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.
We know the exact difficulty of each of the approximately 3,000 questions in the pool, because each has been taken as a tryout question by thousands of candidates and then statistically analyzed. . Sincerely, Ellen Julian, Ph.D. Psychometrician
This information was very good. Just one thing, though: There are about 10,000 questions available for the RN exam and about 8500 available for the PN exam at any given time. Dr. Julian doesn't work for NCSBN so she wouldn't have known that.
twizum..I also just took my californica boards this morning and let me tell you that you are nowhere near alone in your thoughts because I hear that California has the highest standards on their test. /QUOTE]
Hi, hanaball....just an fyi, the NCLEX is a national exam; it's the same test no matter what state you test in. ?
thats true..it is the same test but the score you receive makes a difference if you were to move from one state to another. A friend of mine had just took the boards in cali and passed and is moving to Washington and was worried about having to take the test again but our instructor stated that if her score is higher than the standered passing score in Washington she doesnt have to take it again and that california has the highest standered score that she knows of. I had always thought that now if you pass in one state your license is valid in all states but Im hearing otherwise. If you have any input in regards to this matter please let me know
Once you pass the NCLEX, and want to practice in another state...you transfer your license by endorsement. This is done through paperwork, and each state has its own paperwork process. The NCLEX is a national test same in all states...so if your license are current there should be no problems. This is what I was taught in school....so if I am wrong someone please correct me!
Well, that's just it: you don't receive a "score". You either pass or fail the national exam. Her instructor told her this?? If you wish to practice in a different state than the one you were licensed in, you need to contact the new state's BON, send them their fee, do the rigamarole of paperwork, and submit whatever else they want.
Your RN license is valid in every state in the Union. You do not need to test again, UNLESS you let your license lapse long enough it can't be re-issued without re-testing.
California's "standard" for passing the NCLEX is identical to every other State ?
OMG! I'm dying here. Took the NCLEX today. Going into the test, I was confident. Coming out, I was almost in tears. I would read the question, think I'd know what answer to expect, and it wouldn't be there. I feel like I failed. It cut off at 75 and I was PRAYING for more questions. I didn't even get a math question of any type. I'm sick to my stomach. Has anyone heard of it cutting off at 75 and someone failing? I haven't, but Pearsonvue says it does happen. Ugh.
OMG! I'm dying here. Took the NCLEX today. Going into the test, I was confident. Coming out, I was almost in tears. I would read the question, think I'd know what answer to expect, and it wouldn't be there. I feel like I failed. It cut off at 75 and I was PRAYING for more questions. I didn't even get a math question of any type. I'm sick to my stomach. Has anyone heard of it cutting off at 75 and someone failing? I haven't, but Pearsonvue says it does happen. Ugh.
I'm going to give you my (now standard) mantra: BREATHE!!
Odds are in your favor. Everyone feels sick leaving that test (ok, there are some unusual "I felt great" people, but trust me, they're rare).
Getting math or not means nothing. Breathe. Are you breathing? ?
Is There anywhere in the US that a person can challenge NCLEX after being an LPN for 20 Years?
Wow, I don't know. I wouldn't think so, just because one of the requirements for sitting is completion of an accredited RN program (diploma, 2 year or 4 year). Experience doesn't count toward that.
I went to school with LPNs who, I think, might have challenged if they were permitted to do so. I would think a question to the SBON would answer that definitively, though.
OMG! I'm dying here. Took the NCLEX today. Going into the test, I was confident. Coming out, I was almost in tears. I would read the question, think I'd know what answer to expect, and it wouldn't be there. I feel like I failed. It cut off at 75 and I was PRAYING for more questions. I didn't even get a math question of any type. I'm sick to my stomach. Has anyone heard of it cutting off at 75 and someone failing? I haven't, but Pearsonvue says it does happen. Ugh.
Tess, I just took mine friday the 7th, it shut off at 75 w/o math and I was scared stiff. I PASSED!!!!! if the questions were hard that's a good sign that you are at a high difficulty level. I know you won't believe it till you see it ( I didn't) but you almost certainly passed. 85% pass on the first try. Keep us posted.
Hello everyone....I took the test NCLEX-RN Monday and it was very heavy on psych. Not my cup of tea. I had 99 questions. I can not analyze this amount of questions. I'm just counting down until I can access my results pass/fail. Has any one ever heard of anyone taking 99 questions?
Has any one ever heard of anyone taking 99 questions?
You said it yourself - you can't analyze whether you passed or failed just based on the number of questions. People take 75, 265, and all numbers in between. You can pass or fail at any number, but whatever number you stop at, the odds of passing are still significantly in your favor.
I had 99 questions. I can not analyze this amount of questions. I'm just counting down until I can access my results pass/fail. Has any one ever heard of anyone taking 99 questions?
nursemomruns
389 Posts
This information was very good. Just one thing, though: There are about 10,000 questions available for the RN exam and about 8500 available for the PN exam at any given time. Dr. Julian doesn't work for NCSBN so she wouldn't have known that.