Nclex............???????

[bewbew]

i have been trying to work this out..........nclex exam!

i looked in the glossary, no luck, tried a search on the boards, got 892 results, waaaaay too many to look through.......

what is the nclex exam/test? what does it consist of? do all lpns/rns need to sit it?

here in australia, to become an enrolled nurse (lpn), generally you go through a tech college for 1 year, then you are registered as an enrolled nurse, or an rn (division 2) nurse, and start work. to become an rn (division 1) you go to uni, and do a 3 or 4 year course, and can then start working. of course, the mode of study varies from state to state. after finishing college or uni, it is straight to work, no more tests, and you can either do this or apply for a grad position. generally, it is better to apply for a graduate nurse position within a hospital, which is usually 1 year, and you then have better prospects in applying for more specialised hospital positions.

very curious, as i see so much on the boards about this subject?!?!

[jemb]

NCLEX is the exam one takes when one "sits for the boards"in the US. It is the exam that determines whether ot not you are licensed as a nurse after completing all the required schooling. Stands for "National Council (something for the L --I'm having brain fade) Examination." When I became licensed as an RN, the exam was a state board exam, but has more since been standardized as the NCLEX nationwide. :)

[nurseleigh]

NCLEX = National Council Licensure Examination.

I just received my authorization to test so I had it handy.:)

Leigh

[MPHkatie]

OK, to answer your actual questions.

Yes, the NCLEX is a national liscensure exam. Without passing it in the US, you pretty much do not have a job, because you wont have a liscence.

It consists of a computer exam. You can answer from 75-265 or so questions. When the computer decides you have demonstrated compentency, it shuts off (very freaky moment when it does this)

There is a seperate RN and LPN exam, and in the US, one is not an RN or LPN without it. We are just graduate nurses.

[bewbew]

originally posted by mphkatie

it consists of a computer exam. you can answer from 75-265 or so questions. when the computer decides you have demonstrated compentency, it shuts off (very freaky moment when it does this)

oh, wow, that sounds sooo scary.........we had timed online exams, and i tell you what, my heart was palpitating through these!!

it seems to me that the courses must vary quite a bit to require the nclex.

what happens if you don't pass the nclex, and just stay a graduate nurse......can you work at all?

[SmilingBluEyes]

GOOD LUCK LEIGH!!!!!!! go leigh, go leigh!

[bewbew]

when are you going to sit the test, nurseleigh?

good luck! :)

[jemb]

Several years ago, I was on one of the review panels for the NCLEX-RN. It was explained in detail to us how the computer testing works. The general perception is that once you have answered enough questions to pass, the computer shuts off, so the fewer questions you have to answer, the better you did. This is only partly true. . It will shut off when you have nswered either enough correct to pass, OR enough wrong to fail. If you answer a number of them right and still a number of them wrong, it could take almost the entire number of questions on the test to distinguish a pass or fail grade. Point being that whether any individual's test takes 75 questions or 275 questions is not an indicator of pass/fail.

I took the state boards before NCLEX came about and long before the tests were computerized. At that time, the tests were given twice a year (Feb and July, I think) and in designated locations throughout the state. Those of us in the Los Angeles metropolitan area had to go to the L.A. Sports Arena two days in a row. Everyone had to go both days for pencil and paper multiple choice tests -- the ones where you have to "darken the little block completely" on scan sheets. It was not a pleasant experience.