National Petition to Change N-CLEX Exam Process

iteachob, MSN, RN · Jun 8, 2009

The NCLEX is not only fair....it is very fair. It is thoroughly tested and has admirable internal consistency. It is a test of critical thinking and nursing judgment, not just knowledge (which is the lowest level of Bloom's taxonomy).
The writer's of the questions are highly educated (advanced degrees) and experienced nurses. There is an application process to become a writer for the NCLEX question pool. The questions are then tested for reliability and validity (also difficulty) before ever becoming a scored part of the exam. Every NCLEX taker has 15 "trial" questions that are not scored because they are being tested first.
The 2 day agonizing wait? PLEASE! You're going to make all the older nurses among us groan. I had to wait approximately 6 weeks to find out if I had passed the 2 day (all day) long test that I took. Not only that, but I tested in TX....a really big state. I had to drive >500 miles to the nearest testing center. I lived in El Paso, closest testing center? Ft. Worth......travel, hotel, test....it wasn't cheap!

I want to add to my post that I wish the OP luck in the quest to become an RN.....do not give up! But, I do think it is unwise and ultimately won't be of benefit to lay the blame with the exam process itself.

kcochrane · Jun 8, 2009

The NCLEX is not only fair....it is very fair. It is thoroughly tested and has admirable internal consistency. It is a test of critical thinking and nursing judgment, not just knowledge (which is the lowest level of Bloom's taxonomy).
The writer's of the questions are highly educated (advanced degrees) and experienced nurses. There is an application process to become a writer for the NCLEX question pool. The questions are then tested for reliability and validity (also difficulty) before ever becoming a scored part of the exam. Every NCLEX taker has 15 "trial" questions that are not scored because they are being tested first.
The 2 day agonizing wait? PLEASE! You're going to make all the older nurses among us groan. I had to wait approximately 6 weeks to find out if I had passed the 2 day (all day) long test that I took. Not only that, but I tested in TX....a really big state. I had to drive >500 miles to the nearest testing center. I lived in El Paso, closest testing center? Ft. Worth......travel, hotel, test....it wasn't cheap!

My instructor and charge nurse both had to wait for the test - given every six months. It was a two day test and you waited weeks also for the result.

BTW I knew the day after my test that I passed. I looked it up on the BON nursing site when they had a license number listed for me.

I also have to respectfully disagree with the OP also. The pass rate is too high for you to have any chance of changing it. But I do wish you luck. :)

Cherybaby · Jun 8, 2009

Hi cherybaby
I wanted to respond to what you said. I respect your opinion and I do realize that the exam is about critical thinking. I am aware that the exam is not based on "real world" experience, but rather "textbook" experience. But that is exactly one of the aspects that is unjustafiable. Nursing is the art of caring, is it not? Then having the patients well-being on a caring level is just as important as it is on a medical level. I have test anxiety, as many people do, but I will stand by my purpose of being a nurse. It is what I have devoted my life to, it is what I enjoy doing (at least on a CNA basis for now), and I will not give up my quest to make a difference in the lives of others in that respect.
That being said, there have been more and more people failing the exam. As far as critical thinking and prioritizing, I have no issues with that. I fully understand which patients are a priority and I can certainly critically think. The ABC's, etc. However, it is quite difficult to work with patients having been through nursing school and seeing nurses who do not prioritize based on their physical needs, walking by rooms and seeing that there needs to be a dressing change and the nurse ignores it. The absolute worst is seeing that a patient is in excrutiating pain and there medication is past due and the RN feels no sense of responsibility.
I, like you, have studied day in and day out, reviewing any and all textbooks I had from school including newer ones, and I personally feel that the exam is certainly geared more towards strategies than content, as even Kaplan teaches.
Like I said, I respect your opinion and will continue to persue my passion.

Nursing absolutely IS the art of caring. However and unfortunately...compassion is not enough to make a good nurse. I had plenty of people in my nursing school exemplify what it means to be a caring nurse. I can assure you though...there were several of them I would NOT want at MY bedside if something should happen to me.

