newbie2023

@WannabaNurse glad to hear it. Let me know if you find anything good!

This is a great question and I read some great threads on this across allnurses. Just to hopefully be helpful, thought I'd share a few that I'm currently reading:

Not an NP, but this struck a chord with me, and I feel the same applies to all nurses and healthcare professionals. I totally get where you're coming from. It can be frustrating when we don't want to address ethics questions and borderline malpractice issues. We're supposed to prioritize patient safety above all else, right? That colleague boasting about making a quick buck by prescribing ADHD meds? Yeah, that's definitely questionable and as someone who actually has ADHD those meds are nothing to mess around with. And it's not cool to exploit patients' needs just to make a few extra bucks. So I support you calling them out. As nurses, we have a responsibility to police our own profession and hold each other accountable. If we can't do that, how can we expect to meet the expectations of the people we care for? Patient safety should always be our top priority, no questions asked. End of my rant.

The NCLEX utilizes Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) where, unlike traditional exams with a fixed number of questions, the CAT dynamically adjusts the difficulty level of questions based on the test taker's performance. This flexible approach also allows the exam to conclude early when there's a 95% confidence level that the candidate is above or below the passing standard. What Does the NCLEX Shutting Off at 85 Questions Mean? When the NCLEX-RN shuts off at 85 questions, it means you either did very well or very poorly—enough so that the CAT model is 95% confident in your success or failure after only one-third of the possible 265 exam questions. Further, in an 85-question test only 70 questions are counted toward your passing score. The other 15 are usually highly difficult or new questions being tested against your performance on the items that mattered. Passing Rate Associated with 85 Questions While there is no official pass rate specifically associated with 85 questions on the NCLEX, most test takers who finish the exam this early pass the exam. Assuming the candidate is adequately prepared for the NCLEX and felt confident in at least a few questions, mathematically, the odds are more in favor of passing. Can You Fail the NCLEX in 85 Questions? Yes, it is technically possible to fail the NCLEX after 85 questions. Failing within this limited number of questions suggests one would generally need to demonstrate extreme unpreparedness. See Also: NCLEX-RN Shut-Off Data Reveals Pass and Fail Rates Remember that the NCLEX is designed to provide test takers with opportunities to succeed, and the exam will continue until a statistical certainty is reached regarding the test taker's competency. Conclusion The NCLEX shutting off at 85 questions can be an encouraging sign for test takers. While it does not guarantee success, it often indicates that the test taker has performed admirably and met the passing standard. It's essential to understand that the NCLEX pass rate is not solely determined by the number of questions answered but rather the test taker's ability to demonstrate competency throughout the examination consistently. Survey: NCLEX-RN Shut-Off Poll Quick results may be available from your respective BON within 48 hours of the exam, however if you're eager to gauge your performance as soon as possible, consider trying the Pearson Vue Trick.