The Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam — the NJE — stands between you and your nursing license in Texas. Every RN, LVN, and advanced practice nurse must pass it before the Texas Board of Nursing issues or renews a license. No exam, no license. That's the rule.
Here's what makes the NJE different from the NCLEX: it's open book. You can reference the Texas Nursing Practice Act, the BON Rules and Regulations, and the Nurse Practice Act during the exam. But don't let that fool you into thinking it's easy — the questions are scenario-based, and knowing where to look matters just as much as memorizing the rules.
This guide walks you through the exam format, the Texas BON rules that appear most often, and real sample questions with explained answers. You'll also find links to free practice quizzes below to test what you know before the real thing.
The NJE is administered entirely online through the Texas BON website. You register, pay the fee ($50 as of 2026), and take the exam on your own device. No test center. No scheduling window. Just log in and go.
Passing score is 75% or higher. You get 50 questions, 2 hours to complete them, and unlimited retakes if you don't pass — though you pay the fee each attempt. Most nurses who prepare seriously pass on the first try. That said, nurses who walk in blind fail at a surprising rate, even with the open-book format.
The topics you'll need to know: scope of practice differences between RN, LVN, and APRN; delegation rules under 22 TAC § 224; mandatory reporting obligations; peer review; and the grounds for disciplinary action. This complete study guide covers all of them in detail — with sample questions and fully explained answers throughout.
The Texas Nursing Practice Act (NPA) is codified in Texas Occupations Code Chapter 301. It defines who can practice nursing, what nursing practice actually means, and what happens when someone violates the standards. The BON enforces every provision — which is why the texas nursing jurisprudence exam tests it so heavily.
Candidates need to understand three core definitions: professional nursing (RN), vocational nursing (LVN), and advanced practice registered nursing (APRN). These aren't interchangeable — the scope of practice differs for each, and the exam will test whether you know those boundaries cold.
Professional nurses can independently assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care. That independence is the key word. Vocational nurses work under the supervision of a physician, podiatrist, dentist, or RN — dependent practice, not independent. The distinction matters on the exam because many questions are about what an LVN can do unsupervised versus what requires RN oversight.
The NPA also defines unprofessional conduct — the behaviors that can result in disciplinary action. These include practicing while impaired, falsifying records, failing to report abuse, and practicing outside your authorized scope. These scenarios appear on the exam regularly. You don't need to memorize every word, but you need to recognize when a described behavior crosses a line.
One section most nurses underestimate: the standards of nursing practice under 22 TAC § 217.11. These are the baseline competency requirements every nurse must meet regardless of specialty or setting — and the BON uses them to determine whether a nurse met the standard of care in a complaint or disciplinary investigation. If a BON investigator is asking whether something went wrong, § 217.11 is usually where they start.
Delegation questions appear more than any other topic on the Texas NJE. The BON's rules on delegation are specific — and the exam exploits every ambiguity. Here's what you need to understand before test day. And if you want to check your baseline, the texas nje practice test is a good starting point.
Only RNs can delegate nursing tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs). LVNs working under RN supervision may assign tasks to UAPs as directed by the RN, but that assignment authority flows from the RN's delegation, not the LVN's own authority. This is a common exam trap — and one that trips up nurses who've been working in settings where LVNs informally direct CNAs every shift.
The five rights of delegation are foundational. Right task. Right circumstances. Right person. Right direction and communication. Right supervision. If any of these five criteria aren't met, delegation is improper — even if the actual patient outcome is fine. The NJE doesn't ask whether harm occurred; it asks whether the delegation was appropriate under the rules.
What can never be delegated: nursing assessment, nursing judgment, care planning, evaluation of patient outcomes. These are the core of professional nursing practice. free TX NJE delegation practice test questions on delegation often present a scenario where a nurse delegates an assessment task to a CNA — that's always wrong, regardless of circumstances, the CNA's experience, or time pressure.
The UAP's training and demonstrated competency also matter separately. An RN can only delegate tasks the UAP has been trained to perform AND that the RN has personally verified are within that person's abilities. Delegating complex wound packing to a UAP who watched a nurse do it once violates 22 TAC § 224 — and that exact scenario appears in NJE practice questions for a reason.
