NCLEX, 265 questions, 7/13/11

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Specializes in ICU.

This is my first post in allnurses.com :cool:

I recently took the NCLEX on July 13, 2011. I answered all 265 questions in a little over 3 hours and I was freaking out at each question after #75. I was told that if you go all the way to 265, usually the last question determines whether you passed or failed. I know for a fact that I got the last one right, but I'm still :uhoh3::eek::idea::confused:.

I've tried the Pearsonvue trick and I get the "good" pop-up, telling me that I've already registered for the exam. I've checked on the CA BRN's website, but no luck in finding my name. However, Pearsonvue does tell me that my BRN does not participate in quick results. Have any CA applicants been able to do the quick results? I heard this is a new change and it makes me :mad:

Anyway, hope to post more from now on!

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good luck!!

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You passed if you got the good pop up, but it's not because you got the last question right, you obviously got more right than wrong. When you go all the way to 265 is because you are going up and down with your answers. The last question right thing is a myth. Do you honestly believe that a person who is getting questions wrong but if he/she get the last right it means he/she will be a safe nurse, NO. I know others who swear to god they got the last question right and didn't pass. So give your self more credit for passing because it's not determine by the last question.

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Specializes in ICU.
good luck!!

thanks!:D

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Specializes in ICU.
You passed if you got the good pop up, but it's not because you got the last question right, you obviously got more right than wrong. When you go all the way to 265 is because you are going up and down with your answers. The last question right thing is a myth. Do you honestly believe that a person who is getting questions wrong but if he/she get the last right it means he/she will be a safe nurse, NO. I know others who swear to god they got the last question right and didn't pass. So give your self more credit for passing because it's not determine by the last question.

I know it's not ONLY because I got the last question right. However, it means I was close to the borderline. Had I not been passing before, the test would have stopped and it wouldn't have let me go on to the end, but getting the last question correct gives me more confidence and thanks, I don't believe it's just the last question that only determines it. I've never been a good test taker, so the fact that I can't verify my licensure leaves me uneasy!

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Good luck with your official results.

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A certain percentage of people taking the exam are made to answer all 265 questions regardless of how they are doing for quality contol purposes.

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If you get 265 questions, YOU will pass if the LAST ? is an abover average question you can answer it correctly or incorrectly if. However, if the last ? is below AVERAGE ? then you fail (even if you answer it right...or wrong )

They have proved that only 50% of test takers pass if they take the full 265 questions, being that you are fluctating below the line of average questions...

this is explained in kaplan and other courses so... the last quesiton has to be an ABOVE average difficulty question, period

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Specializes in ICU.

Well, I had two classmates that took the exam the same day as I did. They answered only 75 questions and their names are already on the list on our BRN's website. However, mine is not and yes I still cannot register for a new test *begins freaking out*

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.
A certain percentage of people taking the exam are made to answer all 265 questions regardless of how they are doing for quality contol purposes.

This is not true. It's also a myth made up by people who thought they should have passed with 75 questions but instead had to take all of them.

NCLEX doesn't need a quality control group. Why?

1. Each NCLEX exam is pulled from a bank of thousands of questions, so even if a random group were selected to take 265 questions, they would not get the same 265 questions so there would be no quality control data anyway.

2. Each NCLEX exam contains 15 "try-out" questions that do not count toward the score. So if you get 75 questions, only 60 count toward your grade. If you answer 265 questions, 250 count toward your grade. All questions have to be tried-out before they can count on an NCLEX exam. That is how Pearson VUE ensures that each question is valid.

3. Suppose there was a control group, and one month the data showed that the NCLEX was not a reliable test. What is Pearson VUE going to do? Make all the people that tested during that month do a re-take? Revoke the licenses of nurses that passed during that month? Issue licenses to those who failed? Of course not. So each NCLEX test question has already been proven valid to avoid issues like this.

OP, if you got 265 questions, it means that you were close to the passing line and the computer could not determine whether you were over/under the minimun standard with 95% confidence. You very well could have been failing at 75 questions, but not failing enough for the computer to shut off. In the NCLEX, each question is assigned a difficulty level. You must correctly answer questions that average a certain difficulty level in order to pass. If you are well above or well below the minimum difficulty at 75 questions, you will stop then. If you are boarderline, you will continue to get questions until the computer can make a determination one way or the other, until you run out of time, or until you answer the maximum number of questions.

If you look through the threads here, you will find many posts from people with the same issue- their friends are on the BRN, but they are not. Sometimes it just takes longer for your name to appear. The BRN might not have all your paperwork in order yet. They might not have received your check. They may be on vacation... etc. If you are getting the good pop up and your results say "Delivery Successful" you probably passed. Just be patient. You can also call the BRN to make sure they have all of your information.

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A certain percentage of people taking the exam are made to answer all 265 questions regardless of how they are doing for quality contol purposes.

That's a myth.

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Good Luck to you!! I hope you pass!! :)

I took 265q in June and FAILED :( and this is what my Candidate Performance Report says, "Only candidates whose performance was close to the passing standard, either just above or below it, had to answer the maximum of 265 items. Fewer items were required for a precise pass--fail decision to be made for those candidates whose performance was much lower than the passing standard."

I hope this helps!

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