Help me understand this

TexasPediRN · Jul 10, 2006

I understand how you can fail at 265 b/c you didn't show competence by the last question.

NoMoreStudying:

I highlighted this area of your post in particular as it is false. Regardless of whether or not your got the last question right, does not determine if you passed or failed.

Rather, the NCLEX is a computer adaptive test - meaning that it adapts to your skill level. If you get a question wrong, your next question will be easier. If you get a question right, the next question will be harder.

The NCLEX will keep testing you in this manner until it has determined with a 95% accuracy that you have passed or failed boards. Now whether or not that determines this at 75 questions, 265, or anywhere inbetween is up to the NCLEX itself. It will keep giving questions until the test taker, you, have proved compentency and are able to pass, or were unable to prove compentency, and have failed.

This is why the number of questions you get has NOTHING to do with whether or not you passed or failed. The test is specific to each test taker, its not a generalized test. It adapts to the test takers skill level.

I hope that helps!

-Meghan

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

Good advise to the above.

People get so hung up over things like the type of questions, the number of questions and whether you got the last question right.

Best to keep studying. Go into NCLEX with the idea that you are going to answer one question at a time, ignore how many questions you are on (many people freak when they get to question 76 and nearly need to be recusitated by the time they get to 265, thus fogging up their mind and not allowing them to think clearly.).

The number and type of questions are only the number and type of questions. Don't get hung up on that.

NoMoreStudying · Jul 10, 2006

I understand you can pass at 265. It's just that failing at 265 makes more sense than, say, failing at 176. How does the algorithm decide that you are in no way capable of bringing your level up to competence in 89 more questions? A person is just doing to bad that it's statistically impossible?

I was an engineer by first education so the geek in me wants to understand the concept more than the basic "you can pass or fail at any number of questions."

tinta06 · Jul 10, 2006

NoMoreStudying,

I think your question should be taken seriously into future nursing competence research consideration.

I have also tried to understand the probabilities of NCLEX determination of failure between 77 and 265 using time duration and adptive content given as opposed to content that might be answered correctly in remaining adptive questions and time. Let us say, a person has answered 5 questions incorrectly in a roll due to distractions from other factors e.g (noise/luck of proper concentration due to overwhelmingness, e.t.c.) other than knowledge or competence issues. How does the computer determine incompetence before 265 questions with 200 minutes remaining from the 360 minutes given using adaptive questions for a particular set of questions during the exam? Furthermore, how does it adapt to and determine what is easier and what is harder if each test is individualized at any given time, because what is easier for one might be harder/trickier for the other to answer correctly. If this has been proved on a quantitative research data than, we would like to understand how participants were/are select to come to this conclusion.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

I don't know if this will give you the concrete, definitive answers you seek, but consider this: everyone who passes or fails the NCLEX does so with about 50% of their answers being correct.

The level of the questions, the difficulty level, of the questions you are able to answer correctly 50% of the time is what determines whether you will pass or fail.

As the computer adjust the level of questions it gives you, it regulates how hard it must keep those questions to keep you at 50% correct. If you consistently are above the standard of passing, you will pass. If not, you will fail. It will continue to do this "up and down" dance, keeping you at 50%, until it does achieve that 95% degree of assuredness you are either competent....or incompetent.

How the computer is actually programmed to determine that 95%, etc, I doubt ANYONE can tell you, as I believe it's probably one of the "guarded secrets" of the producers of the NCLEX CAT.

But, yes, my understanding is that once the computer determines (based on your past answers and that 50% level) that you are able to answer the higher-level questions satisfactorily, you will pass. But if it "believes" you cannot, based on your past pattern of answers, bring up the level to satisfactory, it will shut off.

