Challenges and Perceptions of Graduating Nursing Students to Develop the Competence-Based National Nursing Examination in Finland: A Qualitative Study

Competence-based education is an emerging trend in nursing education. Finland has initiated a pilot program for a national exam designed to evaluate the knowledge of graduating nursing students. However, research concerning students' perspectives on exam quality and implementation remains scarce. The aim of this study was to explore graduating nursing students' experiences and identify key areas for improvement in the organizational implementation of competence-based national nursing examination in Finland. This study employed Elo and Kyngäs' qualitative content analysis, which examined a set of 109 mentions to open-ended questions from 106 graduating nursing students. The results revealed that students wanted better content validation, exam clarity, preparation resources, and flexibility in exams. The students also required explicit instructions and a structured framework for drug calculations. A competence-based national examination ensures compliance with standards, and it is essential to validate test questions and equip educators. Students need early preparation, and practice tests and materials should be improved for readiness.