NCLEX SHUTS OFF AT 75 ITEMS

[SparklyKate, BSN, RN]

Hi guys! Took my NCLEX exam this month and I felt the disappointment like every test takers that was writing in this site. I would say that I felt 50-50 after taking the exam at 75 questions, I was quite happy I finished at 75 but unsure if I PASSED or not.

I had 16 SATA's, 3 drag and drop, lot of prioritization's and 1 image. The contents of my exam are about infection control, OB, PAEDS, community health, med surg, delegation and research. I was waiting for any computations and simple questions but literally I have not answered any easy questions (like side effects, positioning). I only used Saunders Comprehensive Review book 5th edition and uploaded the pdf in google, downloaded it on my phone to review. I also used the Saunders Exam app in Apple store to use as my review questions and THAT'S IT. I haven't use Uworld, Kaplan etc. just SAUNDERS.

On the day of the exam, I did not bring any food or drinks because I was assuming to finish at 75 and thought I can go outside to buy some but they said that was not allowed, they are strict on their rules. So the stress and anxiety was added because I need to finish fast and if not I will be hungry on the next 265 questions. I answered the questions word by word so I took my time for 2hours and 10 minutes to be exact and answered the survey/research for 20 minutes. I can say that if I go along with 265 questions, 6 hours was not enough for me.

I went home wondering if I will pass or not, I even told my mom I might fail but she said it's fine as long as you gave your best. I must say I am quite confident that I will since I googled some of my questions and my answer was mostly correct, I literally memorized the questions. I want to RECOMMEND to use Uworld because it will help you to answer difficult question and will train you on how to attack this unusual questions which I find hard to answer because I only used Saunders which only asks simple and based on the book type of questions. I would say that NCLEX asks common sense/brain draining type of questions because it consists of prioritization's, I don't know but that is what I felt. Working in a hospital based setting will help you to answer easily and understand the questions.

Saunders will help you to gain base knowledge and I thank that book for helping me reach the ladder for my future career.

I can say to know if you likely pass at 75 questions are:

- you are answering lot of sata's, prioritization

- answering moderate-easy questions on the very last part of your exam - if you compare on the middle part of part of the exam it is really different ( it means that the computer have decided you passed their mark/standard.)

- answering straight correct answers on the last part but the question was all the same level of difficulty.

- noticed that if you answer two right questions they will give you the hard question right away

After onerous 62 hours of waiting, I received my result yesterday via email (quick result) and I passed. ???

THANK YOU for reading. God bless!

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

Keep in mind that UWorld is a physician-owned company. The medical model and nursing model are completely different and I wouldn't 100% trust the source of the questions.

Very few students use NCSBNs review course and I have never recommended it to a student that didn't pass after using it. Five weeks is what I recommend.

You cannot tell if you have passed/failed on the order of the questions. A random number of students will receive the maximum number of questions (even if they passed at 75) and there are mock questions in every test that are not graded that appear in random order.

The pass rates have declined on the NCLEX on a national level b/c the test has been changed.

[Waiting for Retirement]

14 hours ago, Jory said:

Keep in mind that UWorld is a physician-owned company. The medical model and nursing model are completely different and I wouldn't 100% trust the source of the questions.

Very few students use NCSBNs review course and I have never recommended it to a student that didn't pass after using it. Five weeks is what I recommend.

You cannot tell if you have passed/failed on the order of the questions. A random number of students will receive the maximum number of questions (even if they passed at 75) and there are mock questions in every test that are not graded that appear in random order.

The pass rates have declined on the NCLEX on a national level b/c the test has been changed.

How would anyone know this? If it's true that a random assortment of people will get 265 questions, how would anyone know if they had passed on the first 75? Or whether they needed all 265 in order to pass?

I'm reading on this topic and find the test taking methodology fascinating!

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

16 hours ago, Jory said:

You cannot tell if you have passed/failed on the order of the questions. A random number of students will receive the maximum number of questions (even if they passed at 75) and there are mock questions in every test that are not graded that appear in random order.

Per NCSBN:

Are candidates randomly selected to receive maximum length examinations?

SEE ANSWER

No. Items are administered following the principles of CAT. Candidates are NOT randomly selected to receive a designated number of examination items. As a candidate takes the examination, items are selected based on the candidate's response to previous items. The exam ends when it can be determined with 95% confidence that a candidate's performance is either above or below the passing standard, regardless of the number of items answered or the amount of testing time elapsed (six-hour maximum time period for the NCLEX-RN and five hour maximum time period for the NCLEX-PN).

