Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam: 2024 Success Tips

So, what is the Kaplan nursing entrance exam? What does it look like? What sections does it consist of? And how do raters evaluate your success on the Kaplan entrance exam? Here is a definitive guide with all the data you should have at your fingertips to succeed with the Kaplan nursing test and your application to a nursing school.

What Is a Kaplan Nursing Practice Test?

Let’s start with the basic description of the Kaplan exam nursing students should take before admission. It is a nursing entrance exam with a total of 91 questions offered to learners. They have 2 hours and 45 minutes (165 minutes) for the test’s completion. The Kaplan nursing entrance test is broken down into four categories of evaluated skills as follows:

• Reading comprehension (22 questions with a 45-minute time slot given for the task)
• Writing (21 questions with a 45-minute time slot)
• Math (28 questions with a 45-minute time slot)
• Science (20 questions with a 30-minute time slot).

If you’re concerned about how the Kaplan nursing test scores are calculated and which score is a passing one, here are some details. The minimum passing score is 60%, but some reputable educational institutions raise the bar to 70% on the Kaplan nursing entrance exam. Thus, it’s better to target at least 70% of Kaplan nursing admission test scores. This way, you will have greater flexibility in applications to various nursing courses.

Competencies Checked in the Kaplan Nursing Admission Test

When it comes down to practice, Kaplan nursing entrance exam doesn’t seem complicated. You only need to exercise diligence and patience to hone every aspect of the tested skills. There are numerous guides with details about each section of the Kaplan nursing test, which may help you train and attain excellence in various exam parts.

Reading Comprehension

This part of the Kaplan entrance exam tests the student’s overall ability to grasp the main idea of the read content, the author’s message, and relevant details. To perform this task, students need to read the offered passage of text, which is usually sized from 100 words to 650 words. The majority of offered messages relate to science or nature topics, and the following multiple-choice questions test the student’s understanding, ability to make inferences from the reading passage, and comprehension of specific vocabulary applied in the context.

Next in the entrance test comes the section checking the student’s ability to understand and apply vocabulary, use correct spelling, and write grammatically correct sentences. Here, the exam requires you to define a word or fill in the gaps with the right word choice. Spelling questions will naturally urge you to tick the misspelled or correctly spelled word from a list of options, and grammar tasks will ask the learners to choose the rightly or wrongly structured sentence.

So, how do you get ready for this part of the Kaplan entrance exam? First of all, you should master the skills of text analysis, understanding the overall content purpose and message and the logic of the text. Besides, you should improve your skills in understanding contextual vocabulary and drawing inferences from texts.

Writing

This part of the Kaplan entrance test does not require any coherent writing on your part. Instead, the exam offers several written passages and asks learners either to identify redundant sentences or to elicit the logic and structure of the provided content. The entrance test may also ask a student to find the optimal place for a given sentence in a ready text. Some exam tasks offer to choose the best summary of a given passage or inquire about the function and meaning of separate words or phrases in the provided context.

How to raise your chances of passing the writing part of the Kaplan entrance test well? You should hone your skills in syntax and grammar. You should also master writing mechanics and sentence structure. Finally, it is important to understand the paragraph’s logic and main constituent parts.

Math

You don’t need to be a skilled mathematician to pass this part of the Kaplan entrance test. This exam section relates to some basic operations with fractions, percentages, ratios, and conversions. Some simple algebra questions may also be present on the test. So, you should prepare for math tasks falling into two basic categories: equations and word problems.

What is the bare minimum of math knowledge required to pass this entrance exam? At a minimum, you should know ratios and fractions. You should also have a clear idea of how to operate with decimals. Finally, it would help if you were skilled in solving algebraic equations. It is vital to understand both equation-format and word-format math tasks to pass the Kaplan test.

Science

In this test part, you are already expected to reveal a deeper level of understanding of science topics that will be of further use in nursing studies. These sciences are biology, anatomy, physiology, and physical science. Thus, you need to demonstrate your knowledge of basic human processes and core scientific concepts.
What scientific preparation can help you get a passing score on the Kaplan test? You should demonstrate a good understanding of how the human immune, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems function during the test. You should also know the concept of homeostasis. Basics of neurology and digestion may also be included in the test.

