As part of the process to become licensed as an LPN, RN or NP in Nova Scotia, you must successfully complete LPN or the RN and/or NP Jurisprudence Exam(s). The Jurisprudence Exam is an open-book, online exam that consists of 50-100 questions.
The purpose of the exam is to measure your awareness of provincial and regulatory policies and any provincial and federal laws related to nursing practice in this province. Being knowledgeable about legislation and regulatory policies enhances your ability to practise safely, ethically and competently – and within the legal parameters.
You must complete the Jurisprudence Exam if you are an:
- Applicant applying for initial LPN, RN or NP registration or licensure in Nova Scotia. This includes new graduates, those applying from another Canadian province or territory and internationally educated nurses.
- Applicant applying for conditional registration and a conditional licence.
LPN applicants must complete the LPN Jurisprudence Exam. RN applicants must complete the RN Jurisprudence Exam. NP applicants must complete the NP Jurisprudence Exam.
How to Apply for the LPN Jurisprudence Exam
I’m a new LPN graduate in Nova Scotia: you can apply to take the exam anytime in the final semester of your nursing program.
I’m a new LPN graduate from an out-of-province nursing program: You can apply to take the exam once you’ve completed your Application for Initial Assessment and paid the initial assessment fee.
I’m an LPN applicant registered in another province: You can apply to take the exam once you’ve completed your Application for Initial Assessment and paid the initial assessment fee.
I’m an internationally educated nurse: You will be sent information about applying for the exam once your application has been reviewed. Please refer to this letter for more instructions.
We will contact you directly when you’re eligible to write the LPN Jurisprudence Exam.
How to Apply for the RN Jurisprudence Exam
I’m a new RN graduate in Nova Scotia: you can apply to take the exam anytime in the final semester of your nursing program.
I’m a new RN graduate from an out-of-province nursing program: You can apply to take the exam once you’ve completed your Application for Initial Assessment and paid the initial assessment fee.
I’m an RN applicant registered in another province: You can apply to take the exam once you’ve completed your Application for Initial Assessment and paid the initial assessment fee.
I’m an internationally educated nurse: You will be sent information about applying for the exam once your application has been reviewed. Please refer to this letter for more instructions.
We will contact you directly when you’re eligible to write the RN Jurisprudence Exam.
How to Apply for the NP Jurisprudence Exam
I’m a new NP graduate from Nova Scotia: You’ll be eligible to take the exam anytime in the final semester of your nursing program.
I’m a new NP graduate from an out-of-province nursing program: You’ll be eligible to take the exam once you’ve completed your Application for Initial Assessment and paid the initial assessment fee.
I’m an NP applicant registered in another province: You’ll be eligible to take the exam once you’ve completed your Application for Initial Assessment and paid the initial assessment fee.
We will contact you directly when you’re eligible to write the NP Jurisprudence Exam.
Once you’re deemed eligible, there are several steps required to apply for the exam:
- Submit an application to write the jurisprudence examination on the Applicant Portal
- Pay the fee(s)
Since there are three exams – the LPN, RN and NP Jurisprudence Exam – the content is different based on the exam.
The LPN Jurisprudence Exam contains content on:
The RN Jurisprudence Exam contains content on:
The NP Jurisprudence Exam contains content on:
This may be a new area of study for you and if so, we have study resources on how to best prepare for the exam. Please review the LPN Jurisprudence Study Guide, the RN Jurisprudence Study Guide, and/or the NP Jurisprudence Study Guide to help familiarize yourself with this exam content.
LPN Jurisprudence Study Guide:
RN Jurisprudence Study Guide:
NP Jurisprudence Study Guide:
The Jurisprudence Exams are online, open book exams that consist of multiple choice and true/false questions designed to test your competencies at three levels:
- Knowledge/Comprehension: Ability to recall and recognition of facts, patterns and concepts and the ability to understand the interpret instructions and the significance of problems.
- Application: Ability to apply theoretical principles and other knowledge to practical situations.
- Critical Thinking: Ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate.
The best place to start is to review the LPN Jurisprudence Study Guide or the RN Jurisprudence Study Guide and/or the NP Jurisprudence Study Guide. These guides cover the materials you should be familiar with prior to taking the exam.
LPN Jurisprudence Study Guide:
RN Jurisprudence Study Guide:
NP Jurisprudence Study Guide:
Applicants will be able to access the Jurisprudence Exam at any time of the day once they have completed their registration and submitted payment. To take the exam login to the registrant portal using your email address and password. Once logged in, on the right-hand side, visit ‘My Exams’ to see a list of your eligible exams and you can select the ‘Jurisprudence Exam’.
Both exams are open-book, online and can be accessed through a secure website. Each of the exams consists of approximately 50-100 questions. You have four hours to complete the exam.
Since it is an open-book exam, you can use paper, electronic or online resources while taking the exam. However, since the exam has a time limit, we strongly advise that you prepare prior to taking the exam.
When you’re finished taking the exam, click the submit button only once and wait for the exam to be submitted. Sometimes the internet can be slow if the connections are busy. Simply relax and be glad that your exam is complete!
You will receive a notification of your results via the portal as soon as you complete the exam. We will also be notified of your completion and your application will be updated. The exam’s pass score is 65%.
If you pass the exam, you can continue with the registration process.
If you fail the exam, we encourage you to review the study resources and determine what competencies require extra studying prior to taking the next exam. Although there is no limit to the number of times you can write it until you pass, you must pay an administration fee of $50 (CDN) plus applicable taxes each time you take the exam.
We want to remind you that any activities that involve cheating on this exam or any exam is prohibited and could lead to denial of your licence and/or future eligibility to take the Jurisprudence Exam.