PAX Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the PAX 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.
PAX exam key facts
- The NLN Nursing Entrance Exam (NEX) has 145 scored multiple-choice items (Verbal 50, Math 40, Science 55) plus 18 unscored pilot items. Source
- Each of the three NLN Nursing Entrance Exam (NEX) subject tests is timed at 60 minutes, so the full exam takes 180 minutes, up from 40 minutes per section on the old PAX. Source
- The NLN does not set a pass/fail score for the Nursing Entrance Exam (NEX); each nursing program sets its own required score. Source
- The NLN requires 30 days between attempts at the Nursing Entrance Exam (NEX) unless the student's school has set a different testing frequency. Source
- An NLN Nursing Entrance Exam (NEX) score report stays available for three years, though each school decides how old a score it will accept. Source
📋 PAX Exam Format at a Glance
📚 PAX Topics to Study (19)
✍️ Sample PAX Questions & Answers
1. During which phase is the chromosome number reduced from diploid to haploid?
Explanation: During meiosis I, the chromosome number is reduced from diploid to haploid. Interphase is the period of the cell cycle that occurs in between divisions of the cell. In meiosis, the homologous chromosomes in a diploid cell separate, reducing the number of chromosomes in each cell by half. Mitosis is the phase of cell division in which the cell nucleus divides. The S phase is the part of the mitotic cycle in which DNA is synthesized.
2. According to the passage, approximately what percentage of people with peanut allergies have severe reactions?
Explanation: The second paragraph of the passage notes that ""up to one-third of people with peanut allergies have severe reactions."" Since one-third is approximately 33%, choice C is correct.
3. A Pre-Admission Examination survey collected responses from 600 participants. If 72% responded positively, how many responded positively?
72% of 600 = 0.72 × 600 = 432 positive responses.
4. In Pre-Admission Examination, what is homeostasis?
Homeostasis is the process by which biological systems maintain internal stability and balance (temperature, pH, glucose levels, etc.) while adjusting to changing external conditions.
5. What does "context clues" mean in Pre-Admission Examination reading comprehension?
Context clues are hints provided by surrounding words, phrases, and sentences that help readers infer the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary without external reference materials.
6. Mark's concerned daughter brought him into the emergency room, and it was found that he had feigned a heart attack. Feigned means:
Explanation: Affected is the synonym for feigned because in this instance both words mean, "presenting a false appearance of." Concealed is a somewhat related term signifying that something is "hidden." The other choices fit into the sentence and are synonyms for each other; as verbs, undergone and experienced both mean, "having come to knowledge of something by living through it."
🎯 Free PAX Practice Tests
📖 PAX Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for PAX
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 PAX mock exam — 160 questions in 125 minutes with a 50% 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 PAX 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 PAX cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- PAX flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free PAX 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
- nln.org — Exam format, time limit, passing score, score release, score validity, fees, retake policy, exam information · verified Oct 2026