Nursing

Acceleration Challenge Exam

(ACE) I
Information Bulletin
OTACHI000P1B
Copyright protected by the NLN
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New York, NY 10006
www.nln.org
ACL I Inormation Bulletin
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TABLES OF CONTENTS
Contents Page
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2
Availability .................................................................................................................................. 3
Services Provided ...................................................................................................................... 3
Test Administration .................................................................................................................... 3
Scoring Tests and Reporting Results ........................................................................................ 4
Limitations of Tests ..................................................................................................................... 4
Content Outlines
Foundations of Nursing ................................................................................................... 4
Distribution of Questions by Content and Nursing Process ............................................. 6
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Acceleration Challenge Exam I
Information Bulletin
INTRODUCTION
1he National League or Nursing ,NLN, oers the Acceleration Challenge Lxamination ,ACL, to acilitate
educational mobility by proiding educators with an instrument or diagnostic ealuation o the applicants` nursing
knowledge. 1he ACL is designed to ealuate preious learning and experience in order to establish credit and
placement in the nursing education program. 1ests are designed or two pathways: ACL I is intended or
administration to licensed practical nurses seeking placement in programs preparing or registered nursing practice.
It may also be appropriate or testing other indiiduals with preious education and experience in allied health
ields. Inormation rom the ACL can be used as one component o the total ealuation o each indiidual.
ACL I PN to RN includes three content areas in two test books. Book One is ovvaatiov. of ^vr.ivg; Book
1wo is ^vr.ivg Care Dvrivg Cbitabearivg and ^vr.ivg Care of tbe Cbita. At the direction o the RN program, students
may take Book One, either part or all o Book 1wo, or both test books.
Book One, ovvaatiov. of ^vr.ivg, includes content related to nursing care to meet basic physiological and
psychosocial needs. 1here are 184 questions in this test that are to be administered in a single 3' hour session.
1he irst section o Book 1wo, ^vr.ivg Care Dvrivg Cbitabearivg, includes content related to nursing care
during antepartal, intrapartal, postpartal, and neonatal periods. 1he second section o Book 1wo, ^vr.ivg Care of tbe
Cbita, includes content related to nursing care o the inant, toddler, preschooler, school-age child, and adolescent.
1he Book 1wo test, ^vr.ivg Care Dvrivg Cbitabearivg and ^vr.ivg Care of tbe Cbita, contains 198 items and is to be
administered in a single 3' hour session.
ACL I questions are written in the ramework o the nursing process. 1his relects the current approach or
proiding care to clients. lor purposes o the ACL, the steps o the nursing process are deined as ollows:
1. Assessing - includes collecting physical, emotional, and cultural data, and recognizing signs, symptoms,
and behaiors.
2. Analyzing - includes interpreting data, identiying clients' needs, and making nursing diagnoses
3. Planning - includes setting goals, selecting measures or care, and identiying correct techniques or
giing care.
4. Implementing - includes responding appropriately to clients' needs or nursing care, and using
eectie communication when giing inormation and,or teaching.
5. Lvaluating - includes recognizing intended and unintended eects o measures and treatments,
determining eidence o clients' compliance with treatment plans, and determining eidence o clients'
response to measures and treatment.