These sample questions reflect the scenario-based format of the actual exam. Each one tests a specific rule from the Texas Nursing Practice Act or the BON's administrative rules. Work through them before reading the answers — then study the explanations to understand the reasoning, not just the outcome. On the real exam, you'll see brand-new scenarios. If you understand the underlying rule, you'll handle them. If you only memorized an answer pattern, you won't.
Q1. An RN delegates wound packing to a UAP on a med-surg unit. The UAP has been on the unit for 2 weeks and says she watched a nurse do it once. The RN proceeds. What has the RN violated?
A: The right person criterion of delegation. The UAP hasn't demonstrated competency — watching once doesn't satisfy 22 TAC § 224's requirement. The RN is personally responsible for verifying the UAP can safely perform the specific task before any delegation occurs. This isn't a paperwork issue; it's a patient safety standard.
Q2. A newly licensed LVN is working the night shift with no RN on the floor and no RN reachable by phone. A patient's condition deteriorates. What should the LVN do first?
A: Contact the supervising physician or on-call provider immediately, document all attempts to reach supervision, and escalate to the facility's chain of command. LVNs require physician or RN supervision by statute — working without either present or reachable is a scope of practice violation under the Texas NPA, and the LVN must take all reasonable steps to correct that situation immediately.
Q3. An RN suspects a colleague is diverting narcotics. What is the correct first step under Texas law?
A: Report the concern through the facility's internal peer review process. Texas law — specifically 22 TAC § 213.33 — requires peer review to occur before, or simultaneously with, a BON report. Bypassing the peer review process entirely is itself a violation unless there's an immediate threat to patient safety that can't wait for the institutional process to begin.
Q4. A licensed nurse receives a DWI conviction. How many days does she have to self-report to the Texas BON?
A: 30 days from the date of final conviction or deferred adjudication. Failing to self-report is itself a separate and independent violation — and routinely results in a harsher disciplinary outcome than the underlying offense alone. The BON consistently treats concealment as more serious than disclosure.
Q5. Which of these can an RN delegate to a hospital UAP? (A) Completing a patient admission assessment. (B) Teaching a diabetic patient about insulin technique. (C) Taking and recording vital signs on a stable post-op patient. (D) Evaluating whether a wound is healing appropriately.
A: C only.
Taking vital signs on a stable patient is a well-defined, non-complex task within UAP training scope — it doesn't require nursing judgment to perform. Assessment (A), teaching (B), and evaluation (D) are core professional nursing functions that cannot be delegated to anyone who isn't a licensed nurse, under any circumstances, regardless of time pressure or staffing shortages.
Q6. An APRN in Texas wants to prescribe a Schedule II controlled substance. What is required?
A: A valid collaborative practice agreement with a physician AND a DEA registration. Texas APRNs have prescriptive authority under 22 TAC § 222, but Schedule II prescribing requires physician collaboration — not independent authority.
Q7. An LVN performs a focused wound assessment at the direction of an RN. Is this within LVN scope?
A: Yes — focused data collection on a stable patient, when directed by a supervising RN, is within LVN scope. The LVN may not independently determine a plan of care from that assessment, but the data collection itself is permissible.
Q8. A nurse witnesses a coworker slap a confused elderly patient. What must the nurse do?
A: Report immediately to the facility's charge nurse or supervisor AND file a mandatory abuse report with Adult Protective Services. This is physical abuse of a vulnerable adult — mandatory reporting under Texas Family Code § 48.051. A BON report is also warranted. Both are required.
Q9. A nurse self-reports a substance abuse issue to TPAPN before any BON investigation begins. What happens?
A: TPAPN provides a non-disciplinary, confidential rehabilitation pathway. Nurses who voluntarily enter TPAPN before disciplinary action is filed may avoid formal BON discipline. Participation requires monitoring, treatment, and practice restrictions during the program duration.
Q10. A nurse is placed on probation by the Texas BON and doesn't inform her employer. Is this a problem?
A: Yes — nurses on probation are required to notify employers of their license restrictions under the terms of the probation order. Failure to notify is an additional independent violation that can escalate discipline from probation to suspension or revocation.
