Passed NCLEX 1st Time Kaplan Scores in 50s and Pearson Vue Trick (PVT)

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 18, 2015

Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your successes here!

buttercupp85 · Jul 18, 2015

I also was scoring in the 50's on Kaplan. I mean, once in a while I would get maybe a 68 from a qbank 75 question test. I got a 49 on qtrainer 6 and a 53 on qtrainer 7. I was freaking out.

However, I would study every rationale I didn't know (including the ones I got right) and would at least look up every disease or drug that I came upon that I wasn't familiar with. Basically I would study off of every single Kaplan test. And I did everything besides 325 questions on the qbank. I passed in about 125-130 questions. I had turned off the question numbers after 100 (they were starting to stress me out), so I'm estimating how many I got.

I know someone who was scoring significantly higher than me on Kaplan and failed. But I think understanding the rationales and why I got questions wrong helped me so much, and studying off what I didn't know after a test was super helpful as well. I think I had a good study system. I also took deep breaths when I was getting stressed during the test and practiced positive thinking. I pushed negative thoughts out of my head and told myself repeatedly that I was going to pass because I have studied so much and worked so hard. I even wrote my name and RN BSN next to it before the test so I could visualize my success

RhythmicCandy, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jul 18, 2015

buttercupp85,

I wholeheartedly agree. It's essential to stay poised during the exam and stay positive. It's very important to review the Kaplan answers; however, many students think the rationales of the answers can be vague and incomplete. I've watched an episode of the TV show Brain Games on National Geographic Channel which relates to the importance of positive thinking. The examiners blind folded a woman while she took free throw shots with a basketball. All of the 10 shots she took blindfolded she missed but a crowd of people made her believe she made every shot. After the blindfold was removed she took an additional 10 shots and improved her shooting percentage from her baseline of 10 shots in which she previously didn't have a blindfold or the support of the crowd. I think this concept of positive visualization can be applied other aspects of everyday life.

Thanks for commenting.

suzw · Jul 20, 2015

I'm taking NCLEX tomorrow, took Kaplan online, scored in the high 60s for QT 1-5, but only 58 and 59% for QT 6 and 7. And I have done NONE of the q-bank questions. Just ran out of time, the program took way longer than I thought to get through. So yeah, I'm a little worried. I do try to review every question after a test. Think I'll pass? I'm hoping to do it in as few questions as possible, I tend to lose concentration if a test is too long!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 20, 2015

. After 150 questions I started getting nervous and frustrated. As I approached 200 questions I concluded that I was probably around the passing line. I drew this conclusion because I hadn't failed yet and I figured the more alternate format questions (higher level passing questions) a test taker received the better they were doing.

Just a quick note here: Questions can be deemed above the passing standard or below it in ANY format. The myth that SATA questions are a higher level of question is just that....a myth. They can be very much below the passing standard, just as easily as above.

People can pass with receiving only one SATA (or any other alternative format type) or hundreds. Means nothing. People often say that this kind of question or that kind of question is above the passing standard....but they cannot know. The content matters, not the format.....and every type of question (including prioritization and delegation) can be above or below the passing standard.

Your test kept going at 200 because it was taking that long to determine competency, not that you were doing well or poorly....you were consistently just above and just below for a long time, so more questions were needed before the computer could determine with a 95% Confidence Interval that you were competent in the end. At 225 questions it deemed you competent :)

Congrats on passing! At this point you owe yourself a bit of celebration

RhythmicCandy, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jul 21, 2015

@suzw

Sounds like you'll do fine based on what your scores indicate. You should feel confident for your exam.

@RNsRWe

You're right that just because a question is an alternate format doesn't necessarily mean it is a higher level question perhaps I didn't clearly distinguish that in my original post. The last question on my exam was a multiple choice question to further prove the point. And just like you said I was that far into the test because I still needed to prove competency, that's why it's important to aim for Kaplan scores upwards of 60% so you're not hovering on that passing line. It's a general educated assumption that the higher percentage of alternate format questions would be a higher level question because if you break down the question it's really six true or false questions combined in one. The question format makes it more difficult to answer the question correct in it's entirety. I took the Kaplan question set that was only alternate format and scored a 30% compared to my average scores of around 55%. Again, another generality but those who usually pass in 75 questions have a greater percentage of alternate format questions in some cases around 40 and even all 75 questions. This observation is not to dissuade from that fact that you stated that alternate format questions can be at any level.

I hope I was able to clarify myself and my train of thought. I hope when you were reading my comments didn't come across as close minded or ignorant to an obvious well known function of the exam. I know my original post, much like this post was long, and I hope it was read with attentiveness towards my attempt to express my experiences thoroughly in writing.

Thank you both for adding to the discussion.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2015

RC: it's all good :) I go long, too!

It IS important to realize, however, that the generalization of "those who usually pass in 75 questions have a greater percentage of alternate format questions, etc etc...." really is incorrect.