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AVAILABILITY
Faculty within a nursing program are responsible for determining the appropriateness of one or more of the
ACE I tests for the specific program. The content outline and sample questions included in this bulletin can be
useful to you in making this decision.
Each program also determines the credit to be given for acceptable performance on a ACE I test. NLN
does not establish a "passing" or "failing" mark on these tests. Each nursing program is encouraged to set its own
standards by matching a test with a specific course or course sequence and to determine acceptable test
performance commensurate with acceptable performance of students already enrolled in the program. A technical
manual is available for assistance in making proper use of ACE I test results.
SERVICES PROVIDED
Users of this test will be provided with test booklets, answer sheets, and directions for administration. NLN
Assessment and Evaluation also provides the scoring of answer sheets and reporting of test results with interpretive
materials to the authorized program and the examinee.
TEST ADMINISTRATION
ACE I is administered by faculty at individual schools of nursing. Any official representative of the school
or program may be designated as examiner and authorized to administer the tests.
It is suggested that the tests be administered in a one-day session or two half-day sessions at participating schools of
nursing at a time that fits their schedule.
Session #1: 3 hours Book One, Foundations of Nursing
Session #2: 3 hours Book Two, Nursing Care During Childbearing and
Nursing Care of the Child
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SCORING TESTS AND REPORTING RESULTS
All answer sheets must be returned for scoring. It is customary for scores to be reported within two
business days following receipt of answer sheets, unless overnight priority scoring was requested. Two copies of the
performance report are sent to the nursing program that administered the test; one copy is for the examinee.
Priority scoring is available for an additional fee. Contact NLN Customer Support Center at (800) 669-9656 for
details.
ACE I uses a criterion-referenced approach. A total score on a 0-to-l00 scale, a decision score, is reported
for each of the three content areas reflecting the percentage of questions answered correctly. In addition to
reporting decision scores, diagnostic subscores are reported as percentages of questions correct. Median percentages
correct for a reference group of registered nursing students completing the relevant courses are provided as well.
These are based on content areas in the individual tests. This information is intended to supplement faculty
evaluation of students and students' own self-assessments of strengths and weaknesses.
ACE I tests were administered to national samples of nursing students in nursing programs completing
courses for which ACE I could be used as a challenge examination. These data provide the basis for the advisory
scores reported for use in placement decisions.
Test scores are the property of NLN and are retained on file in electronic form for a period of three years
following the date of examination. Duplicate copies of test reports are available during that period upon written
request of the examinee for a fee of $25 per test report.
LIMITATIONS OF TESTS
Like any test, the Acceleration Challenge Exam (ACE) is not a perfect measurement of achievement. Even
comprehensive tests can only sample knowledge in a given field. Because of this, questions on a specific test may
be more favorable to some examinees than to others. Errors in measurement may also be introduced by examinees.
Individuals who are ill or extremely tired or nervous may not perform to the best of their ability. The ACE is not
designed to point out health or personal factors that impinge upon educational success. These limitations should
not be forgotten by those reviewing test performance whether for challenge or for other purposes.
CONTENT OUTLINES
Foundations of Nursing
Foundations of Nursing has 184 scored individual questions involving clients who have common health problems. The
nursing process assessing, analyzing, planning, implementing, and evaluating is applied in items throughout the
test. The questions include a sampling of situations involving clients in health care settings with one or more of the
following conditions.
Pain Chronic illness
Fluid and electrolyte imbalance Death and dying
Incontinence Preoperative care
Infectious disease Postoperative care
Loss of consciousness Stress
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CONTENT OUTLINES ;Covtivvea)
Foundations of Nursing
1he content areas are diided into the ollowing general headings:
I. Basic lealth Needs
A. Physiologic Needs
1. lygiene
2. Comort
3. Saety
4. Body alignment
5. Lxercise and ambulation
6. Rest and sleep
. Nutrition
8. Llimination
9. Respiration and circulation
10. lluid and electrolyte balance
11. Growth and deelopment
B. Psychosocial Needs
1. Sexuality
2. Spiritual preerence, cultural
3. Sel-esteem
4. Belonging
5.
Stimulation
6.
Loss and death
.
Sel-actualization
8.
Security
9.
Deense mechanisms
10.
Growth and deelopment
II. Communication
A. Documentation
B. Verbal Communication
C. Non-Verbal Communication
III. General Principles o Medication
Administration
IV. Moral,Lthical,Legal Issues
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Distribution of Questions by Content
and Nursing Process
1he inormation presented below shows the distribution and summation o questions or all content areas and the
nursing process o which the ovvaatiov. of ^vr.ivg test consists. 1he content areas are listed in the preceding
outline, and the nursing process is deined on page 2 in this manual. Adisory scores are proided or each o the
test`s sub-categories and relect the median percent correct score. 1hese scores can be used as the basis rom which
you can better ealuate a student`s perormance in each o these sub-categories.
.ari.or, .core. are ti.tea a. ^orv. Crov, Meaiav Percevt Correct ov a .tvaevt`. erforvavce reort iv aaaitiov to tbe aeci.iov
.core, rbicb i. ba.ea ov tbe .tvaevt`. oreratt erforvavce ov tbe te.t.
Distribution of Questions
Percentage of
Coverage
Advisory Scores
Content Areas
A. Physiological Needs 40-50
5
B. Psychosocial Needs
10-25 82
C. Communication
15-25
D. General Principles o Drug Administration 5-15 69
L. Moral, Lthical, Legal Issues
4-6 80
Nursing Process
I. Assessing,Analyzing 1-23
6
II. Planning
1-23 4
III. Implementing
1-23 5
IV. Laluating 1-23 3