Tip: The BON posts all disciplinary orders publicly on bon.texas.gov. Employers check — and so does the National Practitioner Data Bank. Transparency is always the better path when dealing with BON actions.
Mandatory reporting requirements trip up more nurses on the NJE than almost any other topic — not because the rules are complicated, but because many nurses have never had to use them and haven't thought carefully about the order of operations. Texas law has a specific sequence, and the exam tests it.
When you have reason to believe a nurse colleague is practicing unsafely, Texas law under 22 TAC § 213.33 requires you to go through the peer review process first. That means reporting to your facility's peer review committee or the designated peer review body. Only after peer review — or simultaneously if required by immediate patient safety — do you file a report directly with the BON. Skipping peer review and going straight to the BON is itself a violation of the rules, unless there's an immediate, serious threat to patient safety that cannot wait for the institutional process.
Self-reporting is different. If you have your own conviction, disciplinary action from another state, or mental/physical condition that impairs your ability to practice safely, you must self-report to the Texas BON within 30 days. This obligation is independent of peer review. You don't report to a committee first — you report directly to the BON, in writing, within the 30-day window. Missing that window makes a bad situation significantly worse — and routinely results in harsher disciplinary outcomes than the underlying offense alone.
Abuse reporting follows yet another path. As a nurse, you're a mandatory reporter under Texas Family Code Chapter 48 for adult abuse and Texas Family Code Chapter 261 for child abuse. Reasonable suspicion triggers the reporting duty — you don't need proof, and you don't need your employer's permission. You call Adult Protective Services or the child abuse hotline directly. Your employer can't override this obligation, and good-faith reporters are protected from civil liability under Texas law.
The NJE often presents scenarios that blend these three pathways — a nurse who witnesses something that implicates peer review, self-reporting, and mandatory abuse reporting simultaneously. The correct answer requires understanding which pathway governs each element of the situation. Know the distinction cold before test day.
Most nurses spend too much time trying to memorize the entire Nursing Practice Act and not enough time understanding the underlying logic. The NJE is a reasoning exam disguised as a rules exam. Every correct answer traces back to a specific rule — but choosing the right answer requires applying that rule to a realistic scenario you've never seen before.
Start with jurisprudence exam nursing texas practice quizzes before you open a single rule book. This tells you which topics you already understand and which ones need work. Spending three hours on scope-of-practice questions you'll answer correctly anyway wastes prep time you need for delegation and peer review — the two topics that cause the most failures.
When you find a question you get wrong, look up the specific rule — not a summary, the actual rule text. The NJE tests exact statutory language and scenario applications. A question might ask about "unprofessional conduct" specifically, and knowing that phrase comes from 22 TAC § 217.12 means you can find it in ten seconds during the exam instead of guessing from memory.
The open-book format is your biggest structural advantage — use it intentionally. Don't take the NJE entirely from memory. Build a personal reference sheet with the section numbers for the most-tested rules before you sit down. When you hit a hard question, finding the relevant rule takes sixty seconds if you know where to look. Without that prep, you're searching blindly in a long regulatory document under time pressure. That's where avoidable errors happen.
Two things that won't help much: Quizlet flashcards with memorized answers, and cramming the night before. The NJE changes the scenarios from what you practiced — memorized answers don't transfer. Understanding why a rule exists transfers to any scenario the exam writers can construct. That's the difference between passing on your first try and paying $50 for a second attempt.
One more thing worth knowing about preparation: many nurses treat the NJE as an afterthought because it's "just" open book. That framing is wrong. The Texas BON uses the NJE to confirm that every licensed nurse in the state understands the rules they're legally bound by. Pass it wrong and you could be practicing with a shaky understanding of your own scope, delegation authority, and reporting obligations — the situations where nurses actually get in trouble with the BON.
Take the prep seriously. Spend a few focused hours with current practice questions and the actual rule text. Come in with your section numbers bookmarked, a clear understanding of the five rights of delegation, and the scope differences between RN/LVN/APRN locked down. Do that, and you'll pass comfortably on the first attempt.