Facts about answering 265 Q's

[SteveVBall05]

Okay so I feel like I need to set the record straight with getting all 265 NCLEX-RN Q's, and a few other things lol.

You can Pass and Fail at 265.

Let's look at Q#262 for example. If that question is just below or close to the passing line and 263, 264 & 265 are answered correctly or even if one incorrectly, that usually is enough to put #265 above the passing level and you Pass the examination.

If for example #262 is well below the line and you get 263,264 & 265 it may not be enough to put you above the line and you Fail. #265 has to be above the passing line. That is all. Not ON/AT the passing line or near it or below it, but above it. For those who say "how the heck can the test be judged on one question?!" It is. Call Kaplan, Call your BORN, call NCSBN it's the fact.

Another few facts is that "bolding" of words, (MOST, FIRST, INITIALLY) does not mean it is a higher level question. So myth busted!

SATA (Select all that Apply) questions are NOT a higher (app/analysis) form of question. ALL ALTERNATE RESPONSE QUESTIONS INCLUDING SATA ARE WRITTEN AT ALL LEVELS OF BLOOM'S TAXONOMY. From recall/recognition to Application/Analysis.

Advice:

Know your Pharmacology, Infection control and PDA (Who do you see first, etc) because these are the two single largest portions of the exam. AND THEY ARE DIFFICULT. Remember, the Devil is sitting on every question at the test center staring at you! So FOCUS, DEEP BREATHE, TAKE A BREAK and two last pieces of advice:

1. Anticipate taking ALL 265 questions. Don't go in there casually all dolled up and thinking the computer will shut off at 75. It certainly might but prepare for the worst and hope for the best!

2. I'll leave you with this quote from a brilliant professional; "NCLEX is a great experience, but it's not worth repeating." -Barbara J. Irwin RN, MSN [Executive Director of Kaplan]

Best of luck & may God be with you!

[scaredsilly, BSN, RN]

How nice! But I have to share the title with JustBeachyNurse; she's an NCLEX force to reckon with :)

And LadyFree! But it was your posts that made me change my mind about rescheduling in the days before my test, and it was you who made it make sense, because you can read it all day long on the website and it doesn't make any sense at all....after taking it, it all becomes quite clear. You really helped me and a lot of others understand it all. I did it in the days of the old (and kinder) PVT and you helped me understand that too!

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Confidence interval is not the same as 95% correct. One is a statistical significance the other is percentage of the whole

[letmebeanurseee]

Here's where I inject a "sort of, but not quite". Remember that 95% certainty rule that the computer uses to determine pass/fail. If you have been teetering on above/below passing for quite awhile before you hit that last question, you probably won't know on what side of the 'line' you fall on at the time it closes out. If you did get that last question wrong, and it was an above-passing question, it would mean you either were just far enough above to still be getting passing questions (IF there were such a thing as a #266), OR you would fall below that pasing standard....in which case getting that last question wrong THEN dropped you below the passing line. It would indeed matter if you got it wrong. In any event, it's the 95% CI that is the thing that will determine your pass/fail. Is this making sense? I realize it's a convoluted system to figure out, but....it really does work (those darned statistics!) :)

I stand by an earlier statement I made, in which people focusing on THE LAST QUESTION is utterly futile. Completely wrong way to go about it, and a colossal waste of effort and energy. Like you just said, kdoolay, "just answer each question individually"! Don't try to read into it what isn't there, and don't try to figure out if you are above or below passing at ANY point: it only serves to distract you from doing your best on the test itself! And focusing on what doesn't help you pass is obviously detrimental if you WANT to eventually pass :)

I was just quoting the video from Kaplan, lol. But I get what you are saying. I feel like what you are saying is just another version of what Kaplan is saying but in simpler terms - if you are above level, you will pass because you stayed above that line.

BUT YES! FOCUS ON EACH QUESTION INDIVIDUALLY! Each one will determine your faith no matter what so give it your all! [:

[crossfitnurse]

I'm wondering why always such a debate over this topic?

If you pass, you pass. If you fail. You fail.

There's no secret to this exam. If there was, we would all pass - which obviously - we do not all pass.

[Safety Coach RN]

Well, I'll be honest. I casually dolled myself up on the way and figured the test would shut down at 75 questions with me passing.

When it shut off at 75 questions, I tossed my hair on the way out and wished everyone else luck.

Sometimes a little confidence can be the difference between a pass and a fail.