dispelling NCLEX myths

[Jamie2887]

to clear up confusion about nclex and (some rumors i've seen here on this site) and just some tips...

~nclex is not graded like nursing school exams, where you have to make a certain score to pass.

~you must show that you are more consistently right than wrong when answering test questions, so that means you must at a minimum, get more test questions right than wrong.

~if you had 265 questions, you have a 50/50 chance of passing. what it means: you kept the computer guessing, at no point did you convince the computer that you were more consistently right or wrong, so it kept giving you more questions to try and figure you out

~if you had 75 questions and didnt pass, you have alot of studying to do, it meant that at 75, the computer already determined that you were getting more consistently wrong than right

~there is no such thing as "a random test subject getting the whole test", this is a huge myth

~it is true that there are questions that are "pilot" questions, but you dont know which ones, and they dont count toward your score, there only here to ensure they are valid so they can encorporate them later into the test as a real question. there however is no magic number.

~the test is not trying to search out your weaknesses, this is a computer, not a person, it has no soul.

~if you go past 75 questions...your not failing, your still passing! if you were failing, it would have just cut off at 75, you are still getting more questions right than wrong.

hope this helps someone.

good luck everyone!

[Caffeine_IV]

I needed this post before Tuesday lol but thanks!

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Just to add a couple more ...

~ Getting the last question right or wrong does not determine whether you pass or fail.

~ The speed with which you answer individual questions has no bearing on whether you pass or fail.

[girls1]

nice thread. a lot of people need to see this.

i love this one:

the test is not trying to search out your weaknesses, this is a computer, not a person, it has no soul.

[jadu1106]

very well put!!! thank you for the info!!! :tku:

[WickedRedRN, BSN, RN]

Thank you for this!

[Jamie2887]

I have something to add, I mentioned about the pilot questions, turns out there are 15 on the NCLEX RN and 25 on the NCLEX PN

[mandi07]

Really?? There are 25 pilot questions on the nclex pn?? Where did you hear that?? That would be great cuz some of the ones I got wrong were hopefully one of the 25. But then again the ones I got right being one of the 25 would kinda suck. hmmm...still waitin on my results.

[matt59]

... and here is one I had read a lot of discussion on prior to testing:

a lot of SATAs means you passed & a lot of math means you failed.

I am a firm believer in Suzanne on this one; I only got 6 SATAs, I got (I think 5, including one ridiculously easy) math problems, & a gray screen @ 75 questions, which was accompanied by a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach.

But I saw my name w/ an RN # on the BON website today!

Matt

[xoftspy]

congrats matt! i got several drug questions and no SATA at all.

[chachou22]

...

But I saw my name w/ an RN # on the BON website today!

Matt

congratulations:yeah::yeah:

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

~you must show that you are more consistently right than wrong when answering test questions, so that means you must at a minimum, get more test questions right than wrong.

this isnt' right.

you get 50% right and 50% wrong no matter what. when you receive the 50% right and they are in the passing standard, that's when the test stops.

so no, you don't need to get more questions right than wrong.that doesn't happen at all. if you start getting too many questions right, the test gets harder until you go back to 50%. too many questions wrong and the test gets easy, again to get you back at 50%.

it's all about what type of questions that you get right-not how many.