More and more people are failing the exam? No. I would like to see your statistics on that. If anything...I think more and more people who are underqualified are becoming nurses. These are generally people who are really booksmart and great test takers but don't have a lick of common sense whatsoever.

I am wondering what your experience with nursing is. You seem a little angry at the profession in general. I don't recall, in my ten years, ever seeing a patient in excrutiating pain where the nurse was not being an advocate for that patient. Maybe I have been fortunate enough to have seen nurses who are good at what they do and terrific mentors.

What I would do if I was you, OP, is redirect my focus from a letter writing campaign about the NCLEX to establishing what your weaknesses are when taking the exam. You aren't going to get anywhere trying to change the NCLEX. The test is fair, impartial and has a great deal to do with critical thinking and prioritization. Certainly, there is some memorization involved. But, with an overall pass rate of 85% in this country, you would be hard pressed to find someone who would be willing to change the exam to make it easier. The exam is challenging...but not impossible.

You obviously have the conviction and will along with the desire to be a nurse. Don't let a test stop you from reaching that dream. Try other strategies for studying. Take a refresher course if you have to. When I was studying for those 6 weeks I did 1000 questions a day, everyday. Sometimes if I had the time, I did more. I kept flash cards with me all the time for the times I had to stand on line somewhere. At red lights. At restaurants. Anywhere I could whip out my lab values and drug cards, I did.

I understand your frustration. However, if you continue to blame the exam...you are never going to move forward in your career. Don't let it stiffle you. Pursue your dream, like you said. You sound like you are compassionate, caring and driven. All the qualities of a damn fine nurse.

You can do this. Anything I can do to help...let me know. :yeah:

gcupid · Jun 8, 2009

Sorry to say but many more pass than fail. Although many agree that the test does not justify you being a competent nurse, if it will not benefit the ones who passed, they are not going to move in your favor. It's a waste of time.

Pick & choose your battles. Nursing is politics. If you really want to do this you will have to seem like a martyr. First things first, pass the test.

Next, get a group of highly respected & highly educated nurses to back you up. (that will be the even bigger challenge).

Lastly, make sure you have nurses with the right credentials and enough of them that can persuade the majority to even entertain what you are proposing. Lastly, be ready to battle the money-hungry business of NCLEX organizations/books. Finally, meet up with NCLEX administration and come up with a proposal that wouldn't allow them to lose money. (Suggest something that would allow the NCLEX to still administer some type of test). If you decide a different route, get legislature on your side.

Your biggest problem is going to come in with getting & retaining highly esteemed nurses with credentials to back you up. NO one wants to waste time, when they could be making a lot of money. :twocents:

caliotter3 · Jun 8, 2009

If you are planning on substituting a grass roots effort at changing the NCLEX instead of using the time to prepare for, take, and pass the NCLEX, you will most likely be insuring yourself of a very long term project, but you will be giving up any satisfaction you could have gained from patient care and providing a livelihood for yourself and your family. Good luck with your efforts.

starzburst · Jun 8, 2009

I liked what my Kaplan review instructor told my class. He said we were all nurses, passing the NCLEX is to get paid for being a nurse. IMO, nursing school should have weeded out all the unsafe nurses. There were a couple of people in the nursing program who I would not want them touching me or any of my friends and family.. and it reflected in their grades.

I am sorry you are having difficulty passing NCLEX but I think NCLEX is a fair way to evaluate if we get licensed or not. My mom is a manicurist and even she had to take an exam to get her license.. so license by examination is not just relegated to nursing.

karenrussell_rn · Jun 8, 2009

I, too am sorry that you didn't pass the NCLEX, however, I agree with the majority that there is nothing wrong with the test. Some people think that there is no such thing as testing anxiety, but it is real!

I suggest you practice relaxation techniques, breathng exercises, and stop studying so much. I'm paraphrasing the old ballad, "if you don't know it by now, you'll never know it", meaning, you know the material, you've successfully completed the coursework, you're just having trouble with the exam. I never subscribed to studying 3 & 4 hours/day. I spent about an hour each day total; its not about how many questions you answer, but that you know how to process through the question.

It's true that there are "tricks" to answering the questions because it IS a test, you are not standing at the bedsie of a patient, you are asked to identify the BEST right answer. In fact, I use those techniques now in my practice when I'm prioritizing my tasks.

