NPS Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the NPS exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
NPS exam key facts
- The NPS Examination consists of 170 multiple-choice questions, comprising 150 scored items and 20 pretest items. Source
- Candidates are allotted four hours (240 minutes) to complete the NPS Examination. Source
- The NPS Examination pass/fail determination is made by comparing the candidate raw score to a criterion-referenced cut score. Source
- The fee for new applicants taking the NPS Examination is $250. Source
- Candidates may attempt the NPS Examination two times without waiting, after which a 180-day wait is required before sitting for the exam again. Source
- Each NPS specialty credential issued by the NBRC is awarded for a validity term of five years. Source
📋 NPS Exam Format at a Glance
📚 NPS Topics to Study (21)
✍️ Sample NPS Questions & Answers
1. A preterm neonate on total parenteral nutrition develops cholestatic jaundice. Which TPN component is most likely responsible?
Intravenous fat emulsions (IVFE), particularly phytosterol-containing soybean-based lipids, are strongly associated with parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease in neonates.
2. What tidal volume range is recommended for lung-protective ventilation in ventilated neonates?
A tidal volume of 4–6 mL/kg is recommended for neonatal lung-protective ventilation to minimize volutrauma while maintaining adequate CO2 clearance.
3. A term neonate has a 5-minute Apgar score of 2. Which therapeutic intervention, if initiated within 6 hours, improves neurological outcomes?
Therapeutic hypothermia (whole-body cooling to 33–34°C for 72 hours) initiated within 6 hours of birth is the standard of care for moderate-severe HIE.
4. During neonatal resuscitation, the initial FiO2 for a term newborn should be:
Current NRP guidelines recommend starting resuscitation of term newborns with room air (21% O2), titrating upward based on pulse oximetry.
5. A term neonate presents with tachypnea, mild hypoxia, and a chest X-ray showing fluid in the horizontal fissure and perihilar streaking. What is the most likely diagnosis?
TTN results from delayed resorption of fetal lung fluid and presents with tachypnea and perihilar streaking/fissure fluid on CXR, typically resolving within 24–72 hours.
6. A nurse reports that a colleague failed to wash hands before touching a NICU patient. What ethical principle requires the reporting nurse to speak up?
Beneficence (duty to benefit the patient) and non-maleficence (duty to avoid harm) require healthcare providers to report unsafe practices that could cause patient harm.
🎯 Free NPS Practice Tests
📖 NPS Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for NPS
An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:
- A timed, full-length NPS mock exam — 170 questions in 240 minutes with a 70% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
- A fixed NPS question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
- Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
- A printable NPS cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- NPS flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free NPS practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy
Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- nbrc.org — Eligibility, fees, exam format, registration deadline, retake fee, retake policy, score release, time limit, test delivery, test dates · verified Oct 2026