I took my NCLEX this morning. Expected the routine 75 questions and was rudely surprised by 259! To prepare for NCLEX, I took Kaplan and did their entire Qbank and all their Qtrainers with all %'s in the high 60's (one even a 72), read Saunders AND listened to Hurst audios.
Since I'm in CA., I'm not going to bother trying the "Pearson trick" because it sounds bogus. I find myself wondering why in God's name they can't just straight up tell you the day you take it! How annoying.
Anyway, just venting a bit and keeping my fingers crossed. What's done is done and I know I did the very best I could. Can't figure out what I could possibly have done differently or for that matter how/what I'll study IF I have to re-take.
They made the NCLEX much harder in 2013. I believe prior to that it had a threshold of zero and now it is +3. This means if you get 3 questions wrong, you need to get the next 6 questions right. Once you get to that +3 you can get one question right and than miss a question and so on.
OP, there is tons of misinformation all over these boards; I see some of it you've discovered already, and some maybe not.
In a nutshell, the number of questions you got doesn't indicate anything, pass or fail. Many people will tell you that the kind of question they got (SATA, drag/drop, etc) means a higher level of question; it does not. SATA is merely a format type, it means nothing.
And the biggie: PVT. Judging by what I read on these boards daily, most people have no idea how to do it, and what the 'pop up' they got actually means....which is unfortunate, since if you do it right, you really do have a pretty good guess about your result! :)
If you do the PVT right after your exam, all you will know is the result of your FIRST scoring. That's right, exam is scored TWICE. The second scoring is done at some point during the following 24 hours; your State BoN is notified immediately upon your scores being finalized and that is why several States will have their websites updated the very next day. Others aren't as quick on the uptake, and don't post for days, or even weeks
If you wait a full 24 hours after your exam completes to do the PVT, you will know THEN if you will need another registration (and pay the $200 fee because you failed this one) OR you will find you do NOT need to register again....because you passed.
Most people cheer "I GOT THE GOOD POP UP!!" within only hours of their exam; they only know that they passed the first scoring. And for most of them, they will also pass the second scoring, the odds are definitely in their favor. HOWEVER, it does happen, absolutely DOES HAPPEN that the second score is not the same as the first, and people who thought they passed actually end up failing....and people who are devastated at their fail are shocked to find they actually passed.
They made the NCLEX much harder in 2013. I believe prior to that it had a threshold of zero and now it is +3. This means if you get 3 questions wrong, you need to get the next 6 questions right. Once you get to that +3 you can get one question right and than miss a question and so on.
A common misconception. No, this isn't really how it works; CAT testing is a curious beast indeed, and often misunderstood!
To use your number example, you can get three questions in a row wrong and STILL be above the passing standard. You are still passing. You can also get three questions in a row RIGHT and yet still be below the passing standard....you are still failing.
The test concludes when the computer program determines that you are competent to a 95% certainty....for some that is 75 questions, for others 265 questions, and any number in between.
The difficulty of each question (meaning above or below the passing standard) is pre-determined and you will only get above-passing level questions when you continue to answer these questions correctly; if you get one wrong, it will drop the difficulty level of the next question. Get it right...and it goes back up. Get it wrong...and standard level will continue to drop along with it. It is never a +3, -3 type of thing.
OK. So, I waited the 24 hours and finally got enough nerve to do the PVT. I got the "good" pop up---but now my doubting Thomas side has kicked in.....it's always something, eh? Do you mind me asking, did this trick pan out for you?
OK. So, I waited the 24 hours and finally got enough nerve to do the PVT. I got the "good" pop up---but now my doubting Thomas side has kicked in.....it's always something, eh? Do you mind me asking, did this trick pan out for you?
LOL, I'm too many years out of NCLEX for this to apply to personally; I just like to help others survive the process :)
IF it's more than 24 hours, and you are NOT able to register for another exam...you DID SUBMIT the financial info, yes?....then it looks mighty grand that you passed :)
Oh! thanks so much for helping us newbies out. That is so very kind of you---typical Nurse--so kind. I did go as far as putting the CC # in and submitting--then it told me to "go shove"....So, I'm feeling a bit better. I've been trying hard to keep my mind off it, but it's so annoying going through the questions from yesterday and trying to decipher which one I missed and which one was right, etc. It's been quite a torment. I feel like I can breath a bit easier now.....Thanks again.
That is not the way the people who are in charge of the NCLEX testing explained it to us. However you want to look at it, the testing is much more difficult post 2013.
Thanks for sharing your experience and encouraging words. I think there's a really good chance you are streets ahead of me....although I was getting some quirky "tough" questions. I'm leary of the Pearson trick because I've heard that it's not always trustworthy....do you mind me asking if you were brought all the way to the credit card page and it then wouldn't allow you to register?
Everybody goes to the credit card page now. You have to put in a credit card number for the trick to be done correctly. Only after you click submit will you either get the good pop up (PASS) or your card will be charged (FAIL).
The number of questions you get on NCLEX does not determine pass/faill rates or doesnt determine how smart/dumb you are! I know many people who got 75 and failed and I know many who have gotten 265 and passed. Don't let the number freak you out, it doesnt determine your success!
Your name should post to the BRN site within 48 hours. I personally felt the same and was afraid to try the trick and it not work correctly, so I waited it out and am happy I did. It posted 48 hours later! Think positive!
Oh! thanks so much for helping us newbies out. That is so very kind of you---typical Nurse--so kind. I did go as far as putting the CC # in and submitting--then it told me to "go shove"....So, I'm feeling a bit better. I've been trying hard to keep my mind off it, but it's so annoying going through the questions from yesterday and trying to decipher which one I missed and which one was right, etc. It's been quite a torment. I feel like I can breath a bit easier now.....Thanks again.
Just think: in no time, it'll all be behind you :)
I reread your post and you are correct in how the questioning is done. The threshold is +3 now.
It's worth mentioning that every couple of years people start to complain that "the test is much harder now" then it was in XX year. The test is designed to adjust every three years, and it's pretty well explained on their website.....but students and recent grads do NOT have to freak out over it! Any nursing program worth a nickel will have been preparing its students from Day One for the exact test they will be taking: the increments are tiny, actually, and not anything that any student is going to recognize as being "harder" or "easier" at any point. Tiny increments in increasing difficulty, and nothing that your nursing programs won't have already taught you. It's still a minimum competency exam, so....it's worth keeping that in mind. It isn't going to be any harder than the material you have already learned.
XNavyCorpsman
98 Posts
They made the NCLEX much harder in 2013. I believe prior to that it had a threshold of zero and now it is +3. This means if you get 3 questions wrong, you need to get the next 6 questions right. Once you get to that +3 you can get one question right and than miss a question and so on.