Frankly, it makes sense: if you have been scoring low enough to not be at a passing standard for, say, 100 questions, it also "knows" that you won't suddenly "get it" and score above the standard in the next 100. Just not probable.

tinta06 · Jul 10, 2006

It is not realistic to base the 50% chance of pass/fail on tentative answers, quality, quantity questions and duration. My assumption is that, we are not talking about quantitative adaptive style of questions, it seems we are dealing with quatitative adaptive style which seems to be based on an individual's performance on the first few questions given. The 95% assuredness is absolutely unrealistic if such computer accuracy proof is publicly prohibited. Furthermore, if such information is prohibited, then no one knows the whole truth behind NCLEX except Pearson Vue computer anaysts and NCLEX nursing experts who determined which questions are easy or harder for each individual. The best advise is to be well prepared for NCLEX and beat the odds by answering as min questions correctly as possible.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

It is not realistic to base the 50% chance of pass/fail on tentative answers, quality, quantity questions and duration. My assumption is that, we are not talking about quantitative adaptive style of questions, it seems we are dealing with quatitative adaptive style which seems to be based on an individual's performance on the first few questions given. The 95% assuredness is absolutely unrealistic if such computer accuracy proof is publicly prohibited. Furthermore, if such information is prohibited, then no one knows the whole truth behind NCLEX except Pearson Vue computer anaysts and NCLEX nursing experts who determined which questions are easy or harder for each individual. The best advise is to be well prepared for NCLEX and beat the odds by answering as min questions correctly as possible.

I think the best advice is to be prepared, period :) I don't know that you have to (or should) think about 'beating the odds'; if there's an 81+% pass rate for first-time test-takers, it seems that the odds are on your side already!

Bottom line is, you'll probably make yourself nuts trying to figure out the algorhythms used in the test's design; better to just focus on the things we can change (studying!) versus what we can't (when that danged thing is going to shut off finally).

Personally, I'm doing so many practice questions I actually wake UP with a screen in my head, lol.....my husband is sick of me talking about the test, and the practice questions that are sometimes so STUPID in their correct rationales it makes me crazy. But, whatever it takes to pass, right? :)

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

The 95% assuredness is absolutely unrealistic if such computer accuracy proof is publicly prohibited.

I was thinking last night about this....I'm quite sure, in the last 12 years it's been given, there must have been SOMEONE (or several someones) who have challenged the results of the test and demanded proof of failure, proof of "incompetency" based on the standard of the test.

I haven't heard of such examples myself, but the chances would be good someone, somewhere, has done it. And therefore, unless the NCLEX wishes to be known as totally subjective, they HAVE to be able to provide proof.

Just my thoughts, anyway.

NoMoreStudying · Jul 10, 2006

I didn't want the answer for me, personally. I was just curious about how the whole concept worked.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2006

I didn't want the answer for me, personally. I was just curious about how the whole concept worked.

That's ok...did any of this help?

I swear I'm getting punchy at this point....practice questions, message board, household chores...repeat :)

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Jul 11, 2006

RNs2BRwe,

I thought you did a great job of explaining, especially about how most people (pass or fail) score around 50% and pass/fail depends on the difficulty level of the questions needed to maintain ~50%.

A couple of other thoughts:

Re: knowing the whole truth. Keep in mind that PearsonVue administers the NCLEX, but the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) writes the exam and determines things like the passing standard. On their website (www.ncsbn.org), there is a great deal of NCLEX-related info, particularly in the 2006 Candidate Bulletin. The NCSBN is actually pretty upfront about how the NCLEX is created and scored.

Re: the possibility of getting a bad run of incorrect answers due to distraction. While everyone gets at least 75 questions, it is probably possible that a person could become distracted enough to miss several questions in a row, but I would hope they'd reach for the ear plugs provided by the testing center before allowing that to happen. As any nursing school grad knows, nurses are expected to perform their skills under noisy, highly stressful, and scary conditions. While I sympathize with test anxiety, consider whether you would want to be cared for by (or work with) a nurse who required silence to do her job and remember her stuff.

Re: the suggestions of Allnurses members in future NCLEX test design. The NCSBN is not a bunch of guys who get together over a cold beer and make up some arbitrary rules and questions. The NCSBN employs psychometricians - experts in designing fair and valid tests of all kinds.

No exam will ever be perfect, but computerized adaptive technology is pretty well established as a standard technique for aptitude tests and licensure exams. Instead of thinking of CAT as something that gives you every opportunity to squeak out a pass, think of it as something that continually evaluates your ability level and assesses whether you appear to be competent to practice as a nurse. It forms impressions early, but it doesn't make firm judgments until after you've answered 75 questions, in various formats, on a wide range of topics.