Is putting my n-clex "score" on a resume a bad idea?

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I know the n-clex is pass or fail, but I passed in a pretty short amount of time and at 76 questions (I believe the minimum is 75), is this something I could mention on my resume?

I'm thinking it's a bad idea, but it can't hurt to get other opinions :)

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I believe it is a bad idea. It is basically 'showing off' to put it on your resume, and you don't know how the person interviewing you did - maybe they had to take it 3 times. I am from 'back in the day' when we had the 2 day test, the year before us was the last year they gave their actual scores. One nurse scored perfect. She was snapped up by a local hospital. Well, she had a lot of brain smarts but not one lick of common sense, she quickly ended up in a paperwork job.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Hiring managers and HR staff couldn't care less about how many questions you answered during your NCLEX examination. To be perfectly honest, they only care that you passed. I would not mention this information.

There are nurses who passed with 265 questions who are as sharp as a tack, highly skilled, and find themselves working in very high-acuity, prestigious specialties. There are nurses (like myself) who passed with the minimum of 75 questions on the very first attempt, but have a very limited skill set and work in 'less desirable' areas of nursing.

The truth is that nobody in the professional world gives a crap about your NCLEX score.

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thanks, I'll def keep that info off.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Agree with PPs. There is a ton of evidence - NCLEX has very little correlation with actual clinical competence. Although it is slooooooowly changing, it remains primarily a measure of ability to recall noncontextual facts.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I would not mention it. Anyone who passes the NCLEX is at the competent and safe level regardless of number of questions answered.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

IMO, to put your NCLEX score on your resume is very tacky.

First, it in no way proves you are smarter/more intelligent than anyone who got more than 76 questions. It could be that you just received the right mix of 76 questions that no further testing was needed. Or that you're a better standardized test taker.

Second...no one cares but you. I don't mean that as an insult...but the fact is that when you interview, you won't find a single employer who will ask--or even care--about how many questions it took you to pass in. All they're going to care about is whether you passed and if you have a valid nursing license.

You're more likely to be asked about your GPA than any other score/grade.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

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It is really NOT a score....

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

I would find several better ways to distinguish yourself from your peers.

First off, unless they have changed things, there is no way to prove anything other than a pass.

Second, don't the majority of takers pass in 75? By promoting that it took you 76 would actually place you in a lower percentile of "passers"?

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Specializes in Occupational Health; Adult ICU.

IMHO, bad idea, you'll likely sound pompous and might even be perceived as foolish since (at least as far as I know) you really never know what percentile you achieved.

Why not let your GPA which I presume is above 3.3 do the talking for you?

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Specializes in Occupational Health; Adult ICU.
Agree with PPs. There is a ton of evidence - NCLEX has very little correlation with actual clinical competence. Although it is slooooooowly changing, it remains primarily a measure of ability to recall noncontextual facts.

I've never seen a ton of evidence that it has little correlation with clinical competence. So, I'll respectfully disagree. Though I took mine in 2003 I was rather enthralled with the test and the way that it got harder and, more to the point--trickier, literally teasing me with misleading information. I remember laughing out loud at the very last question, but though the question was tricky it was a good one and the one point I got was that the exam wanted to make sure that if you didn't really know the answer, you wouldn't use the misleading teaser information.

I was quite impressed with the test and thought highly of it.

**as an afterthought--I was in the "soundproof room," else I would not have laughed out load which was really, really nice!

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

It's a pass/fail, passing the exam is all that matters. Putting your score is a bit pretentious, IMO....

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