"Just a number"

shirleyTX · May 28, 2005

I would have to disagree. I remember seeing two questions back to back about a condition, in which I probley got both wrong, but after that I did not see anymore dealing with it. The way I see it, is if shuts off at 75 it's a good sign even though there is a possiblity that you failed, my reasoning for that is if you are doing really bad, you should be getting more questions to boost your score which I think would put you over the 75 #. This is only my opinion, but if the NCLEX is how it was explained to me, then you shoulod receive MORE less hard questions to help you along=over 75. Just my opinion and I did pass with 75.

ZZTopRN, BSN, RN · May 28, 2005

I would have to disagree. I remember seeing two questions back to back about a condition, in which I probley got both wrong, but after that I did not see anymore dealing with it. The way I see it, is if shuts off at 75 it's a good sign even though there is a possiblity that you failed, my reasoning for that is if you are doing really bad, you should be getting more questions to boost your score which I think would put you over the 75 #. This is only my opinion, but if the NCLEX is how it was explained to me, then you shoulod receive MORE less hard questions to help you along=over 75. Just my opinion and I did pass with 75.

Well, I did quite a ways beyond 75 although I don't know how many questions I had because I left my calculator on and didn't know that was where you find your number of questions. It sounds like we are saying the same thing. The computer gives you a chance to pass by continually giving you more questions to give you a chance to pass. And the questions were very hard. I had very good scores on my study books and CD's so who knows. I am in CA so the wait can be quite a long time. I though since I got past 75 I had a fighting chance but there were so many priority questions. Time will tell.

Thanks for your input.

suzanne4, RN · May 28, 2005

You can pass with 75 and also fail. That you got alot of priority questions means that your exam was in the harder level, so you have a better chance of passing. I know several nurses that passed with 265 and recently.

The only time that it stops at 75 and you are not passing is that you have gotten so many wrong that there is no chance that you will be able to pass.

sbic56, BSN, RN · May 28, 2005

You can pass with 75 and also fail. That you got alot of priority questions means that your exam was in the harder level, so you have a better chance of passing. I know several nurses that passed with 265 and recently.
The only time that it stops at 75 and you are not passing is that you have gotten so many wrong that there is no chance that you will be able to pass.

But, isn't it true that odds are you passed if you got 75? Everyone I know who finished with 75 questions passed. Seems not too many do so poorly they fail with just 75 questions.

ZZTopRN, BSN, RN · May 28, 2005

You can pass with 75 and also fail. That you got alot of priority questions means that your exam was in the harder level, so you have a better chance of passing. I know several nurses that passed with 265 and recently.
The only time that it stops at 75 and you are not passing is that you have gotten so many wrong that there is no chance that you will be able to pass.

Oh my gosh, that's the most encouraging news yet. Thank you so much. The only question I remember was something about hypophysectomy. I really researched my neuro but didn't see all the good stuff I studied. Neuro was my best subject in nursing school, in fact other students were paying me to tutor them.

I was surprised that I got so many priority questions. Thought I did pretty well with them study wise. I had memorized all my lab values since they can lead to diagnoses, whether a patient is in trouble or okay, studied like crazy on my abg's, did good on those and all my calculations. I was beginning to think the test was very unfair. Thanks for the encouragement.

TexasCCRN · Jun 1, 2005

Oh my gosh, that's the most encouraging news yet. Thank you so much. The only question I remember was something about hypophysectomy. I really researched my neuro but didn't see all the good stuff I studied. Neuro was my best subject in nursing school, in fact other students were paying me to tutor them.
I was surprised that I got so many priority questions. Thought I did pretty well with them study wise. I had memorized all my lab values since they can lead to diagnoses, whether a patient is in trouble or okay, studied like crazy on my abg's, did good on those and all my calculations. I was beginning to think the test was very unfair. Thanks for the encouragement.

You can go directly to the NCSBN website that will tell you all about the questions, etc. They are the ones who make the test...the computer does not look for your weakness...this is a long time rumor. Plus if you feel you are weak in a certain area you will of course feel like you got a bunch of questions on that area. You have to look at the questions...just because they mention a neuro patient, doesn't mean that it's a neuro answer.

Good luck

suzanne4, RN · Jun 1, 2005

More of the questions are now dealing with how you would care for a specific patient, not about the disease or disease process itself. The questions are also ever changing.......... There is a strategy to learn for taking the exam, not the amount of facts that you can memorize.

If you had alot of priority questions, then there is a good chance that you passed. This is considered a harder level of questions.

Remember that everyone is going to get 50% correct, as well as 50% wrong. This is how the exam is set up. Even your nurisng instructors would only get 50% correct. It depends on the level of where you are getting them correct. They are concerned only that you can practice safely. Your real learning skills are only going to begin when you start your first job.

pugsweluv · Jun 1, 2005

I am still confused by all this. Isn't it true that if you miss the last question when the computer shuts off you failed? I had lots of prioritizing but also lots of knowledge based level 1 questions which made me feel stupid and another reason why I feel like I failed. Where can you read about how CAT is scored? Thanks.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2005

The number is not an indication of whether you passed or not.

People freak "I FAILED I GOT 75 QUESTIONSI FAILED" "I GOT 265 QUESTIONS I FAILED" "I GOT 108 QUESTIONS I FAILED".

The point being the number is no indication of whether you passed or failed. It's only the number of questions it took. People pass and fail with numbers from 75 to 265.

I see a big problem with people freaking out during the test. When they get to question 76 they start stressing. Even if they get 75, they are convinced they fail and stress then and there.

It's a dreadful test, and I advocate they do away with that system and give everyone a comprehensive test with the same number of questions so that stress is removed.

Good luck. And don't stress the number of questions.

grinnurse, RN · Jun 1, 2005

Tweety-I think you make some very valid points on this topic and had never really looked at the situation quite this way.

My dearest friend took hers yesterday and got all 265 questions as well as 3 other testers from our class that were there. The good thing for her is that she has no clue as to whether or not she passed the darn thing-she didn't have either a good or bad feeling. She did state that once she reached the 100 question mark she began to get a little anxious but said that once she hit 150 she knew she was going to be one of the ones that got all the questions which in turn heightened her anxiety level even more. But she kind of already had that feeling when she went into the thing. :rotfl: Of course this was something that we all joked about when we took our review course. I will be very curious to see if she did pass b/c she was a strong B student in lecture content but could never pass any of the Hesi tests where on the other hand I was mostly a B student in lecture too but somehow managed to pass ALL the Hesi tests.

I think one of the biggest reasons people fail is not necessarily that they don't know the info. rather they do have anxiety problems when faced with taking that particular kind of test. My friend had to leave the room twice to get her nerves in check, which doesn't surprise me b/c she has been this way with all the tests that we have ever taken beginning in prereqs right down to the last test we had in NS in which she only had to make a 40 on.

I have been studying for the test and I am freaking out about how I am studying and if it is like when I took the other Hesis in the past, which I am hoping it will be, I won't be that nervous once I get in there. The good think about the NCLEX to me is that if you fail it you can take it again where as with the tests in NS, if you failed a test it could keep you from graduating. So my anxiety level hasn't reached fever pitch just yet.

Off to study..............................................

iwannabeaLVN · Jun 2, 2005

So movingalong did you get results yet? B/C I just took the NCLEX in CAlifornia on the 25th of may and maybe we'll all be held up with results just wodering? well good luck to yah keeping my fingers crossed~!