NCLEX-Big Picture question?????

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Specializes in L&D, peds NN, and recently outpatient..

This is not meant to be anything but what it is; a real question. Maybe a philosophical one at that. Why do I see so many posts with students having NO idea if they passed the NCLEX? Yes, I am just starting my bridge program, yes, it's been a LONG time since I took my LPN boards,

but is it that: 1) we are not taught what's on the exam? 2) there is so much to learn that we can't possibly retain it all? 3) there is such a hugh gap between school and.......I am REALLY perplexed. Even the students who have a 4.0 GPA behave as though they have NO idea if they passed or not....this is really scary. It's like "okay get ready for one of the most challenging things you will ever do, and THEN get ready to take the most difficult test of your life......and have no idea if you pass, and all the effort was worth it." Whew! There seems to be something I am missing. Can someone help? Thanks!:uhoh3: P.S. or none of the above-:)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Why do I see so many posts with students having NO idea if they passed the NCLEX?
You see so many posts with test-takers who have no idea as to whether they passed the NCLEX, because this examination is designed so that the vast majority of students answer only 50 percent of the questions correctly. This test works like a balancing beam: if you answer questions correctly, the computer throws progressively harder questions right back at you. If you miss questions, the computer spits out questions that it deems to be 'easy.' Therefore, very few people leave the test center feeling absolutely certain that they passed.
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Specializes in L&D, peds NN, and recently outpatient..

not to sound like a five year old, but why? Why is the test designed that way?

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Hi guys, I just took my exam, got 120 questions, I'm almost convinced that I failed because my last questions were knowledge based questions, and I know I got them wrong... Anyway, my test was horrible, I wasnt sure of any of my answers, it wasnt at Kaplan level, it was much harder for me. Anyway, now I've had a couple of crying spells, and I'll be taking my benzo tonight, so I can have some sleep.

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i was thinking the same thing today because i took the exam yesterday; I'm still numbed and scared. In my opinion, the nursing program that i took taught me physiology and human disorders, and what we needed to know to pass the upcoming test of the class. The program I took taught me what I needed to know and do to get a Bachelor of Science. And I did. It didn't taught me what i needed to know or how to prepare for the NCLEX-RN. That's why I am scared of this test. My class asked and asked the professors to help us prepare for the nclex during our last senior year; luckily our psych prof (a visiting nurse) took some time of the class lecture to do so. It was hard to find a professor to create a NCLEX prep class in the school because of the nursing faculty shortage; my L&D professor was even part of the math department because they were shortage there too. We weren't taught how to apply for the NCLEX until late April-May.

Make sure that the nursing program will have some sort of prep during your senior year (3 months before you graduate). If they don't have one, ask to form one.

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Specializes in L&D, peds NN, and recently outpatient..

I know I am beating a dead horse here, but it just seems wrong. I wonder if all professions are like that? Is passing the bar the same, in terms of schooling,being testing on your knowledge etc? It's a little bit, actually a lot overwhelming to think that I must make the very best grades I can, be the best I can, and then take this dragon of a test, that seems stacked against you. Am I oversimplifing?

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It is wrong. The fact that it doesn't represent what or how you learned in school, or any review book or course is the icing on the cake for those like me who fail. I've spent more on books and courses after school than it cost me for a single semester of nursing school, not to mention what I could have been making working all this time.

Pray that you pass it the first time.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I know I am beating a dead horse here, but it just seems wrong. I wonder if all professions are like that? Is passing the bar the same, in terms of schooling,being testing on your knowledge etc? It's a little bit, actually a lot overwhelming to think that I must make the very best grades I can, be the best I can, and then take this dragon of a test, that seems stacked against you. Am I oversimplifing?
Potential attorneys must pass their state BAR exams, and medical school graduates must take the MCAT. Schoolteachers must pass state exams to ensure that they are minimally competent to teach. In other words, other professions are subject to rigorous testing, too.
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junebug62,

the nclex is a 'mystery' test. the student nurse should know all the body's systems, meds, conditions, side effects, nursing assessments and care, physiology, maternity, peds, etc. know them well and know how the nclex questions are written in order to answer them correctly. after that, one can begin doing test question samples, review rationales, more studying, more sample tests. there are numerous review books, online courses, etc. for this specific test for this very reason.

i think as you take your bridge course, then as you begin studying for the nclex, it may become clearer.

hope this helps.

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You see so many posts with test-takers who have no idea as to whether they passed the NCLEX, because this examination is designed so that the vast majority of students answer only 50 percent of the questions correctly.

:yeahthat:

TheCommuter nailed it.

Well-informed students know that, pass or fail, they should only expect to get 50% right. This leaves them to wonder whether they were getting 50% right on very easy questions only (fail) or whether they were getting 50% right on harder questions (pass).

Students who haven't read much about the NCLEX will go in expecting that they should be getting >80-90% (like we did in nursing school when we were prepared) and it can be an absolute shock when they are missing every second question.

We're seeing more and more licensing boards (and even some schools) move toward computerized adaptive testing (CAT). One of the advantages lies in the efficiency of it. CAT will save the very high-performing and low-performing candidates from five or six hours of testing when their performance levels become obvious much more quickly. That's not to say that everyone favors the CAT format though.

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ditto with TheCommuter and EricEnfermero. i know for a fact that the law bar exam isn't a CAT type exam. but, to answer your question about why post nclex-rn takers are perplexed upon completion of the exam, it's the type exam, called CAT (computer adaptive testing) as mentioned above, somewhat of a new type of testing, that monitors your answers and stops when minimum competency is achieved.

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Right now the bar exam is different in each state, but they all include essay questions worth a huge percentage of the score, so that doesn't lend itself to the CAT format very well.

The LSAT, the admissions test used for law school, is still paper-and-pencil as well, although it would be easier to adapt that one to CAT. There is an unscored writing sample on the LSAT, but all they do is copy it and forward it wherever you apply.

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