PEARSONVUE EXAM FOR MIDWIVES
Information kindly provided by one of our candidates, a Maternity Clinical Facilitator who recently
wrote the exam…
The questions they ask are not direct transfer of knowledge questions but mostly interpretation of
data and then giving the correct nursing intervention based on data interpretation.
A very small part of the test consists of transfer of knowledge, for example “calculate the expected
due date”.
The questions are very long with a lot of information. Take your time to read through it and clarify
what they are asking. I think they try to confuse you with all the additional information so you lose
focus of what is actually asked.
For example: A 37-year old multipara wants to breastfeed her baby. She is a type 2 diabetic and
also overweight. Her last two babies were one year apart. She started with her period when she
was 14 years old. What factor could cause a problem if she wants to breastfeed the baby?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Her age
Her weight
Her period that started at 14
The fact that her last two pregnancies were so close together
As you can see they are not straight forward questions, you have to know all the risk factors before
you can select the right question.
Most of the test paper consists of questions like this one.
I do not know if they have more than one test*, but my questions were more focused on antenatal
care and screening, than labour related questions.
To do some of the online NCLEX test does help a lot because it gives you an idea of how they ask
questions. I am still ‘old school’ training and found this type of question difficult but the more tests I
did the easier it got.
I bought the “NCLEX-RN Maternal – Neonatal Nursing”** online and would really recommend this
book. This book in the introduction gives you an overview on how to answer the exam and what you
must consider when answering the questions.
The book covers ante-, intra- and post-partum, there is just not such a big focus on hormones in this
book. I would recommend that you get additional information to cover that part.
Use the process of elimination when answering questions. Every question had at least two obviously
wrong answers but the two remaining answers were very similar. That is why you need to know
your conditions, normal values and outcomes to choose the correct answer.
Work that is covered in the exam:
 Know your hormonal profile and the functions of these hormones
 How they are secreted and during what time
 Also know the male hormone profile and sperm production
 Know what types of test are done in the prenatal screening
 Know your lab results for this test
 Know what abnormalities can be expected in the neonate if the mother should test positive for
any of these diseases
 Be able to interpret a CTG/EFM strip but most important what would your nursing interventions
be
 They ask a lot of questions about domestic abuse – always take into consideration patient safety
and patients’ rights
 Know your risk factors for the different complications in pregnancies
 Know your medical terminology for example signs of pregnancy (Chadwick sign etc.)
 Know your anaemia signs and what different types of anaemia you get
 Know the physiological changes during and after pregnancy
 Know your medication used in pregnancy and side effects
A last remark, you have to study! Going to write the exam just on your experience will not be
enough – these people know how to compile a test and to challenge your knowledge!
Notes from Thymic
*Yes, the exam is different every time so content will vary
**Practice Exams can be found online at these websites:
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http://www.mightynurse.com/nclex-practice-questions/
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=nclex-sample-questions-for-maternaland
http://nurseslabs.com/maternal-child-health-nursing-exam-1-50-items/
http://nurseslabs.com/nclex-exam-maternal-child-health-nursing-2-30-items/
http://nurseslabs.com/nclex-exam-obstetrical-nursing-intrapartum-60-items/
http://www.rnpedia.com/practice-exams/maternal-and-child-health-nursing-exams/