The NCLEX adapts to your skill level. The first questions that are presented are determining your ability level. Once that ability level is determined, the questions are presented in increasing level of difficulty/decreasing difficulty until you have answered enough questions for the computer to determine (with 95% statistical certainty) that you have met the passing standard.
The minimum number of questions you will have is 75 (60 questions plus 15 pilot items). You will not be able to distinguish pilot items from "real" items. SO, if you get 265 items, that means the computer has not yet determined that you have met the passing standard at the 95% confidence level. There is no random number of candidates that get the exam with 265 questions- that is a myth.
You will not be able to tell whether you have passed by the number of questions you get!
The test is 6 hours long, and you should take your time. You have paid $200 for that test seat- USE IT!
Rushing through the questions or rapid guessing will most likely lead to failure, because each one you get wrong due to guessing means the next question is easier, and then on and on, until you fail because you are guessing at them all. Take your time to think each question through.
You will not leave the exam feeling good- the test challenges every bit of you, so you will feel tired and unsure of yourself. The way you feel does not equate into passing or failing. You cannot judge. Wait for your results.
NCLEX is given throughout the US and its territories, so the same format is used and the same question bank is used across the US. You do not have to take the exam in the same state where you are applying for licensure.
These are some resources for NCLEX prep that I like (no monetary incentive for sharing).
I am impressed with the strategy that is taught in the Kaplan course.
Lastly, you must manage anxiety. Pay attention to strategies to reduce anxiety. Approach each question as a new patient- one at a time, and focus completely on that question (patient).
Do not get distracted by thoughts of passing or failing, or by focusing on the number of questions you have had. Just keep going, one at a time, until the test ends. Then- be good to yourself while you wait for results. Remember you will not be able to accurately judge whether you passed by the way you feel. The test challenges you and you will not feel great when it is over.
Could you please explain how the scoring works. I went to the ncsbn site but I couldn't find how it works. Does it mean that you have to get 72 out of 75 questions in order to get 95% statistical certainty?
I am taking the NCLEX in Illinois today June 14th, 2006. I am very nervous. I scored 1009 on my Hesi test at school. The instructors say that this a good score. I feel like I don't know anything. I guess we will see! Thanks for all of the great input on this website.
Could you please explain how the scoring works. I went to the ncsbn site but I couldn't find how it works. Does it mean that you have to get 72 out of 75 questions in order to get 95% statistical certainty?
Thank you so much.
Jennifer
Whoo. I'll take a stab at this. There is a mystical standard of competency. You have to be w/in 95% statistical certainty of THAT standard. To complicate matters, when you answer a question right, you get a harder question, and if you answer wrong, you get an easier question. So it's not getting a certain number of questions right, it's getting a certain number of questions of the right difficulty correct.
Well, took my rn boards today, and i must say i've taken it before and today was different i duno why maybe i was less nervous? Less anxious...everyone thinks i have test anxiety and i totally agree....
Problem is so i'm sitting there maybe for an 1hr and about 30min or so and i'm on question 85 take question 86 and the screen goes blue i was like cool break time.. And once i had passed the 75 mark i thought okay get prepared your prolly going to get all 265 questions today...but..the thing is the computer screen went blank at 86 questions and i had finished the test and in such a short amount of time. I have no idea what to think of this??? I mean this time which is soo different from other times is the fact that i got a drug calc and i got 2 of those select all that apply things.. Anyone have any advice...2 days (48hrs) is going to drive me insane!
Hmm...i think it drives one more crazy when they've failed previously and now have to sit and wait hoping this is the last time to take this stupid exam but that if they dont pass they have to go back working as a tech not gettin to do what they've been trained to do put their life on hold again and repeat and on top of it all i'm studied my *** off each time i've previously taken it and i know i know the content its how those questions are written...yeh okay going to stop blabling so anyone have any advice about my 86 questions????
I took my boards today (the 15th) and had 83 questions. I was thrilled when it didn't shut off at 75 because I felt I had not done well and still wanted time to prove myself, but now I'm wondering if all it meant was that it only needed 8 questions beyond 75 to decide I was clueless!! I am just praying I go to the Board Website and see my license # posted!!
