What is the Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam (NACE) & how to prepare?

All healthcare professionals must undergo certification testing before they can begin practicing in the field. The Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam, or NACE, was designed for Licensed Practical Nurses who have active licenses and are hoping to qualify for advanced placement in a Registered Nurse degree program. The NACE exam helps ensure LPNs are indeed adequately prepared for the challenging nature of RN curricula. Other NACE exams include a test on the fundamentals of Care for Adult patients and for the Foundations of Nursing.

Regardless of which NACE test you need to pass, it's important to have all the facts before you begin studying. Understanding what to expect on exam day can help you prepare more effectively. After all, it's hard to know what to work towards if you don't have a target score or format in mind! No matter how you choose to handle your test prep, make sure to be thoughtful about how to study the NACE exam.

NACE Exam Format

The NACE exam is notoriously challenging, and for good reason: they help gauge each examinee's clinical knowledge and readiness for advanced nursing principles. The NACE is a computer-based, four hour, multiple-choice exam featuring 184 questions. A score of 75 percent or higher is generally required to pass the NACE exam, but individual nursing programs may set higher standards. Raw scores are available immediately after you complete the test, but your official score will be forwarded to your nursing program at a later time.

The NACE is broken up into five main content areas: physiologic needs, psychosocial needs, communication, medication administration and moral, ethic and legal issues. Each section includes questions on the treatment and care of individual patients, including the tasks like assessing and diagnosing illnesses. To earn a passing score, you'll need to be very familiar with the terminology, symptoms, medications and treatments of the most common afflictions. NACE exams run $75 for each attempt, and students can take the test twice within a six month period.

NACE Study Strategies

There are several ways to prepare for the NACE exams. Flashcards, outlines, and reviewing the content with a study buddy can all help you achieve a passing score. If you're serious about passing the NACE on your first attempt, though, you'll have to be strategic in your preparation. Research proves that distributed practice is one of the very best study methods at your disposal.

Instead of late night cram sessions in the library the day before your NACE exam, try distributing the time you intend to spend on test prep throughout the week. An hour a day for a week can be so much more effective than a single marathon seven hour study session. It's not the only way examinees have successfully learned how to pass the NACE exam, but it's certainly one of the most effective.

Regardless of how you decide to study, consider starting your test prep with a NACE practice exam. No matter how confident you might be in your abilities, practice tests can reveal surprising gaps in your knowledge and prepare you in unexpected ways.

How NACE Practice Tests Can Help

Practice tests can be your secret weapon when it comes to passing the NACE exams. While you might think of them as just another study tool in your arsenal, they're far more powerful than your standard flashcards or chapter outlines. Practice tests help you determine how you'd fare if the exam were happening today. The results can point out blind spots in your understanding of important concepts and inspire you to study them more thoroughly.

To ensure you get the most out of your NACE exam practice test experience, try taking a practice exam at the very start of your test prep journey. Your score will give you a good idea of how well you know your stuff and what subjects deserve a second look. The practice test can also provide you first-hand experience with the format and pacing of the exam, giving you confidence in your ability to perform similarly on the day of the real test.

Use NACE exam practice tests throughout your test preparation efforts. Take one per week to measure your progress and recalibrate your study efforts accordingly. It's the best way to ensure you're on the right track and using your study time efficiently.

Bolster Your NACE Score with Exam Edge

A passing score on the NACE exam is possible – so long as you put in the work. Of course, you can only know if you're working efficiently and effectively if you're also practice testing along the way. Exam Edge offers free sample practice tests for new users who might be curious about our resources. Preview our content and see how you can benefit from our customizable NACE exam practice test experience. Click here to get started!