If you need help studying for the Medical-Surgical Nursing test or just want some more information about what the test is like, you’ve come to the right place.
Click below to take a free Medical-Surgical Nursing practice test!
What’s on the Exam?
How to Register
Exam Scores
Retaking the Exam
Medical-Surgical Nursing Online Course
FAQs
Exam Eligibility
Before you can register to take the Medical-Surgical Nursing exam, you’ll have to meet ALL of the requirements below:
- You need to have a current RN license that’s valid in the US
- You need to have at least 2 years of full-time RN experience
- You need to have at least 2,000 hours of clinical medical-surgical nursing practice within the last 3 years
- You need to have had least 30 hours of continuing medical-surgical education within the last 3 years
If you meet these requirements, you’re set to begin the registration process!
What’s on the Exam?
First, let’s talk about the questions on the exam. There are 150 multiple-choice questions total, but only about 125 of the questions will count toward your score. Why is that?
The 25 unscored questions on the STS exam are “pretest” questions. These are added to the exam to determine if they’re good enough questions to add to future versions of the test.
The trick is that you won’t have any way of knowing which questions are scored and which ones are pretest. They will appear just like the scored questions throughout the test.
The time limit for the exam is 3 hours. There aren’t any scheduled breaks, but you’re free to take restroom breaks as needed.
Let’s take a closer look at the three sections of the Medical-Surgical Nursing exam:
1. ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS
52 questions
- Health history collection
- Physical assessment
- Psychosocial assessment
- Cognitive assessment
- Diagnostic and laboratory testing
- Nursing diagnosis identification and prioritization
- Fluids and electrolytes
2. PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION
58 questions
- Nursing care planning
- Postoperative complication prevention and management
- Patient teaching
- Education topics
- Patient safety measures
- Non-pharmacologic treatments
- Medication interactions and adverse effects
- Health and wellness promotion
3. PROFESSIONAL ROLE
15 questions
- Therapeutic communication
- Nursing ethics
How to Register
To begin the registration process, you’ll need to create an account via the ANCC website. This account will give you the ability to register for the exam.
The examination fee is $395 (ANA members pay a discounted price of $295).
Medical-Surgical Nurse Study Guide and Flashcards
Get practice questions, detailed study lessons, and complex subjects broken down into easily understandable concepts.
How is the Exam Scored?
The Medical-Surgical Nursing exam is scored using a scaled scoring method. Here’s how it works:
For every question you answer correctly, you get one point added to your raw score. At the end of the test, your final raw score will be converted to a scaled score. This scaled score can go up to a maximum of 500.
You will need a scaled score of at least 350 to pass the exam.
The reason your raw score is converted to a scaled score is because everyone that takes the test is given a slightly different set of questions. Since everyone has a different arrangement of questions, and because some questions are harder than others, converting your raw score to a scaled score ensures a more even playing field.
Retaking the Exam
If you didn’t get the score you wanted on your first try, that’s okay!
You can take the exam up to three times in any 12-month period, and you’ll have to wait at least 60 days between each attempt.
Online Medical-Surgical Nurse Prep Course
If you want to be fully prepared, Mometrix offers an online Medical-Surgical Nurse prep course. The course is designed to provide you with any and every resource you might want while studying. The Medical-Surgical Nurse course includes:
- Review Lessons Covering Every Topic
- 1,050+ Med-Surg Practice Questions
- More than 350 Digital Flashcards
- Over 90 Instructional Videos
- Money-back Guarantee
- Free Mobile Access
- and More!
The Medical-Surgical Nurse prep course is designed to help any learner get everything they need to prepare for their Medical-Surgical Nurse exam. Click below to check it out!
FAQs
How many questions are on the Medical-Surgical Nursing exam?
The exam contains 150 multiple-choice questions.
How long is the Medical-Surgical Nursing exam?
The exam is timed at 3 hours.
What is the passing score for the Medical-Surgical Nursing exam?
You’ll need a final scaled score of at least 350 to pass the exam.
