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Nursing Program Entrance Exams

Registering to take the PAX Exam*

Students interested in taking the PAX Exam must:

  1. Be accepted to TTC prior to registering to take the exam.
  2. Contact Suzy Chandler (suzy.chandler@tridenttech.edu) or Dee Beard (cindy.beard@tridenttech.edu) to register. 
  3. Pay the fee of $64, which is required for testing. The Business office is located in Bldg. 410/Rm. 124. You may stop and pay on the day of testing. When checking in to test, present the receipt showing you paid.

Important Information for PAX Exam 

  • TTC's testing dates for the PAX are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and are reserved for students applying to TTC's Nursing program.
  • Students must have a paid TTC service fee receipt to test.
  • Students must have a valid photo ID (driver's license, TTC student ID, passport, government-issued ID) and an additional form of ID (Social Security card, birth certificate, voter's registration card, library card) in order to test.
  • The test is computerized and lasts approximately two hours.
  • Scores are valid for two years from date of testing.
  • Students may re-test on the next available testing date.
  • To prepare for the test, students may purchase online practice tests on the NLN website.

Examinees with disabilities requiring reasonable accommodations must contact TTC's Services for Students with Disabilities at 843-574-6131 for assistance with ADA testing accommodations through National League for Nursing. For those requesting accommodations, please be aware that this process can take up to two weeks. Please do not schedule PAX testing until accommodations are in place.

*NOTE: Beginning June 1, 2024, NLN’s NEX (Nursing Entrance Exam) will officially replace the PAX as the admission test for the nursing program. It consists of verbal, math and science sections. Each section will be 60 minutes and the test will take three hours to complete. Study materials used for the PAX may also be used to prepare for the NEX. The testing fee will remain $64.

Nursing Credit-by-Exam

The Nursing division develops credit-by-exams for selected Nursing courses. If interested in taking a credit-by-exam, contact Nursing to see if you are eligible for testing.

  1. Obtain a Credit by Examination form from Nursing, Registrar's office or Thornley Campus Testing Services.
  2. Get the form signed by the appropriate Nursing instructor and the dean of Nursing.
  3. Take the form to the Business office for processing and pay the $45 testing fee.
  4. Bring the processed form and your Business office receipt of payment to Testing Services when testing.

Scheduling an Appointment

Nursing credit-by-examinations are administered by appointment only Monday through Friday.

For more information or to schedule a test, contact Suzy Chandler at 843-574-6684 or suzy.chandler@tridenttech.edu.

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