[dolcebellaluna]

In my state (MD) the requirement for schools is to have a 78% pass rate on the NCLEX. I checked around and major universities in MD seem to be between 80-95% passing on the first time around. I checked the passing rate for community colleges and it's much closer to 100%. The LPN passing rate is also much higher than the RN-NCLEX pass rates. Anyone have any insight into this? I know the NCLEX is hard but I'm wondering why CC students seem to have a higher passing rate than university prepared students. Thanks for satisfying my curiousity.

[Buttercup_fields]

I am in Texas and go to a CC. The pass rate at my school is 100% so far. I think it may be the smaller classes and they really want you to succeed at the school that I go to.The administrators are very proud of the pass rate and want to make sure that we keep it up. We also have to pass the Hessi before we can graduate. I am told that the Hessi test is much harder than NClEX.

[ZooMommyRN]

I'm in an ADN program at a CC in FL and we have a 100% pass rate for both RN's and LPN's, our director feels it's because of the size of the classes and the amount of required NCLEX practice hours on the computers (last semester we had 26 and I think this semester we will have 26 hours again), we graduate 24 LPN's (give or take if they loose one or two along the way) and 32 RN's (first year of having more than 24)

[danibanani]

It's this way in Ohio as well. I have no idea why?

Good question.

Dani.

[clhRN2b2010]

Hi OP. I also am in MD and have noticed the same thing. I went back and forth when deciding on schools between JHU, U of MD, and the most convenient, cost effective option for me-AACC. I am hoping to be accpeted and begin at AACC in the Fall '08. Even though I will need to get the RN to BSN at the end, with all other factors it made the most sense.

The higher NCLEX pass rates simply affirmed that it was not a bad call on my part. I have an aquaintance who taught at UMD, and she once told me that they are very concerned about GPA and pretty much base their entire admission on GPA. Anyone who has been around long enough knows that GPA, especially ones' high school GPA doesn't necessarily tell you anything about how an individual will perform in Nursing School. Maybe the student body is different demographically in the CC's here..who knows. It is an interesting phenomenon.

Where are you interested in attending? Feel free to PM me, I would love to chat with another local student.

[dolcebellaluna]

Originally Posted by clhRN2b2010

Hi OP. I also am in MD and have noticed the same thing. I went back and forth when deciding on schools between JHU, U of MD, and the most convenient, cost effective option for me-AACC. I am hoping to be accpeted and begin at AACC in the Fall '08. Even though I will need to get the RN to BSN at the end, with all other factors it made the most sense.

The higher NCLEX pass rates simply affirmed that it was not a bad call on my part. I have an aquaintance who taught at UMD, and she once told me that they are very concerned about GPA and pretty much base their entire admission on GPA. Anyone who has been around long enough knows that GPA, especially ones' high school GPA doesn't necessarily tell you anything about how an individual will perform in Nursing School. Maybe the student body is different demographically in the CC's here..who knows. It is an interesting phenomenon.

Where are you interested in attending? Feel free to PM me, I would love to chat with another local student.

I'm actually a junior at Towson. I didn't really look at NCLEX pass rates when I applied here because I was more worried about getting into the program itself when the time came around (2 years of pre-reqs and then the application to the program itself).

[Jules A]

I don't pay a lot of attention to their pass rates. IMO taking the NCLEX is pretty much a one person sport. I'm not sure about the University BSN programs but with the LPN and ADN at CCs they shove the NCLEX type questions on you from the minute you walk in the door. Which is a good thing.


Edited to add: AACC has a great program, its just a shame that they give in-county residents precedence regardless of their gpa....and are pretty quiet about that allowing students to jump through hoops pre-req wise, pay to take their competency exams and apply when they will take a C incounty student over an A out of county applicant.

[CinderMelly]

Originally Posted by Buttercup_fields

I am in Texas and go to a CC. The pass rate at my school is 100% so far. I think it may be the smaller classes and they really want you to succeed at the school that I go to.The administrators are very proud of the pass rate and want to make sure that we keep it up. We also have to pass the Hessi before we can graduate. I am told that the Hessi test is much harder than NClEX.

Ditto. I am also in TX at a CC and they strive to maintain that 100% Of course they only retain 50% of the students who originally started the program but are trying to up those #'s too

[CRNA2BKY]

You must remember that the NCLEX-RN does not consider whether the person taking it comes from a 2-year school, or 4-year school. The classes needed to take the NCLEX are the same. The extra classes needed for the BSN really have nothing to do with the NCLEX, so that shouldn't matter.

My theory: people in a 4-year program may have taken some of their nursing classes early on, and then maybe 3 or 4 years have gone by before they take the NCLEX. During this long time, they tend to forget things, and don't do as well on the NCLEX.

Now look at a 2-year program. They have taken all their nursing classes more recently, and therefore, the information may be more fresh in their minds. They can recall the information easier, and the scores on the NCLEX reflect that.

This is similar to the ABSN program I am in, and most other ABSN programs. There is almost a 100% pass rate first time on the NCLEX. One reason is that the there is not much time between learning the material and taking the test.

[MB37]

My school has a near 100% pass rate every year, for both traditional and accelerated BSN students. I wouldn't put too much stock in small differences between rates - my school, and many others, have such high rates because we have to pass HESI exams every semester, worth 20-40% of our grade, and if we don't pass the exit exam they won't let us graduate. They offer elective "NCLEX strategies" classes, and no one who takes them has ever failed. They also require us to take a Kaplan class our last semester. Nursing school is what you put into it, so go to whichever school that accepts you is the best fit. As long as they are accredited, and the pass rate is over the bare minimum, you should be fine. Perhaps the BSN programs in your area have larger classes, or they allow a few more students to slide by and graduate when they may not be quite ready to test.