June 2010 – May 2015
The Canadian Registered Nurse Exam (CRNE) consists solely of multiple-choice questions. For details about the exam, please read the information below.Each provincial or territorial nursing regulatory body in Canada is responsible for ensuring that the individuals it registers as nurses meet an acceptable level of competence before beginning to practise.
The level of competence of registered nurses in all provinces and territories except Quebec is measured, in part, by the CRNE. The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) develops and maintains the CRNE through its testing company, Assessment Strategies Inc., and in collaboration with the regulatory authorities. The provincial and territorial nursing regulatory authorities administer the exam and determine eligibility to write it.
The purpose of the CRNE is to protect the public by ensuring that the entry-level registered nurse possesses the competencies required to practise safely and effectively.
Examination Length and Format
There are about 200 multiple-choice questions on the exam.
Question Presentation
Of the approximately 200 multiple-choice questions on the CRNE, some are presented as independent questions and some are presented within cases. Case-based questions include a set of three to five questions associated with a brief health-care scenario. Independent questions contain the information necessary to answer the questions.
What Is Tested With the CRNE
The following text is taken from the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination Prep Guide (2010). There are 148 competencies that make up the content domain for the CRNE. Each question on the CRNE is linked to one of these competencies.
Competency Framework
The competency framework identifies and organizes the competencies that the CRNE should assess, reflecting a primary health-care nursing model. The framework and definitions of the four competency categories presented below are relevant to the June 2010-May 2015 exam. Because some of the competencies lend themselves to one or more categories, these four categories should be viewed simply as an organizing mechanism.