Someone earlier suggested to purchase a Kaplan study guide; that's what I used. I bought it just days before taking my exam and passed on the first time.

Good luck to you and make sure to update us when you pass!!

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2009

It took me 25 min to take the NCLEX. Kinda scary that they're judging I'm a safe nurse in that short of time.

I went fast too. I walked in, saw a few people already there from my class, answered 100 ?'s, took a 10 min. break, went back, answered 2 more ?'s and got cut off.

Whole process took like............oh, 45 minutes. The people there when I walked in were still there. lol

I hear they know as soon as you are cut off whether or not you pass. Lady at the reception area said to me "That was painless". I didnt read into it, but she was telling me something.

Even though I passed first time, I'm undecided on whether I am a fan of the NCLEX or not. I dont think it needs a major overhaul, thats for sure. Some tweeks maybe.

Altra, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2009

hello all!
this discussion thread is to seek out those who have graduated from nursing schools/programs who share the same feelings in regard to the n-clex examination.has anyone noticed how unbelievabley unfair and restrictive this exam is?

unfair in what way? restrictive in what way?

let me throw this question out there: what is the point in spending money, blood, sweat, and tears to get through an already almost impossible nursing program, whether it is a two year program or a bachelor's program, only to continuously pay and fail for a license that should already be earned through our education?

surely you were aware before/during nursing school that nursing is a licensed profession, like accountancy, law, medicine, architecture, and many others. completing an educational course of study is not the same as having a legal license to practice.

to add insult to injury, there is a fee to actually get the results of the exam. is it not enough that the exam itself is incredibly expensive? i guess not if the ncsbn (national council of state boards of nursing) has the audacity to ask for even more money from us only to display a single word of "pass" or "fail" after waiting an agonizing two or more days.

it is not necessary to pay the fee - in some short period of time (generally 2 days in my state), your state board of nursing website will probably indicate whether or not you've been granted a license. yes, it may feel agonizing. but less so than, say, sitting with a parent of a child (your patient) who has just died after a traumatic injury. perspective is everything.

some people have a great deal of difficulty with tests, and you may be one of these people. i can imagine that you are feeling pretty down right now, and feeling angry. after venting, resolve to turn this negative energy into an action plan. talk to an adviser at the school you've graduated from and come up with a plan to get over this hurdle.

good luck to you.

Jokerhill · Jun 8, 2009

It took me 25 min to take the NCLEX. Kinda scary that they're judging I'm a safe nurse in that short of time.

I agree it should be harder, from my sign in to sign out of the testing center was 45 min. and I know there is a ton of information I don't know anything about. I believe they should aim for a 75% pass rate (the 250 questions is good too), as many I work with now do not belong at the bedside, so they are passing to many. I can teach a new nurse how to do skills but they should already know from school how to critically think. If you are not passing the NCLEX you should be questioning your school not the test.

That said there are also CNA's I work with that are the best nurses in the hospital, bar none. They out think me and the DR's on a regular basis, just life has not allowed them what ever was needed for their formal schooling to take place. If I could I would send them through school and pay for their household expenses as they get what they need to practice. Life is not fair some who can pay for school get the education and are poor nurses and some who can't pay are great, even without formal training.

elprup, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2009

Sorry, I do not agree. I did not read all pages of the post, but I feel that Nursing Education is what needs to ce changed. Nursing school was very difficult/chaotic/unorganized/nothing like I ever imagined! But strangely, the NCLEX was not difficult. I passed in less than an hour with 75 questions. Yes I did take kaplan and yes I thought Kaplan really helped. I also studied everything I could get my hands on the month before I took the NCLEX. Sure, it all added up and was very expensive, but I think it needs to be. Only those dedicated enough to make it work financially and educationally are meant to get through. Heck, it still is expensive studying all the time so I feel confident taking care of patients.

One must also be positive ~ I believe that is what always get me through. Take Care.

MurseMikeD · Jun 8, 2009

It's far from arbitrary. The exam tests critical thinking and (to a lesser degree) knowledge.

Someone needs an attitude adjustment.