Administer the Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice RN Examination developed by the National Nursing League. This 120-question exam measures a student's performance in several cognitive processes: interpreting, analyzing, inferring, explaining and evaluating. The test spans a number of nursing education topics including legal/ethical, health systems, quality improvement and therapeutic communications skills. The NLN designed the exam for nursing students who are at the end of their baccalaureate programs.
Test students with the Watson-Glasser Critical Thinking Appraisal available through the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative. This measurement tool is not specific to nursing but is used widely in university graduate programs.
Use NCLEX practice exams with students. The NCLEX national nurse license exam devised by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing measures test candidates' critical thinking, clinical reasoning and nursing knowledge. Questions are usually situational and require nurses to identify the best choice among several good ones. Often there is emphasis on prioritization of nursing responsibilities and clinical acuity.
Create NCLEX simulations in which question sequences are dynamic. When a candidate sits for NCLEX, the computerized exam changes the difficulty level based on a candidate's response. Correct answers cause the next question to be more difficult. Missed questions mean the next will be easier. Test-takers pass when they answer enough of the most difficult questions to clear a 95 percent confidence level.