Nursing News

An exam blueprint describes how a licensure exam is to be developed. It provides instructions and guidelines on how competencies and practice statements (i.e., knowledge, skills, attributes and judgments) are to be expressed within the exam to enable accurate decisions to be made on a candidate’s readiness to practice safely, effectively and ethically.

The blueprint indicates the total number of questions on the exam and the target percentage of questions coming from each domain or practice statement section. It also shows the number and percentage of questions targeted to different levels of cognitive complexity, from basic knowledge and recall to detailed scenario-based questions requiring the analysis and synthesis of knowledge and critical thinking.

Having a blueprint provides consistency in the exam design and helps align the percentage of questions focused on various competencies to their level of importance for public protection.

• Consistency of design ensures that no test taker is advantaged or disadvantaged by taking any version of the examination nor do they receive questions they are uniquely familiar or unfamiliar with.

• Alignment means that the more important a topic is for safe and competent practice, the more of these questions appear on the examination.

The exam blueprint will be used to provide direction to exam developers and item writers about content for the exam and to ensure the exam content has adequate representation of questions from each domain or practice statement section.

It is important that exam blueprints help maintain transparency and fairness so that no test-taker is surprised about the nature of the exam when they sit for it. To this end, subject matter experts will use the blueprint to review and judge the appropriateness of test questions, determining if the question is at the appropriate level of difficulty or complexity. As well, educators will use the blueprint to help students prepare to take the exam.

The blueprint includes the following structural elements to guide exam development:

• Examination length – the number of questions on the exam to ensure reliability and content validity
• Question format and presentation – the types of questions to include (e.g., multiple choice or case base) and how the questions will be presented
• Questions by domains – the number of questions to be included for each domain or practice statement section
• Cognitive level of questions – for example: comprehension, application, and critical thinking
• Contextual variables to include in question development – including healthcare clients, client lifespans / ages, health focus (e.g., various body systems and illnesses/ injuries), considerations for population diversity, healthcare environment and setting.

The exam will be a linear-on-the-fly (LOFT) format. This means that all test-takers will receive the same number of questions and will be able to navigate forward and backward throughout the exam. Each test-taker will receive a unique batch of exam questions that will be based on the exam blueprint and will be of equal difficulty.

Details about the exam, including how often it will be offered, are being worked out and will be shared by each jurisdiction.

NP students who are currently in a client population or setting focussed education program (i.e., Family All Ages / Primary Care or Adult) will have access to the corresponding licensure exam. These licensure exams will continue to be available for a period of time for these NP students. NP students should connect with their regulatory body with any questions about exam availability and timing.