I had no drug calculations and the only alternative format I had were select all that apply and I am terrible at those!! I also found myself panicking because if a question was easier than the previous question, I thought surely I must have missed the previous question and that's why this one was easier. This format is cruel...!!
rbs105 -- how long did it take you to get through your exam... the 48 hrs is killing me... i've been reading other people who have had around the # of questions and similar formats and they've passed... lets keep our fingers crossed!!!!! and good luck to you
Here's my thought on "easier" questions: we all know different things. Like me, I did my last preceptorship on a NICU. So I know details of neonatal care that would baffle some of my friends. So I'm not sure we can go by what we think is an "easy" question. Maybe you got one right by luck, and then a question that you just happened to know. Then you think you got the first one wrong. Not necessarily true!
Here is some reassurance to all of you who are yet to take the N-Clex. I just took mine yesterday, and I got all 265 Q's. It was very hard, but I PASSED..... Some advice, STUDY, Study Study..... Some more advice, do not look at the number of Q's you are on. I hit 75 and though oh no I must be doing horrible... 100 passed, 130 passed, an I knew that it was over for me... I cried. I found out this morning that I passed. On 265 Q's, so don't give up, Just know that if you dont stop at 75, your still in the game, and that is all it means. Good Luck..... :balloons:
I got through it in a little under 2 hours. I took WAY longer than I ever did in an exam in school. I was so freaked out by some of the questions, I read them over and over!! Oh-I also took an optional break and that included the tutorial time too, so 1.5 hours?? something like that?? Good luck to you too. Keep us posted. I'm starting to check my BON website tomorrow!!
Oh my gosh!!! I took mine today. I went in looking to answer only 75 questions. With almost 2 hrs gone I hit the 75th question but that thing kept going. I started panicking, i knew i was gonna get all the 265 questions and didn't have enough time; i wasn't ready for that. However, on the 86th question it stopped. Now, I am not sure if I passed or bombed. I'm nervous; very nervous.
Oh, talk about prioriety and teaching questions, talk about infection control,I had a lot of select all that apply questions too. Surprisingly, I didn't answer any calculation question.
I took NCLEX yesterday and as it seems everyone who posts here does, I think I failed. My only hope is that so many seem to feel the same. The worst part is that everyone keeps telling me I did fine, that they KNOW I passed, etc. etc. and I keep imagining what they will say when I tell them I really did fail. It's awful.
Anyway, I am posting this for those still to take it soon. I have always done super well in school, tests, etc, (which is why all my kind suppporters are so sure I passed), but I am almost sure I failed because I WENT TOO FAST. The questions were much harder than I expected and I just felt sick (kind of hyperventilated a little) and kept thinking "PLEASE LET THIS BE OVER". My advice to those of you yet to take it. IF you feel like that STOP!!!!! Take a break (I wish I had). You have time. Take it. Don't guess like I did on some (way too many). I am sad, but I will take it again if that is what it takes. I know I CAN pass it, I just have to approach like I approach my patients, like I have all the time in the world to be as sure as I can be I am doing the right thing! I didn't do that with the test, I just felt like, let's get this over, and it was the wrong approach. I don't know why I felt apart like that, but I will learn from my mistake and I hope someone else can benefit from it too. TAKE YOUR TIME! Good Luck!
very sad student.....trust me I know *exactly* how you feel, I took the test on thursday, and I got good grades in school. Nothing can prepare you for the feeling of getting *several* of the questions wrong on an exam that is so important. I came out of the exam *freakin* and was telling everyone that "no, you dont understand, I am sure I failed!" AND I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If your going in to take the test soon, try to realize your going to miss alot of them, and don't give up. YOu can miss 1/2 the questions or something and pass so just relax, think safety, and do the best you can.
I took NCLEX yesterday and as it seems everyone who posts here does, I think I failed. My only hope is that so many seem to feel the same. The worst part is that everyone keeps telling me I did fine, that they KNOW I passed, etc. etc. and I keep imagining what they will say when I tell them I really did fail. It's awful.
jennifers1108
12 Posts
Hi Catherine,
Could you please explain how the scoring works. I went to the ncsbn site but I couldn't find how it works. Does it mean that you have to get 72 out of 75 questions in order to get 95% statistical certainty?
Thank you so much.
Jennifer