CGFNS Qualifying Exam®
The CGFNS Qualifying Exam® (Certification Program) is designed specifically for first-level, general nurses educated and licensed outside the United States who wish to assess their chances of passing the U.S. registered nurse licensing exam, the NCLEX-RN® examination, and attaining licensure to practice as registered nurses within the United States.
The program is comprised of three parts: a credentials review of the nurse’s education, registration, and licensure; the CGFNS Qualifying Exam, a one-day qualifying exam testing nursing knowledge; and an English language proficiency exam. Upon successful completion of all three elements of the program, the applicant is awarded a CGFNS Certificate.
Also, the CGFNS, Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools, administers a Certification Program (CP) for the first-level general, registered nurses who have been educated outside the United States who want to now practice nursing in the United States. The Certification Program consists of a credentials review, an English language proficiency exam, and a CGFNS qualifying exam. The qualifying exam tests nursing knowledge and the understanding of how nursing is taught and practiced in the United States.
Exam Details
The CGFNS Qualifying Exam® is a written examination that has questions in the form of multiple-choice questions. Also, the alternative format is to fill in the blanks, hot spot questions, drag and drop questions, etc. The candidate will be given 3 hours to complete the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®. The scheduling fee for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® is $445 and for retaking the exam, it’s $350. The candidate can apply online for the exam at https://external.cgfns.org/cerpassweb/login.jsp.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible, you must have completed sufficient classroom instruction and clinical practice in
- Adult health (medical/surgical) nursing
- Maternal/Infant nursing (obstetrics), excluding gynecology
- Nursing care of children (pediatrics) and
- Psychiatric/Mental health nursing, excluding neurology
If you have not completed a sufficient number of hours in each of the above areas, you will not be approved to take the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® until you complete them through a government-approved nursing school. You must also hold an initial license/registration/diploma as a first-level, general nurse in your country of education, and currently hold a license/ registration/diploma as a first-level, general nurse.
Course Outline: CGFNS Qualifying Exam®
The Physiological Integrity practice test comprises four sections. The CGFNS Qualifying Exam® will include the following objectives and sub-topics in it. The candidate should read and understand the course outline well.
Basic care and comfort
Assistive devices, elimination, mobility/immobility, non-pharmacological comfort interventions, nutritional and oral hydration, personal hygiene, and rest and sleep.
Pharmacological and parenteral therapies
Adverse effects/ contraindications/interactions, blood and blood products, central venous access devices, chemotherapy, dosage calculation, expected actions and outcomes, intravenous therapy, medication administration, parenteral and intravenous therapies, pharmacological pain management, and total parenteral nutrition.
Reduction of risk potential
Changes and abnormalities in vital signs, diagnostic tests, laboratory values, potential alteration in body systems, the potential for complications of diagnostic tests, treatments, and procedures, the potential for complications from surgical procedures and health alterations, system-specific alterations, and therapeutic procedures.
Physiologic Adaptation
Alterations in body systems, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, hemodynamics, illness management, medical emergencies, pathophysiology, and unexpected response to therapies.
CGFNS Qualifying Exam® FAQ
Earning the CGFNS certificate
When you successfully complete the credentials review and pass both the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® and the English language proficiency exam within two years of each other, you will receive your CGFNS certificate.
Those who do not pass the examinations
If you fail either the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® or the English language proficiency exam you will not be awarded a CGFNS certificate. You will need to apply to retake each of the exams you have failed. Remember that both the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® and the English language proficiency exam must be passed within two years of each other. The fee for retaking the exam is $350.
Exam results and diagnostic profile
Approximately two weeks after the five-day test window in which you took your exam, you may access your results in the online account at https://www.cgfns.org/cerpassweb/login.jsp that you created when you applied for the Certification Program.
CGFNS Qualifying Exam® Preparation Steps
Now the most important step is considering the preparation guide. The preparation steps which are essential in order to successfully pass the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® are:
CGFNS Official Website
Visiting the CGFNS official website is a vital step for preparing the exam like CGFNS Qualifying Exam®. The official site offers a lot of reliable information and resources which is very helpful in preparing for the exam. The resources such as study guide, blueprint, sample papers, brochures, whitepapers, documentation, faqs, etc. The candidate can find all such important things on the official page.
Review All the objectives
With complete exam objectives, the candidate’s exam preparation time is better spent because they already know what to study. Significantly, this is the most important step in the preparation guide. So, let’s take a quick look at the Objectives of the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®.
- Basic care and comfort
- Pharmacological and parenteral therapies
- Reduction of risk potential
- Physiologic Adaptation
The Official Study Guide for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®
CGFNS has developed a study guide to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses in nursing knowledge. This study guide is not a substitute for basic education or an in-depth review of nursing textbooks. Using it does not guarantee a passing result on the CGFNS Qualifying Exam®. The sample questions used in this guide were once actual exam questions, but will not appear on the exam you will be taking.
The Official Study Guide for the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® includes:
- Sample nursing questions with explanations of the answers
- Complete examples of the CGFNS Qualifying Exam® with sample answers and explanations for correct and incorrect answers
- A section on how to understand multiple-choice questions
- A reading list for all areas of nursing in the exam, and
- A description of the way nursing is practiced in the United States.
The study guide will automatically be sent to you when we receive your application and full payment.
Join a Study Group
Joining a group study will also be beneficial for the candidate. It will encourage them to do more hard work. Also, studying in the group will help them to stay connected with the other people who are on the same pathway as them. Also, the discussion of such study groups will benefit the students in their exams.
Try Practice Test
Practice tests are the one who ensures the candidate about their preparation. The practice test will help the candidates to acknowledge their weak areas so that they can work on them. There are many practice tests available on the internet nowadays, so the candidate can choose which they want. We at Testprep training also offer practice tests which are very helpful for the ones who are preparing.
