Odds of passing/failing with 75 questions

HyperRNRachel · Jan 15, 2006

I am sorry I do not know the odds of failing or passing after answering 75 questions, but I can tell you that Pearson updates its site on the weekends.

Try checking the Pearson site tomorrow morning.

Rachel

suzanne4, RN · Jan 15, 2006

Not all states permit early notification thru Pearson-Vue, you have to be in a state that does. If yours does, then your pass is posted in 48 hours, weekends and holidays included. For a fee of $7.95.

And as we keep saying here, the number of questions that you get means absolutely nothing. Nor does getting the last question right or wrong tell you if you passed.

Sorry. But no crystal balls here.

navygirl · Jan 16, 2006

This was posted by another person on this forum, and this is also the same information I was told by every instructor and my Kaplan course instructor about number of questions taken on NCLEX:

"Hope you all do not mind- I teach a NCLEX coaching course at the BSN level, and felt like I wanted to tell you about the # of questions you get and what that actually means.

The NCLEX adapts to your skill level. The first questions that are presented to you are determining your ability level. Once your 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 distibguish 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- that is a myth."

Hope that helps, I'm sure you did well. I also took 75 questions and felt unsure about it the next day, but I passed and you will too!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2006

Candidates can pass with 75 questions; additionally, they can fail at 75 questions.

If you passed, the computer was quickly able to adapt to your abilities and therefore make a determination with 95 percent certainty that you passed. Therefore, a person who passes with 75 questions has performed extremely well. A person who failed with 75 questions has not come close to passing because the computer was rapidly able to make that determination with a 95 percent certainty.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Jan 16, 2006

Post deleted. Posted at the same time as TheCommuter and she explained it much more clearly than I did.

CarVsTree · Feb 13, 2006

A person who failed with 75 questions has not come close to passing because the computer was rapidly able to make that determination with a 95 percent certainty.

That is an absolutely false statement. All that it means is that the computer was able to be certain at 75 questions. A person could still be a fraction below passing and fail at 75.

Be careful what you say. People (like myself) can become nervous wrecks reading such false information.

mona b RN, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2006

Best wishes to you on the NCLEX. Keep us posted.

nursemomruns · Feb 13, 2006

Does anyone know the odds of failing when the computer shuts off at question 75? I took my test yesterday and am feeling so not confident about it. My nerves are shot. Also, do results become available through pearson vue over the weekend? THANKS.

The odds of passing or failing at 75 questions are......

the same as 80 questions, 100 questions, 176 questions, 200 questions, or any other number of questions. Your odds of passing over all are good. More candidates pass the exam than fail it.

Pearson adds results every day, 365 days a year. Except for leap years, then it's 366. :rolleyes:

Good luck!

nursemomruns · Feb 13, 2006

[quote

Sorry. But no crystal balls here.

Actually, we do have crystal balls, but the reception is horrible and we can't tell what we're looking at. :rolleyes:

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Feb 14, 2006

She was right. The computer is looking for a ninety-five percent certainty level. Statistically there is just no way that '95% certainty' and 'a fraction below' are anywhere close to the same thing.

The 2006 NCLEX Candidate Bulletin, page 16, explains it quite easily. Candidates who have very high or very low abilities tend to receive minimum length exams.

That is an absolutely false statement. All that it means is that the computer was able to be certain at 75 questions. A person could still be a fraction below passing and fail at 75.
Be careful what you say. People (like myself) can become nervous wrecks reading such false information.