Kaplan vs. NCLEX

Many beginners in the nursing profession wonder what the difference is between the Kaplan test and the NCLEX exam. Let’s get things straight: the Kaplan test is a diagnostic exam dealing with the basic intelligence evaluation of applicants.

NCLEX, which means the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), is a completely different test. While Kaplan is an entry exam for a nursing course, NCLEX is the test that graduate students take as a culmination of their studies. This exam also has four sections, but these ones are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain and test the learner’s proficiency in nursing knowledge, understanding, application, and analysis.

You might be wondering if the Kaplan test is harder than the NCLEX exam. When it comes to Kaplan, nursing NCLEX exams are much harder. The exam is professionally specialized, unlike the Kaplan exam, which is a diagnostic one. The exam score indicates your level of preparedness for NCLEX. Thus, you may opt to take the NCLEX exam after you see good Kaplan scores and confirm your readiness.

Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam Tips

As you can see, preparing for the Kaplan entrance exam is a serious endeavor. You should take the process seriously, as it will open many doors for your nursing education if you succeed in this test. One of the variants is to enroll in a Kaplan nursing school and take an exam prep course where experienced tutors will teach you all the intricacies of Kaplan testing.

Other variants of independent preparation for the Kaplan entrance test include the following.

• Buy a study guide and follow it closely. There are many paid and free exam guides online, giving you a glimpse at what the Kaplan test looks like in reality. Take several exams in a timed manner to imitate the real-life examination room. So, you will determine your weak and strong sides, developing an improvement strategy for exam preparation.
• Use flashcards. Once you understand your knowledge gaps and improvement areas for this diagnostic test, you can make up a list of flashcards and study with their help. Put the flashcard to which you answered correctly aside and leave only the topics you’re struggling with in your working set. You will memorize the problematic exam material much quicker.
• Utilize your dream school’s resources. After you have chosen the nursing school to apply to, you can scan its website to find useful exam preparation resources. Every nursing school tries to help its exam applicants succeed, so the most determined ones will surely find lots of helpful test materials online.
• Join a study group. The modern world is digitized and interconnected. So, you’re sure to find plenty of opportunities to join offline and online study groups. By working on the Kaplan test with a team of fellow applicants, you can advance much quicker and develop a sense of community and belonging.

Where to Seek Kaplan Exam Nursing Help?

Once you have determined your dream of becoming a nurse, it’s time to get ready for the Kaplan and NCLEX exams. These entry tests will open your educational possibilities. They serve as the primary indicator of your competencies in most institutions that prepare nurses, so passing them with flying colors is a good starting point.

If you still find it hard to prepare for the Kaplan nursing entrance exam, feel free to turn to our experts. They will provide all the necessary information and content samples that will help you ace the key skills required from a nursing Kaplan student. Don’t be scared of the Kaplan test. It is a comprehensive diagnostic instrument that will help you enter the nursing profession.

Kaplan Admission Test FAQs

How do I prepare for the Kaplan nursing entrance exam?

When you study for Kaplan nursing entrance exam, you’ll need to hone your reading and writing skills, improve your math capabilities, and master all major areas of human physiology.

What is the passing score for the Kaplan nursing exam?

You pass the Kaplan admission test if your cumulative score for all sections of the exam is 60%. Yet, some educational institutions recognize results of 70% and higher only. Thus, it’s better to score 70%+ to become eligible for a broader range of educational programs.

What kind of math is on the Kaplan nursing entrance exam?

Math tasks that the Kaplan nursing admission exam requires you to solve mostly deal with arithmetic and algebraic problems, from equations to word tasks. You should exhibit an ability to perform basic math conversions, calculate ratios, and perform a variety of mathematical operations.

Which nursing entrance exam is the hardest?

There are many other nursing exams besides the Kaplan nursing admission test. Students recognize HESI A2 and TEAS as the most complicated and demanding exams. This complexity primarily relates to more extensive material coverage and a larger number of testing areas.