NCAS scores came back — is 68% on reading competitive for RN program admissions?
My NCAS results just came in and I'm trying to figure out where I actually stand. Reading came back at 68%, math at 71%, and science at 62%. I've been applying to two community college RN programs and one BSN program at a state university. The test felt harder than I expected, especially the reading comprehension passages that had medical terminology mixed in that I wasn't prepared for at all.
I studied for about 4 weeks before the exam, averaging maybe 90 minutes a day. The science section is where I should have put more time — my biology background is weak because I took it in high school four years ago and retained maybe 30% of it. The math felt more comfortable because I work as a phlebotomist and use basic calculations daily, so that section didn't surprise me.
My main concern is whether 62% on science is going to disqualify me at programs that list 65% as a minimum, or if minimum means something different from competitive. I've also seen programs that say they look at composite scores rather than individual subscores, which would change how I think about this. I'm trying to decide whether to apply to all three programs now or wait and retake the exam before submitting. Application fees add up and I don't want to waste them if my scores aren't competitive enough.
Your phlebotomy experience is a real asset that should be all over your personal statement. Admissions offices look at the full picture and clinical work experience carries genuine weight. Frame it specifically around patient interaction and what you learned about clinical environments, not just the technical skill.
Those scores are in the passing range for most community college programs but you're probably not in the competitive tier where programs have more applicants than seats. It really depends on your specific region and how many people apply to those programs that cycle. The only way to know is to call admissions and ask how last year's cohort scored.
Apply to all three if the fees aren't prohibitive. Acceptance rates are less predictable than people think and narrowing your options based on guesses about competitiveness is risky. The worst outcome is paying three application fees and getting into all of them, which is a good problem to have.
The science subscore matters more than most applicants realize. Programs use it to predict how you'll do in A&P and microbiology, which are the courses with the highest washout rates. If you have time before the application deadline, six to eight weeks of focused biology review and a retake could meaningfully move that score.
Congrats on getting your scores back! For what it's worth, I went through the same spiral after mine came in and the thing that actually helped me wasn't drilling more practice questions — it was spending time on every wrong answer figuring out exactly why it was wrong. Not just "oh I should've picked C," but like, what was the reasoning trap I fell into? Reading comprehension especially has these sneaky wrong answers that are technically true but just not what the passage is saying, and once I started catching those patterns I stopped second-guessing myself so much.
Your math is solid and 68% on reading isn't a dealbreaker, but if you've got time before decisions go out it's worth doing a few timed sections and treating the review as the real work, not the practice itself. The state university BSN programs tend to look at the full picture anyway. You didn't bomb it, you've got a reasonable spread to work with.
Honestly those scores look decent, especially if you're working while studying. I'm a CNA working 36 hours a week and I managed a 70% reading, 68% math, and 65% science studying maybe 45 minutes a night after my kids were in bed. It wasn't pretty but it worked. The programs I talked to said they look at the whole application, not just one section, so your reading at 68% isn't going to tank you on its own.
The science score is worth giving another shot if you have time before your deadlines. I retook mine and bumped it up 7 points just by drilling the A&P stuff specifically. Reading felt impossible to improve quickly but science responded fast to targeted practice. Good luck, I know how exhausting it is to do this while life is still happening around you.
Honestly your scores don't sound bad at all, especially for community college programs. I'm in a similar boat — just hit 74% on reading in a practice run using free ncas fundamentals questions, which felt like a big jump from where I started. Science is still killing me though.
I'm planning to sit the real exam in about three weeks. Good luck with your applications, I've heard the cutoffs vary a lot by program so it's worth calling the admissions office directly and just asking them what they typically see from accepted students.
Congrats on finishing it! Honestly those scores aren't bad at all. I just went through the same thing a few months ago and got into my community college RN program with a 66% reading, so 68% is definitely in the range. The reading section caught me off guard too until I started drilling with free ncas fundamentals practice sets — that's what actually moved the needle for me because I finally understood the passage structure they were testing on.
Your science score is what you'll want to watch. Most programs I looked at wanted at least 60% across the board, so you're just at the line there. It's worth calling the admissions offices directly and asking what their minimum cutoffs are, because it varies more than you'd think. Some schools weight the scores differently and your math score of 71% could offset it.