Admission Assessment FAQ
Yes. Beginning with the Spring 2008 class, Santa Monica College changed the process by which students are admitted to the Associate Degree Nursing Program per California Senate Bill 1309. Prior to admission, all students must pass the Readiness/Admissions Test, which is a diagnostic readiness/assessment test (basic math, English, reading, and science) in addition to meeting the prerequisites and eligibility requirements. The admissions test has been demonstrated to have a positive correlation with success in nursing programs.
Every college-level educational program begins with a solid foundation in Reading, Math, Science, and English and Language Usage. Your previous educational roles might have given you all the preparation you need. On the other hand, you might have just gotten by, or perhaps it has been quite a while since you had to tackle those subjects in school. The primary purpose of test implementation is to promote student preparedness, assist students in the successful completion of the Nursing Program, and to ensure an increase in the number of highly qualified nurses in California.
Students who have completed the nursing program application process for admission and have been invited to take the admissions test. Students must pass the selected California Community College Chancellor’s Office approved admission assessment prior to entrance into the program. If a prospective student does not successfully complete the assessment, the student will be required to successfully complete readiness activities prior to program admission.
You will receive an invitation from the Nursing Program to take the assessment. The SMC Nursing Program Admissions Assessment is offered on an invitation-only basis. If you have not received an invitation, do not register or send in test results. It is advised that students start studying now.
The test is an assessment for pre-nursing students of your abilities in four essential areas. The test is slightly more than 2 hours and is a proctored, standardized assessment. It has three parts that ask you to answer multiple-choice questions covering the following:
- Verbal
- Math
- Science
Please bring a current photo ID.
During the administration of the test, examinees are only allowed to have the following:
- Writing utensil (will be provided)
- Scratch paper (will be provided)
- Basic calculator (will be provided)
Students may NOT have any of the following items during the test administration:
- Food, drink, or candy
- Textbooks or reference books of any kind
- Sunglasses, hats, or a hood
- Music (CD players, MP3 players, iPods, etc.)
- Communication devices including cell phones, smart watches, pagers, PDA, etc.
We have been advised that calculators are no longer prohibited by the NLN; however, it is at the discretion of the School of Nursing regarding their use for the NLN-NEX Assessment test. The Santa Monica College Nursing program will allow the use of a BASIC Calculator for the NLN-NEX Assessment test. A pop-up calculator is provided.
During the administration of the test, examinees are only allowed to have the following:
- Writing utensil (will be provided)
- Scratch paper (will be provided)
- Basic calculator (will be provided)
All testing is done by invitation only at the following location:
Santa Monica College Campus. Exact location to be announced with invitation.
General preparation materials for any assessment of basic math, reading comprehension, English usage, and basic sciences should be sufficient for preparation. There is an official NLN NEX prep online publication available now. You will need to create an account at NLN Online Testing. Please select Santa Monica College as your school when setting up an account, as this will prevent issues when you officially take the NLN NEX for Santa Monica College Nursing Program consideration.
It is a computer-based, proctored, standardized assessment. It has three parts that ask you to answer multiple-choice questions covering the following:
- Verbal
- Math
- Science
The passing score on the NLN-NEX RN for California Community College ADN programs is a composite score of 160* (California Community College Chancellor's Office Approved Score).
Students who do not achieve a composite score of 160* (California Community College Chancellor's Office Approved Score) or above will be required to complete additional pre-nursing readiness activities prior to admission and enrollment in the nursing program. Pre-nursing readiness activities and clearance of the diagnostic assessment must be completed within one year of the initial diagnostic assessment or you will be removed from the waitlist. This readiness/assessment test is mandatory for admission and students will not be admitted to the program until the readiness activities are completed and the assessment test has been passed. Readiness and remediation activities completed at other colleges or institutions will NOT be accepted by the Nursing Program at Santa Monica College.
Students are ineligible for the SMC ADN program should they fail to achieve a minimum composite score of 160 on the NLN-NEX during their second testing session.
In order to remain in consideration for future admission, students must register for one of the available testing dates. It is your responsibility to register for one of the appointments listed on the Nursing Registration Page and it is recommended to take this exam as early as possible. Potential Nursing students who have received an invitation and have NOT registered for the readiness/assessment test by the deadline stated in the invitation will be removed from the list of consideration.
If you have taken the NLN-NEX RN within the last year, please request that an NLN-NEX RN Official Test Report be sent to the Santa Monica College Nursing Program, ATTN: Eric Williams by the last day of nursing admissions testing for the upcoming class.
Yes, regardless of prior education all prospective students seeking admission to the SMC Nursing Program must meet the approved minimum score of 160* (California Community College Chancellor's Office Approved Score) on the NLN-NEX RN prior to admission to the program.
Email the Health Sciences Department right away at HealthSciences@smc.edu.
If you take the NLN-NEX RN at Santa Monica College your results will be automatically available to the SMC Nursing Program and you do not need to have them sent.
If you took the NLN-NEX RN at another location you will need to request that an NLN-NEX RN Official Test Report be sent to the Santa Monica College Nursing Program, ATTN: Eric Williams by the last day of nursing admissions testing for the upcoming class.
You can view your results online in the NLN testing website by logging into your account.
It is not necessary to have test results sent if you took them at SMC. The college is automatically provided an electronic copy by the testing company. Results are printed and placed in your file on the day of the assessment.
Contact the Health Sciences Department at HealthSciences@smc.edu or (310) 434-3453.
Contact the Health Sciences Department at HealthSciences@smc.edu or (310) 434-3453.
Contact the Center for Students with Disabilities, for more information regarding the procedure for requesting testing accommodations. Visit their website for more information.
Once you have taken and passed the nursing program admission assessment, your points will be recalculated based on your test score results. Selected students will then be notified if they have been conditionally admitted into the SMC nursing program. Conditionally accepted students will need to accept or decline their offer by the deadline stated in the offer letter. Failing to respond by the deadline will result in your name being removed from the applicant pool. If a student accepts their offer and attends the mandatory orientation, their status will change from conditionally admitted to a confirmed admit. WE NO LONGER MAINTAIN A WAITLIST so students who are not admitted into the program may reapply during the next application period.