PREPARING FOR HEALTH SCIENCE
NELSON-DENNY READING ASSESSMENT
All new students and transfer students who do not already have an Associate Degree or higher
are required to take the Nelson-Denny Reading assessment before admission into the Nursing
or Radiologic Technology Programs. There is no fee, and the exam takes approximately 1 hour
to complete.
Why require this additional assessment? A certain level of proficiency in reading is necessary
for success in a health science program. The Nelson-Denny Reading assessment is used
rather than the College placement assessment, since a direct relationship has been established
with that assessment and the ability to succeed in health science courses. Results of the
assessment will be used to assist students and their advisors with proper course selection and
placement.
The best preparation for this assessment is to read college-level material and incorporate new,
college-level vocabulary into regular use throughout your college pre-requisite coursework. At
any time, you can use online sources to review college-level vocabulary (ACT and SAT reviews
are good resources), and just spend time reading good, high-level material for understanding.
The Nelson-Denny Reading assessment is given at the Assessment Center at the Napier
Avenue Campus in Benton Harbor, at the Bertrand Crossing Campus in Niles, and at the South
Haven Campus. First-time college students must take the College placement assessment. For
an appointment to take the Nelson-Denny Reading assessment, please contact the Assessment
Center (seat reservations are needed at South Haven and Napier Avenue Assessment
Centers). Please contact any of the following for further information:
Lake Michigan College
Napier Avenue Campus
2755 E. Napier Avenue
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
Phone:
(269) 927-8100 or
1-800-252-1562 (Michigan and Northern Indiana)
Assessment:
(269) 927-6173
Health Sciences: (269) 927-8100 Ext 5090
Student Services: (269) 927-8128
Records Office:
(269) 927-8107
Lake Michigan College
Bertrand Crossing Campus
1905 Foundation Drive
Niles, MI Niles MI 49120
Lake Michigan College
South Haven Campus
125 Veterans Boulevard
South Haven, MI 49090
Phone:
Phone:
(269) 695-1391
(269) 637-7500
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HEALTH SCIENCE NELSON-DENNY READING ASSESSMENT REVIEW
Topics Covered:
I.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary section consists of 80 items, each with 5 answer choices
and has a time limit of 15 minutes (14 minutes plus 1-minute warning).
The 80 words are simply presented with possible definitions, from which
the examinee chooses.
II.
Comprehension
The comprehension section contains 7 reading passages and a total of
38 questions, each with 5 answer choices. The time limit for this section
is 20 minutes (19 minutes plus 1-minute warning). The 38 items can be
categorized into the following 7 classifications:
i. Main or central idea
ii. Details and facts
iii. Noting relationships
iv. Style and mood
v. Drawing conclusions
vi. Making generalizations and deductions
vii. Determining author’s purpose
The total administrative time for the entire assessment, including answer sheet
preparation, is approximately 45 minutes.
The following represent the types of problems that are included in the reading
assessment.
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VOCABULARY
SAMPLE Directions: In each group below, select the lettered word or phrase which
most nearly corresponds in meaning to the word to be defined. Put its letter on the line
at the right. Work rapidly but carefully. Time yourself for 1 minute.
1. Alien means…..
a. sick man
b. traitor
c. spy
d. foreigner
e. suspect
2. To condone means…..
a. excuse
b. punish
c. report
d. detest
2.
e. be amused by
3. Simultaneous is…..
a. very important b. very recent c. reliable
d. scientific
3.
e. happening at the same time
4. Contaminated means…..
a. made sodden b. soaked apart c. tainted
4.
d. floated away e. submerged
5. Incredulous is….
a. dazed
b. excited
1.
5.
c. disgusted d. unbelieving e. bored
6. A tenor is…..
a. man with a high voice
b. male opera singer
d. jazz singer
e. man with a middle-range voice
7. To be disfranchised means
a. given citizenship rights
d. suspected of disloyalty
8. Precarious means…..
a. good
b. moderate
9. Intermittent is…..
a. stopping and starting
d. savage, very fierce
6.
c. man with low voice
7.
b. tried before a court
e. sent to prison
c. deprived of citizenship rights
8.
c. poor
d. fixed
e. uncertain
9.
b. not announced
e. between two countries
10. Conspiracy means…..
a. intentional murder
b. accidental murder
d. espionage
e. plotting with others to do wrong
c. illegal
10.
c. robbery
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SAMPLE COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following passage as quickly as possible, then answer the
questions. In this sample, there are only 4 choices for each question; the actual test
presents 5 choices. You may look back at the material you have read, but do not spend
too long over any one question. You will have three minutes to work on this part.
The Computer in Education
Whatever its variations there is an inevitability about the computerization of America.
Commercial efficiency requires it. Big Government requires it. Modern life requires it,
and so it is coming to pass. But the essential element in this sense of inevitability is the
way in which the young take to computers. Not as just another obligation imposed by
adult society, but as a game, a pleasure, a tool, a system that fits naturally into their
lives. Unlike anyone over 40, these children have grown up with TV screens. The
computer is a screen that responds to them, hooked to a machine that can be
programmed to respond the way they want it to. That is power.
There are now more that 100,000 computers in US schools, compared with 52,000
only 18 months ago. This is roughly one for every 400 pupils. The richer and more
progressive states do better. Minnesota leads with one computer for every 50 children
and a locally produced collection of 700 software programs. To spread this
development more evenly and open new doors for business, Apple has offered to
donate one computer to every public school in the US – a total of 80,000 computers
worth $200 million retail – if Washington will authorize a 25% tax write-off (as is done for
donations of scientific equipment to colleges). Congress has so far failed to approve
the idea, but California has agreed to a similar proposal.
