How the NCLEX works.

[CashewLPN, LPN]

Since there have been oh so many questions on 'did I pass at 85 questions' or 'did I pass at 250 questions' I figured I'd make a nice big sticky explaining it.

-The NCLEX-PN is the licensing exam for graduate PNs.

This is the basic idea on how it works.

The test format is:

To start, you answer a question, if you answer correctly, you get a more difficult question, if you answer incorrectly, you get an easier one.

For scoring:

Imagine the test to be a beam balanced in the center (a teeter totter, or a scale, if you will.) One side is labled Correct, the other Incorrect.

Now, every time you answer a question, if it is correct, you get a point on the correct side, every time you answer one incorrectly, you get a point on the incorrect side. When the scale tips over to either side, the test is finished. Sometimes, you'll answer 1 correctly and 1 incorrectly, which re-balances the scale.. the objective of the test is to have a clear tip over point... which is why the test for some people keeps going and going.

Occasionally ( I do not know the current amount) the test will cycle through all the questions... its a way to know whether all of the questions are good, so you can get all 285 questions, and still pass or fail.

I hope this is helpful...

What do you all think?

[Ariel70113]

I think that this is very helpful.

[Joynurse]

i will be taking it this fall. you have described it much like my instructor did. she said not to worry if u get all the questions because occasionally it happens. i just really hope it doesn't happen to me!! :rotfl: