Migrating to the United States is not at all an easy task even for a qualified nurse. Most boards of nursing require a foreign nurse graduate to qualify CGFNS certificate. CGFNS ( Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools ) Qualifying Examination is required from graduates of nursing schools located outside the United States of America who are interested in practicing as registered nurses in the U.S. The CGFNS Qualifying Examination is a test of the candidates' nursing knowledge and their understanding and use of English language. They will be awarded a CGFNS certificate when they have passed both the nursing section and the English language section of the examination.

  To be allowed to work as a registered nurse, persons must have a license. The license is issued by the Board of Nursing in the particular state in which the person is to work. For that candidates have to pass the state licensing examination.

  The CGFNS Qualifying Examination is a multiple choice, objective test. It is made up of three test booklets: two for testing nursing knowledge and one for testing English language ability.

  The CGFNS certification programme is designed specifically for first-level, general nurses educated and licensed outside the United States who wish to assess their chances of passing the U.S. registered nurse licensing exam, the NCLEX - RN® examination, and attaining licensure to practice as registered nurses within the United States.

  The programme is comprised of three parts: a credentials review of the nurse's education, registration and licensure; the CGFNS Qualifying Exam, a one-day qualifying exam testing nursing knowledge; and an English language proficiency exam. Upon successful completion of all three elements of the program, the applicant is awarded a CGFNS certificate.

Exam Dates and Locations

Special Administration of CGFNS Qualifying Exam in 2003: CGFNS has announced that it will provide a Special Administration of the CGFNS Qualifying Exam at limited exam centres in 2003. The exam will be held on September 10, 2003 at the following exam centres.

  The application deadline for the September 10, 2003, Special Administration of the Qualifying Exam is June 11, 2003. Anyone wishing to take the September 10 exam at one of the locations listed must have all of their documentation to CGFNS by the application deadline. Remember to choose September 10, 2003, as your exam date choice on your Certification Program application, along with one of the seven locations.

Exam Dates : CGFNS has announced the dates of its Qualifying Exam for 2003. Application deadlines listed below cannot be extended.

New Exam Centre in Cochin: CGFNS is opening a new exam center where it will administer its Qualifying Exam in Cochin, Kerala, India. The Cochin exam center will be open beginning with the March 12, 2003 Qualifying Exam and will be open for all exams thereafter. The exam center number for the Cochin location is 851. Applicants who are interested in taking the March exam, or any exam thereafter, in Cochin need to indicate the exam center number 851 as their choice of exam center on their Certification Programme application.

Obtaining a CGFNS Certificate

  All applicants are reminded that in order to obtain a CGFNS Certificate, they must pass both the CGFNS Qualifying Exam and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ), administrated by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). For information and/or registration for the TOEFL exam, contact ETS at: Test of English as a Foreign Language, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6151, USA; Ph: (609) 771-7100. web: www.ets.org CGFNS has a new Automated Voice Response System. Applicants can now call the system 24 hours a day, from any location around the world and check the status of their application. Applicants will need to enter their CGFNS ID Number and birth date in order to access the system. To access the system, dial (international) 001+ 215-599-6200 or (domestic) 1-215-599-6200 ( Note: Long distance telephone charges may apply.)

Introduction to the NCLEX

  As a nursing student, you are no stranger to exams. Yet nursing school exams are significantly different from the NCLEX, or National Council Licensure Examination. In nursing school, exams are knowledge-based--you are tested on the facts that you known. The NCLEX is application-based-you are tested on how you take the facts that you know and use them in actual situations.

CGFNS, TOFEL, IELTS Coaching Centres in Kerala

CGFNS Exam Centres

Courtesy : Deepika Education