is the NCLEX-RN examination difficult?

LilRedRN1973 · Oct 16, 2003

Our graduates do BETTER on the NCLEX than the university students! That should say something, I think. I'm also a first year student in a 2 year ADN program and after doing some research, found out that the students graduating from the ADN program performed better than the BSN students from Orvis, the 4 year program from the university here.

kimtab · Oct 16, 2003

You can get NCLEX pass rates for schools from your State Board of Nursing.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 16, 2003

Ditto to the above post. My ADN program had an approximately 98% pass rate, while my state's BSN programs had an average 85% (which is also quite good, but not as good as my community college's!) The reason, IMO, is that we had more actual clinical practice time than the BSN students, who took more "-ologies" but spent less time on the floor. I felt we were very well prepared for the NCLEX, and I personally had no difficulty with it as I passed with only the minimum # of questions.

apexsw20trd · Oct 16, 2003

Originally posted by RNnTraining1973
Our graduates do BETTER on the NCLEX than the university students! That should say something, I think. I'm also a first year student in a 2 year ADN program and after doing some research, found out that the students graduating from the ADN program performed better than the BSN students from Orvis, the 4 year program from the university here.

that is very interesting to know. do you think it is becuase that the adn program directly gets to th point of what a student should know about nursing?

i feel after attending a university to obtain a BA degree that much of the cirriculum was not focus on my major studies, too much interference with other unnecessary courses.

LilRedRN1973 · Oct 16, 2003

When trying to decide which program to go with, I noticed that the ONLY difference between the 4 year program at the university and the 2 year program at my community college was all the "core curriculum" classes that a BSN required. In fact, I had most of them and could have gone right into the BSN program (and it was MUCH easier to get into than the one at my CC). But I decided I would save money and myself from driving (the University is about 30 min away vs. the CC, which is in my backyard) and just go the ADN route and then get whatever hospital I work for to pay for my RN to BSN later on.

I was surprised to notice that the major difference in the two programs was that the first 2 years of the BSN were nothing but core curriculum classes...I don't recall there being one class specific to nursing. Of course, they required A&P, Chem, Eng. 101, 102, Sociology, Math, etc. like as in my ADN program. But in my program, those are actually co-requisites (although I took them beforehand to save myself a LOT of stress). Only the last 2 years are specific to nursing.

Chrislynn2003 · Oct 17, 2003

I think that ADN's have as just a good of chance of passing as BSN's. It too has to do with how you prepare for NCLEX after you graduate. Yes, I would say that the exam is on the difficult side, because you have to use critical thinking skills and you can't just memorize facts. It is different however, than any different nursing tests I have taken in school, one because you are applying what you have learned or what you know. But don't worry what program you attend, ADN or BSN. I have heard that community colleges and ADN programs do have a somewhat better pass rate than BSN's. both programs are still good. Good luck wtih school!

Christine

MisterArnold · Oct 17, 2003

I'm in a BSN program and I started taking nursing courses my sophmore year. It seems to me there is not much difference between the BSN and the ADN degrees except for the chemistry classes and a few other courses. From reading other posts it looks like the ADN students go well beyond two years to get their degrees. That was one of the things that motivated me to go the BSN route. Since I was going to have to be in school for at least 3 years to get an ADN I decided to go the extra year and get the BSN. This way if I want to go to grad school I'll be academically ready. I think the ADN students probably get more clinical time than BSN but both groups are equal before the nursing boards and NCLEX

LilRedRN1973 · Oct 17, 2003

"It is different however, than any different nursing tests I have taken in school, one because you are applying what you have learned or what you know."

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Our instructors give exams that use NCLEX style question in order to prepare us. You should hear all the whining and sniveling that goes on about the way the questions are presented. I have told many of the other students that they had better get used to it because that's what they are going to be seeing on the NCLEX. Some of them even asked the instructors to please change the way they write their questions!!!!! Please...

palesarah · Oct 24, 2003

Our instructors give exams that use NCLEX style question in order to prepare us. You should hear all the whining and sniveling that goes on about the way the questions are presented. I have told many of the other students that they had better get used to it because that's what they are going to be seeing on the NCLEX. Some of them even asked the instructors to please change the way they write their questions!!!!! Please... [/b]

If you weren't in Nevada, I'd swear you went to the same school I did! Lol- it took some people the full 2 years to understand the "best correct answer" concept.

As with your school, the CC I got my ADN from had a much higher pass rate than the university's BSN program- 99% vs 87%!