This overview includes information to help you prepare for the Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam: Foundations of Nursing. You will find details about the current exam format, nursing-process categories, registration, costs, scoring, retakes, testing options, and study resources.
Exam Items
100 questions
Time Limit
150 minutes
Passing Score
Set by each nursing program
Testing Options
Campus or virtual proctoring
What Is the NACE Foundations of Nursing Exam?
The Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam: Foundations of Nursing, or NACE-FON, is developed by the National League for Nursing.
It is intended primarily for licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses who are applying to or have been admitted to a professional nursing program.
Nursing schools may use the exam as one part of an admission, placement, course-credit, or early student-support process. The assessment provides a standardized measure of foundational nursing knowledge and skills within the practical or vocational nurse scope of practice.
The NACE-FON is not a nursing licensure exam. It does not replace the NCLEX-PN, NCLEX-RN, or a state nursing license.
Who Is Required to Take the Exam?
The National League for Nursing does not require every LPN-to-RN or LVN-to-RN applicant to take the NACE-FON. Each nursing school decides whether the assessment is part of its program requirements.
A school may use NACE-FON results to:
- Help evaluate an applicant for admission
- Support advanced-placement or course-credit decisions
- Measure readiness for professional nursing coursework
- Identify subjects that should be reviewed before classes begin
- Plan early academic-support interventions
- Evaluate alignment between the test and the school’s curriculum
Before registering, confirm the exact exam name, required score, testing method, deadline, and retake policy with your nursing program.
Current NACE-FON Version 1.2 Format
The current Foundations of Nursing assessment contains 100 exam items and has a time allowance of 150 minutes.
This gives test takers an average of approximately one minute and 30 seconds per question.
Current Version
NACE-FON version 1.2
Exam Length
100 items
Testing Time
2 hours and 30 minutes
Content Level
Practical or vocational nursing scope
Older exam information may list 200 questions and a four-hour time limit.
Those figures describe the previous version of the assessment. The current version 1.2 uses 100 items and a 150-minute limit.
NACE-FON Nursing Process Blueprint
Questions are organized around four parts of the nursing process: Assessment, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
Assessment
24 questions | 24% of the exam
Collecting physical, emotional, social, cultural, and behavioral information; recognizing signs and symptoms; measuring vital signs; and identifying relevant changes in a client’s condition.
Planning
24 questions | 24% of the exam
Setting appropriate goals, selecting measures for care, identifying correct procedures, prioritizing activities, and preparing to meet a client’s physical and psychosocial needs.
Implementation
29 questions | 29% of the exam
Performing or assisting with appropriate nursing interventions, communicating with clients, reinforcing education, promoting safety, administering care, and responding to client needs within the practical or vocational nurse role.
Evaluation
23 questions | 23% of the exam
Recognizing intended and unintended treatment effects, evaluating the client’s response to care, checking adherence to the treatment plan, and determining whether expected outcomes have been met.
Analysis is not a separate category on the current exam.
The NLN determined that formal analysis activities such as interpreting data to create nursing diagnoses fall outside the scope being assessed for the practical or vocational nurse population.
Foundational Nursing Topics
The nursing-process questions are presented within realistic foundational nursing situations. One question may combine several subjects, such as comfort, medication administration, communication, and safety.
Physical Care
- Hygiene and comfort
- Body alignment
- Exercise and ambulation
- Rest and sleep
- Safety and mobility
Physiologic Needs
- Nutrition
- Elimination
- Fluids and electrolytes
- Respiration and circulation
- Vital signs
Psychosocial Care
- Security
- Self-esteem
- Loss and death
- Spiritual and cultural needs
- Growth and development
Communication
- Verbal communication
- Nonverbal communication
- Client education
- Therapeutic communication
- Documentation
Treatments
- Medication principles
- Medication administration
- IV therapy
- Wound care
- Hospice and palliative care
Professional Practice
- Ethical responsibilities
- Legal responsibilities
- Client rights
- Confidentiality
- Safe care environments
Health Conditions and Care Situations
The exam samples common conditions and situations encountered in foundational nursing practice.
- Addiction
- Chronic illness
- Death and dying
- Elimination problems
- Fluid and electrolyte imbalance
- Incontinence
- Infectious disease
- Loss of consciousness
- Mental health concerns
- Pain
- Postoperative care
- Preoperative care
- Sensory changes or loss
- Stress
- Wounds
Other NACE Assessments
Foundations of Nursing is one assessment in the current NACE series. A nursing school may require a different NACE assessment or more than one assessment.
- Foundations of Nursing
- Nursing Care of Adults
- Nursing Care of Children
- Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family
- Nursing Care of the Mental Health Client
Purchase only the assessment assigned by your nursing program. The NLN generally does not provide refunds after an exam or preparation product has been purchased.
Registration and Scheduling
Registration procedures depend on the nursing school and the testing method.
Campus Testing
The nursing school normally purchases or assigns the assessment and provides the test date, location, access instructions, and local policies.
Contact the nursing department or testing center before attempting to purchase an exam independently.
