How many can you get wrong?

Editorial Team / Admin · Feb 3, 2018

There is no set number as questions are written both above and below passing standard. You could get a question right, but if it is below passing standard, it's not going to help you.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Feb 3, 2018

The NCLEX isn't likely to be like any exam you'll have ever taken in the past. There is no pass/fail percentage. You could take 75 questions, you could take 265, or you could take any number of questions in between. Questions and answers are measured in terms of "difficulty" and whether that "level" is above, at, or below the pass/fail line. If you answer a question correctly, the difficulty level increases. If you answer a question incorrectly, the difficulty level decreases. Once you have answered 75 questions, the computer will start applying pass/fail rules to determine if you clearly pass, clearly fail, or if you need to be asked more questions to determine if you pass or fail. It will keep doing so until you are determined to have passed, failed, run out of time, or run out of questions.

It really isn't like most exams where you must score >75% (or whatever) to pass.

MamaBeaRN · Feb 3, 2018

Thank you for the replies! This make sense. I think I'm just having a hard time deciding if I'm ready or not, based on my uworld scores that I'm getting. I think I'll try to focus on getting through as many questions as I can before the big day!

thatgirl2478 · Feb 5, 2018

The NCLEX isn't likely to be like any exam you'll have ever taken in the past. There is no pass/fail percentage. You could take 75 questions, you could take 265, or you could take any number of questions in between. Questions and answers are measured in terms of "difficulty" and whether that "level" is above, at, or below the pass/fail line. If you answer a question correctly, the difficulty level increases. If you answer a question incorrectly, the difficulty level decreases. Once you have answered 75 questions, the computer will start applying pass/fail rules to determine if you clearly pass, clearly fail, or if you need to be asked more questions to determine if you pass or fail. It will keep doing so until you are determined to have passed, failed, run out of time, or run out of questions.
It really isn't like most exams where you must score >75% (or whatever) to pass.

I believe this is the clearest, most succinct answer as to why the NCLEX is so maddening!