[Waiting for Retirement]

On 9/10/2019 at 2:58 PM, NICU Guy said:

Per NCSBN:

Are candidates randomly selected to receive maximum length examinations?

SEE ANSWER

No. Items are administered following the principles of CAT. Candidates are NOT randomly selected to receive a designated number of examination items. As a candidate takes the examination, items are selected based on the candidate's response to previous items. The exam ends when it can be determined with 95% confidence that a candidate's performance is either above or below the passing standard, regardless of the number of items answered or the amount of testing time elapsed (six-hour maximum time period for the NCLEX-RN and five hour maximum time period for the NCLEX-PN).

thank you, this answered my question. It did seem strange to have some people take more questions than necessary, I wouldn't even guess at the reasoning behind it if it did.

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

I'm curious how many nursing programs teach the testing methodology. My ADN program had an entire class period dedicated to teaching us how the test works and how to prioritize, use the resources provided in the testing room, and generally prepared us to reduce testing anxiety.

They also set up an in-person Kaplan review course to take place the week following our Pinning Ceremony/Graduation, which of course we had to pay for separately, but I believe that course was truly "Nursing School in a Week". The last day, they showed us how to tackle certain questions and other techniques such as the "brain dump" (i.e. memorize your lab values, WNL VS, etc. and immediately, before starting the test, write them down on the dry erase board provided at the testing center. This frees up critical thinking space in your brain.)

Either way, knowing HOW the test works was very helpful for me.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

On 9/10/2019 at 2:58 PM, NICU Guy said:

Per NCSBN:

Are candidates randomly selected to receive maximum length examinations?

SEE ANSWER

No. Items are administered following the principles of CAT. Candidates are NOT randomly selected to receive a designated number of examination items. As a candidate takes the examination, items are selected based on the candidate's response to previous items. The exam ends when it can be determined with 95% confidence that a candidate's performance is either above or below the passing standard, regardless of the number of items answered or the amount of testing time elapsed (six-hour maximum time period for the NCLEX-RN and five hour maximum time period for the NCLEX-PN).

Then they changed it because that wasn't what was on their blueprint a few years ago.

[RNNPICU, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, Jory said:

Then they changed it because that wasn't what was on their blueprint a few years ago.

It has never changed. This was the same exact style when I took it over 13 years ago. I remember someone once telling me that a random person was selected, hwoever, since I knew how the exam worked, I knew it wasn't true. At least since 2006 there has not every been a random person assigned to answer all of the qurstions. It has been an adaptive test that adjust to how you answer questions deemed above and below the passing standard.

Please dispell this rumor. The Comupter Adaptive testing is able to adjust to the person taking the test. If someone takes 265 questions, it is becuase it took that long to determine if they were above and below the passing standard.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

On 9/14/2019 at 7:38 PM, RNNPICU said:

It has never changed. This was the same exact style when I took it over 13 years ago. I remember someone once telling me that a random person was selected, hwoever, since I knew how the exam worked, I knew it wasn't true. At least since 2006 there has not every been a random person assigned to answer all of the qurstions. It has been an adaptive test that adjust to how you answer questions deemed above and below the passing standard.

Please dispell this rumor. The Comupter Adaptive testing is able to adjust to the person taking the test. If someone takes 265 questions, it is becuase it took that long to determine if they were above and below the passing standard.

I never stated the test wasn't adaptive. I never once posted that. I stated that at one time, according to those that I know personally that worked with the testing company, a random person was assigned to answer all of the questions. If it is no longer the case it is no longer the case...but it was very true at one time.

"Since I knew how the exam worked, I knew it wasn't true"...one has nothing to do with the other. The fact the exam was adaptive isn't a big secret, when I was in nursing school this was a common topic of conversation.

[Waiting for Retirement]

On 9/15/2019 at 4:37 AM, Jory said:

I never stated the test wasn't adaptive. I never once posted that. I stated that at one time, according to those that I know personally that worked with the testing company, a random person was assigned to answer all of the questions. If it is no longer the case it is no longer the case...but it was very true at one time.

"Since I knew how the exam worked, I knew it wasn't true"...one has nothing to do with the other. The fact the exam was adaptive isn't a big secret, when I was in nursing school this was a common topic of conversation.

I find this topic interesting. Since adaptive testing means, of course, that each test is individualized to the individual taking it, there can't be anyone "randomly selected" to receive any specific number of questions. With all due respect to the person you knew who worked with the testing in some way, it seems they were misinformed.