Many Americans concerned about the erosion of the schools put faith in the
computer as a possible savior of their children’s education, at school and at home. The
Yankelovich poll showed that 57% thought personal computers would enable children to
read and to do arithmetic better. Claims William Ridley, Control Data’s vice president
for education strategy: “If you want to improve youngsters one grade level in reading,
our PLATO program with teacher supervision can do it up to four times faster and for
40% less expense than teachers alone.”
No less important than this kind of drill, which some critics compare with the oldfashioned flash cards, is the use of computers to teach children about computers. They
like to learn programming, and they are good at it, often better than their teachers, even
in early grades. They treat it like play, a secret skill, unknown among many of their
parents. They delight in cracking corporate security and filching financial secrets,
inventing new games and playing them on military networks, inserting obscene jokes
into other people’s programs. In soberer versions that sort of skill will become a
necessity in thousands of jobs opening in the future. Carnegie-Mellon University
expects to require all of its students to have their own personal computers. “People are
willing to spend a large amount of money to educate their children,” says Author
Fishman. “So, they’re all buying computers for Johnny to get a head start (though I
have not heard anyone say, ‘I am buying a computer for Susie’).”
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This transformation of the young raises a fundamental and sometimes menacing
question: Will the computer change the very nature of human thought? And if so, for
better or worse? There has been much time wasted on the debate over whether
computers can be made to think, as HAL seemed to be doing in 2001, when it
murdered the astronauts who might challenge its command of the spaceflight. That
answer is simple. Computers do not think, but they do simulate many of the processes
of the human brain: remembering, comparing, analyzing. And as people rely on the
computer to do things that they used to do inside their heads, what happens to their
heads?
Will the computer’s ability to do routine work meant that human thinking will shift to a
higher level? Will IQs rise? Will there be more intellectuals? The computer may make
a lot of learning as unnecessary as memorizing the multiplication tables. But if a
dictionary stored in the computer’s memory can easily correct any spelling mistakes,
what is the point of learning to spell? And if the mind is freed from intellectual routine,
will it race off in pursuit of important ideas or lazily spend its time on more video games?
1. The computerization of America is:
a. uncertain
b. in transition c. certain
1.
d. possible
2. What age group takes best to computers?
a. children
b. young adults under 30
2.
c. adults 31-40 d. adults over 40
3. How many computers are there now in US schools?
3.
a. over 100,000 b. slightly less than 100,000 c. over 150,000 d. between 100,000 and 150,000
4. Which state leads the nation in the number of computers?
a. California
b. New York
c. Texas
d. Minnesota
4.
5. Apple has offered to donate 80,000 computers to American schools in return for: 5.
a. 5 year contract b. tax write-off c. exclusive software deal d. nothing
6. Some critics compare school use to computers with:
a. rote drill
b. math cards c. spelling bees
6.
d. flash cards
7. People are all buying computers for Johnny to:
a. read
b. program
c. get a head start
7.
d. keep up with peers
8. A fundamental question is will the computer change the nature of human: 8.
a. morals
b. thought
c. values
d. character
9. Computers do not:
a. compute
b. simulate
9.
c. stimulate d. think
10. The main concern of the author in this selection is how the computer will affect: 10.
a. Johnny
b. education
c. the mind d. the future
ANSWERS: Vocabulary – 1,d; 2,a; 3,e; 4,c; 5,d; 6,a; 7,c; 8,e; 9,a; 10,e
Comprehension – 1,c; 2,a; 3,a; 4,d; 5,b; 6,d; 7,c; 8,b; 9,d; 10,c
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TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR EXAM SCORES
The fact that exams often determine grades tends, unfortunately, to take away from their real
purpose – a self-assessment of your understanding of the material covered in a particular
course. So much emphasis is placed on the importance of exams that often just the word
makes people anxious. The best way for you to avoid such a situation is by preparing yourself.
Please review the tips listed below. They can help you to improve your exam scores.
BEFORE THE EXAM...
 Have a good night’s rest. If taking the
exam in the evening, try to rest your
mind and body for a few hours
beforehand.
 Don’t rush. Allow yourself plenty of time
to dress, arrive at the exam room, and
get settled. Rushing will only add
unnecessary pressure.
 Eat a sensible mean rather than “junk
food”. Avoid coffee or caffeine.
 Stay calm. Some anxiety is natural and
helpful. It sharpens your senses and
“gets the adrenalin” going. But too
much worrying just gets in the way.
Think of the exam as only one part of
the entire process.
 Arrive early at the exam room so you
can find a good seat with plenty of light.
Sit away from friends and distractions.
Get comfortable.
DURING THE EXAM…





Pace yourself; this is IMPORTANT.
Scan the test for content.
Read directions slowly AND carefully.
Answer easy questions first.
Bring earplugs if noise bothers you.
 Re-write confusing questions in your
own words.
 Work steadily and quickly.
 Check your work when finished.
 Ignore other students around you.
TYPES OF EXAMS
The Basic Skills exams include two types of questions: TRUE-FALSE and MULTIPLE CHOICE.
Listed below are tips to consider when completing these exams.
TRUE-FALSE…
 There are specific determiners for TRUE
and FALSE answers.
 If a statement is partially false, it is all
false.
 Watch out for double negatives.
 If a question sounds strange, it is
probably false.
 If time is out, determine a pattern from
previous questions and answer those
that remain either all TRUE or all
FALSE based on the pattern.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
 Among the choices, look for opposites.
One is likely the correct answer.
 Among the choices, look for redundant
answers. Both are likely to be wrong.
 Use inter-item clues.
 Look for parts in answers that you know
are correct.
 General questions usually have general
answers.
 Items mentioned more than once can be
clues to a correct answer.
 Choose middle value alternatives.
 Choose the longest/shortest alternative,
based upon the instructor’s style.
 Use association.
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