is the nclex too easy?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 13, 2006

I certainly didn't think it was easy, but here's the strange part: i loved the test. I loved the fact that the majority of my questions were scenario-based, instead of "what is this called, what is that called". I loved that my critical thinking skills were grilled, and felt very confident that i had the ability to answer them.

I don't think it's necessarily that the NCLEX is easy, i think it's more likely the education received to credit to an 83% pass rate (which, by the way, is there a link to this 83% pass rate statistic?).

traumahawk99 · May 13, 2006

http://www.ncsbn.org/pdfs/NCLEX_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf

first timers = 83.8%.

JaneyW · May 13, 2006

What other professions are you comparing the pass rate to?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 13, 2006

http://www.ncsbn.org/pdfs/NCLEX_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf
first timers = 83.8%.

Thank you.

This was what i'd found in a search, but i didn't want to assume that's where you got it from.

fergus51 · May 13, 2006

I don't see the problem with that. If you made it through nursing school, you should have a good chance of passing the first time around.

JaneyW · May 13, 2006

I agree with Fergus. There is no reason to have a test that is too difficult just so you don't have a good pass rate. Would that make sense? If the nursing schools are doing their job, they should have a good pass rate. If they don't, they lose their certification.

traumahawk99 · May 13, 2006

well, for example, the cpa exam pass rate is 43%. i'll be taking that in a couple of months. i took it once and passed it easily, i just let it lapse. been a long time though.

that said, by far the most difficult exam i've faced in my entire life was excelsior's cpne. it would seem that the nclex is cake compared to that.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · May 13, 2006

The USMLE (licensure exam for physicians) consistently turns out pass rates in the 90's for graduates of US or Canadian medical schools. (www.nbme.org)

The NAPLEX (pharmacy exam) pass rate was 89% in 2005. (No information on the NABP website but see, among others, http://www.uic.edu/pharmacy/offices/osa/NAPLEX%20Pass%20Rates.htm)

The physical therapy boards have pass rates that ranged from the 70's to 90's over the last several years, but generally are close to the 83% for the NCLEX. (http://www.fsbpt.org/exams/PassRates/index.asp)

We can even look at the dreaded bar exam for attorneys. Although this exam varies from state to state, it isn't uncommon to see 70-80% or more of candidates passing the exam in some places. (http://www.ncbex.org/stats/pdf/2004stats.pdf)

traumahawk99 · May 13, 2006

that's an eye opener eric. i based my opinion on the cpa exam, which was my educational background before getting into health care.

chase4myheart · May 14, 2006

I think that the reason that the pass rate is so high is attributed to the teaching skills at the facility where that you went to school. I would also like to think that anyone who goes to school works very diligently because they know that the lives of their patients will depend on this. Due to the high cost of taking the exam, why would you want to make it so hard that it would be almost impossible to pass? I know several people who have taken the exam. I've watched these people spend countless hours studying and answering sample NCLEX questions. I would like to think that all of this studying would not be in vain. Maybe that is why the pass rate is so high. This is a test that people take very seriously. Your grades and credit hours that you have taken don't mean anything unless you can pass this test.

Jamesdotter · May 14, 2006

Back in the day...

When I took the licensing exam, it was 6 individual tests over a day and a half. Everyone from my school passed; of the other nursing schools in the city, I think perhaps 5 or 6 people did not. That was probably close to the pass rate of today.

A fun part (to me) was receiving my ranking on each test compared to everyone taking the test in my state on that day.