Since we accept that the format of the NCLEX has been CAT testing since it moved from paper/pencil to computerized a long time ago, we also have to accept that there has never been a time when a CAT-version NCLEX could possibly have included anyone ever receiving all the possible questions....as a random selection. It's contrary to the concept of the CAT.

I looked at the NCSBN website to see if I could find anything more than this. Everything indicated that what is currently in place has always been in place. I then did some Googling (I have a light afternoon LOL) and found lots of myths and lots of sites that discussed those myths. From one of them, on a list of the most widely-spread myths:

Myth #3 – The NCLEX-RN predetermines examinees to take 265 questions

False! There is nothing – repeat, nothing! – that predetermines your test length. This the most classic of the NCLEX-RN myths. The dean of my nursing school even said this from the front of the classroom when first introducing the NCLEX-RN to us.

You can't have an adaptive computerized exam that also employs a random selection for disregarding CAT processes for testing for random people. Just doesn't work that way.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

On 9/19/2019 at 1:48 PM, Waiting for Retirement said:

I find this topic interesting. Since adaptive testing means, of course, that each test is individualized to the individual taking it, there can't be anyone "randomly selected" to receive any specific number of questions. With all due respect to the person you knew who worked with the testing in some way, it seems they were misinformed.

Since we accept that the format of the NCLEX has been CAT testing since it moved from paper/pencil to computerized a long time ago, we also have to accept that there has never been a time when a CAT-version NCLEX could possibly have included anyone ever receiving all the possible questions....as a random selection. It's contrary to the concept of the CAT.

I looked at the NCSBN website to see if I could find anything more than this. Everything indicated that what is currently in place has always been in place. I then did some Googling (I have a light afternoon LOL) and found lots of myths and lots of sites that discussed those myths. From one of them, on a list of the most widely-spread myths:

Myth #3 – The NCLEX-RN predetermines examinees to take 265 questions

False! There is nothing – repeat, nothing! – that predetermines your test length. This the most classic of the NCLEX-RN myths. The dean of my nursing school even said this from the front of the classroom when first introducing the NCLEX-RN to us.

You can't have an adaptive computerized exam that also employs a random selection for disregarding CAT processes for testing for random people. Just doesn't work that way.

No, "adaptive testing" has absolutely nothing to do with "it being impossible" to assign a random person all of the questions.

This is how easy it is:

Jane Doe sits down to take the NCLEX, they determine at 92 questions she has passed...they simply give her the rest of the questions and they are ungraded. You can program a test to do ANYTHING. Not everyone receives the same test. Let's say there are 10 versions, you simply designate version #10 to give the max number of questions.

I don't understand why that is at all a stretch at all. Unless you have evidence and a direct statement that it has never been the case...you cannot say with any level of certainty if what you say is true in the history of computerized testing.

If it is no longer the case, then so be it...but your knowledge on the capability of a testing program seems to be limited. I could care less what your Dean had to say...she doesn't work for the testing company. I know people that have worked for them in the past and can tell you with 100% certainty it was the case at one time.

[Waiting for Retirement]

On 9/20/2019 at 8:06 PM, Jory said:

No, "adaptive testing" has absolutely nothing to do with "it being impossible" to assign a random person all of the questions.

This is how easy it is:

Jane Doe sits down to take the NCLEX, they determine at 92 questions she has passed...they simply give her the rest of the questions and they are ungraded. You can program a test to do ANYTHING. Not everyone receives the same test. Let's say there are 10 versions, you simply designate version #10 to give the max number of questions.

I don't understand why that is at all a stretch at all. Unless you have evidence and a direct statement that it has never been the case...you cannot say with any level of certainty if what you say is true in the history of computerized testing.

If it is no longer the case, then so be it...but your knowledge on the capability of a testing program seems to be limited. I could care less what your Dean had to say...she doesn't work for the testing company. I know people that have worked for them in the past and can tell you with 100% certainty it was the case at one time.

Whoa Nellie...I wrote what I do know and did not allude to being an expert. I did not take it you were either. So be it.

I do take issue with this, what is bolded in your quote above: I did not refer to "MY Dean"; if you read my post again you will see that what is bolded in my prior post, citing the myths surrounding NCLEX was obviously not MY story. OR should have been obvious given me saying I took the statement from another website.

My knowledge on this topic may be limited but that does not mean I have an inability to read and learn. More people should try it.