Virtual Testing
Virtual NACE examinations are administered through Proctor360. Candidates use an NLN student account to purchase or access the assigned exam and schedule the proctored appointment.
Confirm that virtual testing is accepted by your nursing program before purchasing the exam.
Registration Checklist
- Confirm that your program requires Foundations of Nursing version 1.2.
- Ask whether the program provides a voucher or purchases the exam.
- Confirm whether testing will occur on campus or through Proctor360.
- Create or access your NLN student testing account.
- Use the exact name and identifying information required by your school.
- Select only the exam and delivery method approved by your program.
- Review the no-refund policy before completing a purchase.
- Complete any required computer checks before a virtual appointment.
Current Exam Costs
Campus Exam
$75
Base NLN price for a school-paid campus administration
Virtual Exam
$96
Base price for virtual administration through Proctor360
A nursing school or testing center may charge an additional registration, administrative, technology, or proctoring fee.
Proctor360 may also assess an additional fee for last-minute scheduling or late appointment changes. Review the displayed total before payment.
What Should I Expect on Test Day?
Test-Day Checklist
- Confirm the date, time, delivery method, and exam title.
- Follow the identification instructions supplied by the school or virtual proctor.
- Make sure the name on your identification matches the testing account.
- Arrive or begin virtual check-in at the required time.
- Store phones, smartwatches, books, notes, and unauthorized materials.
- Follow all instructions from the school proctor or Proctor360 representative.
- Read the examination disclosure and testing rules carefully.
- Monitor the remaining time throughout the assessment.
- Report technical problems immediately rather than attempting to correct them without authorization.
Virtual Testing Requirements
Candidates testing virtually should complete the required equipment and system checks before exam day.
- Use an approved computer with a working camera and microphone.
- Use a reliable internet connection.
- Test in a private, quiet, well-lit room.
- Remove unauthorized books, papers, electronics, and personal items.
- Be prepared to show the testing area to the proctor.
- Do not leave the testing area without authorization.
How Is the NACE-FON Scored?
The score report provides the percentage of questions answered correctly on the complete exam.
It also reports performance for the four nursing-process categories:
- Assessment
- Planning
- Implementation
- Evaluation
Results are generally available electronically in the student and school accounts within 24 hours of testing unless different instructions are provided.
There is no nationwide NACE-FON passing score.
Each nursing program establishes and validates the score it will accept for admission, placement, course credit, or another program decision.
A score described as passing by one nursing school may not satisfy another school’s requirement. Use the standard published by the program to which you are applying.
Retaking the NACE-FON
The NLN generally requires at least 30 days between attempts on the same assessment unless a nursing school has established and communicated a different testing frequency.
- Review the nursing program’s retake policy before purchasing another exam.
- Wait at least 30 days unless the program provides a different rule.
- Expect to pay the applicable exam and proctoring fees again.
- Use the four subscore areas to identify subjects requiring additional study.
- Confirm whether the school uses the highest score, most recent score, first score, or all attempts.
The NLN reports all scores earned by an examinee. NACE scores are retained electronically for three years after the examination date.
How Can I Prepare?
Begin by confirming that your nursing program uses the current Foundations of Nursing version 1.2 assessment.
Take a diagnostic practice test and organize missed questions according to Assessment, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. Give additional attention to Implementation because it represents the largest portion of the current blueprint.
NACE Foundations of Nursing Study Checklist
- Review assessment findings, vital signs, symptoms, and changes in client condition.
- Practice setting priorities and selecting appropriate goals.
- Study safe nursing interventions within the LPN or LVN scope.
- Review how to evaluate treatment effects and client responses.
- Study hygiene, comfort, mobility, rest, and safety.
- Review nutrition, elimination, fluids, electrolytes, respiration, and circulation.
- Study medication principles, medication administration, and adverse effects.
- Review IV therapy and foundational treatment procedures.
- Practice therapeutic communication and accurate documentation.
- Review ethical, legal, cultural, and confidentiality responsibilities.
- Study common preoperative, postoperative, chronic, infectious, and mental health situations.
- Complete 100-question practice sessions within 150 minutes.
- Review every missed answer and every correct answer obtained through guessing.
Question Strategy
- Determine which step of the nursing process the question is testing.
- Identify whether the question asks what to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate.
- Read carefully for words such as first, best, immediate, priority, and most appropriate.
- Prioritize airway, breathing, circulation, safety, and serious changes in condition.
- Stay within the practical or vocational nurse scope described by the question.
- Separate an assessment action from an intervention.
- Choose the response supported by the facts in the question rather than adding assumptions.
Time-Management Strategy
- Aim for an average pace of about 90 seconds per question.
- Answer straightforward questions without unnecessary delay.
- Do not allow one difficult item to consume several minutes.
- Use elimination when one or more options are unsafe or outside the stated role.
- Monitor the testing clock at regular intervals.
- Reserve time to review unanswered or uncertain questions when the testing system permits it.
NACE Foundations of Nursing Study Resources
Top Study Guide:
High-Quality Flashcards:
Free Practice Resources:
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