NCLEX scoring/grading

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On the NCLEX exam, you have a minimum of 75 questions. A maximum of 265 questions. Theoretically, you can get every single one of the first 75 questions wrong and still be able to get up to 71% of the (total 265) questions correct..... which would be a respectable score on such a difficult test- not to mention a passing grade.

I'm assuming it would shut off if you got each of the first 75 questions wrong because you've shown utter incompetence... but I don't know that for sure.

Does anyone know, or can you speculate, about the possibility of it shutting down at 75 questions AND FAILING the test? It would seem that you would have to be doing very, very poorly for it to shut off at 75 questions.

Just a thought.

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Id love to know about this also, someone I know stopped at 75 and failed but I'm sure she didn't get all 75 questions wrong, so why wouldn't the computer keep giving questions? Unless you getting the below passing questions wrong also and the computer just deems you to be incompetent

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It is not scored based on percentage correct. It is based on Bloom's Taxonomy and critical thinking. Questions are weighted differently, as you get certain questions on one topic correctly you will get higher level questions. When questions are answered wrong you get lower level questions. Your overall score must be above a minimum competency level. If you are at 75 questions and displaying at least minimum competency then it shuts off. It will continue on until that is shown, and if you have not displayed minimum competency then you fail. It has nothing to do with # correct out of the total.

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Yes it is true that it can shut off at 75 and you fail. If you look at the tutorial on the Pearson Vue website it shows you how they score based on your performance. I viewed the video myself.

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Samantha that's what it is, the person is scoring below the pass line too much. The one thing I don't get is why it even goes past 75 for some if they are looking at the pass curve at 60, which is when they start evaluating the performance.

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yes, I know a girl in my class failed the test at 75 questions. Also, I know another person passed at 256 questions. So the number of questions is not a good indicator for passing or failing. No one knows how the system determine that the candidate is competent. We only know that the test will stop when it could determine the clear difference between pass and fail.

and yeah, if the test stop at 75, the candidate is either very good or very bad. Usually, the more questions you get, the more likely you're going to pass

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