RPNCE examination, as the examination changes slightly each year. This slight change is designed to discourage previous students from helping future students to cheat.
What is the minimum mark needed to pass
The examination is graded on a bell curve. This means that 70% does not equate to a passing mark. The pass and fail standards are set in reference to the content and difficulty of the questions. The RPNCE examination is scored nationally, not provincially. The average score of all students writing the examination, becomes the minimal passing mark. Some examinations have a minimal passing mark of 55% and some have a minimal passing mark of 75%. This passing mark is in complete accordance with the number of students writing the RPNCE examination, along with how well they do as a general audience. Throughout Canada, the average domestically educated student scored 71% and the average internationally educated student scored 23% upon their 1st attempt of writing the RPNCE examination during 2022/2023.
How does the student find out if they have passed
The examination does not give a letter grade or percentage mark if passed. The examination is marked on a pass/fail system. Any student who achieves a mark equivalent to, or greater than the national average is awarded a passing mark and sent a full scope license via postage mail (depending on the province or territory, postage mail is not always required). Any student who achieves a mark lower than the national average is awarded a failing mark and is sent a break down of how they scored throughout the examinations various skill, knowledge, and competency sections.
How much does it cost to re-write the examination
The examination costs approximately $650.00 to write, and re-write if failed (costs will vary between provinces and territories)
How many times can the examination be re-written
The examination can be written a maximum of 3x before the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses (respective to each provincial or territorial regulatory body title) insists the student undergo remedial training and/or re-attend the entire program once more. This is not only costly, but also time consuming to students, which is why passing this incredibly difficult examination is so crucial to all students!
How often can the examination be written
The examination is available to be written 3x per year, in October, February, and June.
How much time does the examination allot
The examination allots 240 minutes (4 hours) of time to write. Because there are between 190 – 200 questions, the average student has slightly longer than 1 minute per question.
How much does it cost to reschedule the examination
Changing an already scheduled examination time slot, if the student feels unready to be examined, costs approximately $50.00.
What happens if the student does not show up to write the examination
Failure to attend the RPNCE examination when scheduled results in forfeiture of the cost paid (approximately $650.00) with NO REFUND and NO EXCEPTIONS! If a student is late by up to 30 minutes, they are permitted to enter the examination area however, they are only allotted the 4 hours starting from the time the examination was started for all the students collectively (e.g. being late by 30 minutes, means the student has 30 minutes LESS to write the examination). If the student is late by any time greater than 30 minutes, the student will not be permitted to enter the examination and will forfeit the cost paid (approximately $650.00) with NO REFUND and NO EXCEPTIONS!