People frequently report having had 75 questions and literally ONE or TWO SATA question, and they are flipping out because they believe they must have failed. People who pass in 75 questions do NOT have a higher percentage of alternate format questions, honestly. The NCSBN (the creators of the NCLEX itself) provide quite a lot of information regarding the test, and this pervasive myth simply isn't so.

You are absolutely correct in that SATA questions do need to be approached as T/F statements; unfortunately many people trip up on that and (in a nutshell) freak themselves out. Hard to get something right if you're freaking out

SATA questions really aren't harder than any other question, in that either an option is true or it isn't. A SATA question that is below the passing standard should be easy, a question above the passing standard is designed to be more difficult regardless of format type.

Hope this helps to clarify.....aren't you glad to be DONE with that monster? Congrats again :)

RhythmicCandy, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jul 21, 2015

@RNsRWe

I don't mean to say that having a higher percentage of SATA (select all that apply) in the first 75 is an ultimate sign of success. It's the first time that it has been brought to my attention to hear of students having passed in 75 questions with only one or two SATA. I could frame the discussion for the purpose of merely questions our own understanding of how the exam is governed from another perspective and ask have you ever heard of anyone failing in 75 questions with all 75 alternate format questions.

I'm pulling my from own experiences and the experiences of those I know who took the exam to draw up some sort of construct of how I think the exam operates. Of course doing so is inherently flawed because of my limited extent of knowledge and understanding of the operations and function of the exam. With that being said I think you (RNsRWe) and me are both trying to speculate and we can do only that, speculate. We don't have any definitive concert proof to back up our thoughts, we are merely going off our own experiences in addition to those of students we know who sat for the exam. So unless one of us is the inside man or woman who gets to write this "monster" of a test we can only share our exhausting, strenuous recollections with other passionate, dedicated individuals here on allnurses.com.

I'm glad we could come to this forum to discuss such things and share with others our thoughts.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2015

@RNsRWe
I don't mean to say that having a higher percentage of SATA (select all that apply) in the first 75 is an ultimate sign of success. It's the first time that it has been brought to my attention to hear of students having passed in 75 questions with only one or two SATA. I could frame the discussion for the purpose of merely questions our own understanding of how the exam is governed from another perspective and ask have you ever heard of anyone failing in 75 questions with all 75 alternate format questions.
I'm pulling my from own experiences and the experiences of those I know who took the exam to draw up some sort of construct of how I think the exam operates. Of course doing so is inherently flawed because of my limited extent of knowledge and understanding of the operations and function of the exam. With that being said I think you (RNsRWe) and me are both trying to speculate and we can do only that, speculate. We don't have any definitive concert proof to back up our thoughts, we are merely going off our own experiences in addition to those of students we know who sat for the exam. So unless one of us is the inside man or woman who gets to write this "monster" of a test we can only share our exhausting, strenuous recollections with other passionate, dedicated individuals here on allnurses.com.
I'm glad we could come to this forum to discuss such things and share with others our thoughts.

Well, some may be speculation, but concerning some of it....No. After following this for a number of years I think you'd see the pattern emerge that I have: people absolutely DO pass the exam in the minimum number of questions with only one or two SATA (I have most definitely heard of it) and they also fail with 75, having received SATA questions (have definitely seen THAT, too). Stick around long enough, and you'll hear of them, too :)

There needs to be no speculation about how the exam is constructed: NCSBN is pretty open concerning it, their website is very informative, so if you are really interested in finding out how it works (as I have been, obviously, LOL) then you can read up on it there.

It's also not speculation concerning what the presence or absence of SATA questions "means". As I've said, since the people who designed the NCLEX have stated on their website that SATA questions are not indicative of anything whatsoever....we have to go with that. I'd think they would be the definitive source, no doubt.

There is so much myth and lore surrounding NCLEX exams that it gets to be a bit of a process sifting through it all! But it's worthwhile, I think, when we can help someone out. Welcome to the club! :)

RhythmicCandy, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jul 21, 2015

@RNsRWe

Awesome, yeah everyone should definitely check out NCSBN to have all questions answered and should of course review the information provided on the website prior to sitting for the NCLEX. Both this forum and NCSBN provide valuable information and support for students. The NCLEX truly is a unique exam in it's own right.

keepcalm123 · Jul 21, 2015

I just want to add that I was getting in the 50s for Kaplan Q trainers. I got a 57% on Q7 and freaked out. But I passed in 75 questions. I know people who did better on Kaplan but went beyond 75 questions to prove minimum competency. It is a total crapshoot.

Also, I didn't finish the Kaplan Qbank because I was getting frustrated with questions that I thought were completely wrong (like giving Morphine before Oxygen) for a MI. I started doing Uworld questions and loved the questions and rationales. Like a lot of people, I felt they were more similar to the actual NCLEX exam.

Good luck everyone! You finished nursing school and you can also pass this beast of an exam!