External Examinations

Program Admissions Tests

National League for Nursing (NLN) – Pre-Admission Exam for PN and RN

The Testing Center administers this exam on behalf of students in the MEC Nursing Program. The PAX is a standardized test used in conjunction with other criteria to determine acceptance to a nursing program.

The RN and LPN tests are similar; however, the PN version includes a section on health and first aid. There are three main areas:

• Verbal skills: word knowledge and reading comprehension (80 questions, 1 hour) ;
• Math: Arithmetic, basic algebra, geometry, graphs and data interpretation (54 questions, 1 hour)
• Science: general biology, chemistry, physics and earth science. (80 questions, 1 hour)

No calculators are allowed.

To help you study for PAX-PN or PAX-RN, the National League for Nursing (NLN) has the NLN Review Guide for LPN/RN Pre-Entrance Exam, available at most bookstores. It helps you review the 3 areas and has approximately 1,000 practice questions and 3 practice exams in each of the 3 content areas. The book also has helpful tips for getting ready to test and for becoming a more effective learner and test taker.

Click here for additional information.

Credit by Examinations Programs

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Students can earn credits for what they already know through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) which awards college credit at hundreds of US colleges and universities.  The College Board created CLEP to allow students to earn college credits for knowledge they possess which was not measured otherwise.

Preparing for the CLEP Exam

Even if you are confident of your knowledge, preparing for any exam is a good practice. The College Board website provides exam information, some sample tests and study guides which are available for purchase.

Fees for these exams are non-refundable/non-transferable.

MEC Students

While this Testing Center administers all CLEP exams, individual colleges decide which of these subjects may be accepted at their institutions. At MEC, only the following exams may be taken to substitute for courses:

BIO 101 or 111; LAW 208, MAN 200 or 211, MAR 231, CHM 112, CIS 211 or CL 101, ECON 212, ECON 213, FREN 101 & 102, SPAN 101 & 102, POL 200, HIST 200, PSYC 101, PSYC 229, SOC 101, SSC 101.

By gaining a satisfactory score, one may earn the same amount of credits as a student who successfully completed the same course in the classroom, however, no letter grade is awarded.

What are some benefits of CLEP?

Earning credits through CLEP allows a student to:

• Skip beginner courses
• Take higher level courses faster
• Help determine readiness for classes
• Apply previous knowledge
• Save money on books and tuition

DSST (formerly DANTES Subject Standardized Tests)

A form of prior learning assessment (similar to CLEP), these tests are credit-by-examination tests originated by the United States Department of Defense that are comparable to the final or end-of-course examinations in undergraduate college courses. The nationally recognized DSST Program offers students a cost effective, time saving way to receive college credits for learning acquired outside the traditional classroom to accomplish their educational goals.

Visit http://getcollegecredit.com/ for more information.

Graduate and Professional School Examinations

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a half-day, standardized test that is an integral part of the law school admission process in the United States, Canada, and a growing number of other countries. It provides a standard measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools can use as one of several factors in assessing applicants.

Test Format

The test consists of five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. Four of the five sections contribute to the test taker’s score. The unscored section, commonly referred to as the variable section, typically is used to pretest new test questions or to pre-equate new test forms. The placement of this section will vary. A 35-minute writing sample is administered at the end of the test. Law School Admission Council (LSAC) does not score the writing sample, but copies of the writing sample are sent to all law schools to which the student has applied.

Visit www.lsac.org for additional information.

Certification Examination

Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) (formerly GED)

The Testing Center administers this exam for students in the MEC School of Professional & Community Development.

New York State (NYS) has chosen the TASC – Test Assessing Secondary Completion for the High School Equivalency (HSE) exam. Any NY State resident, 19 years of age or older, who did not graduate from high school or whose diploma may not be recognized by NY State can take the TASC exam.

The TASC includes five sections:

• Language Arts – Reading
• Language Arts – Writing
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies

The TASC takes about nine hours to complete and is usually administered in one or two days.

For information about your HSE/TASC preparation at MEC, call the SPCD at 718-804-8850

For information about TASC – Test Assessing Secondary Completion™ http://www.tasctest.com/

For free preparation materials: http://www.acces.nysed.gov/aepp/new-york-state-online-media-connection