Running out of time VS. the 265th question?

[TikTokk]

Hello all. I recently took my nclex and went all the way to 265 and took the entire time to do it (without any breaks). Now, I'll admit, I went into the test with the (incorrect) understanding that you would auto-fail if you did not fully complete the test in the time frame given. So once I knew that I was in for the long haul, I basically rushed during the last quarter to make sure I did not run out of time. This is my own fault, but now I know that you do not necessarily fail just because you ran out of time.

Now before I ask my question, I need to preface a few things - I used Kaplan for my studies, and they were very clear on the following: if you reach 265 questions, your pass or fail is based COMPLETELY ON THE VERY LAST QUESTION due to the fact that the computer was unable to determine your competency because you were unable to consistently remain above or below the minimum competency line. Thus, if the last question was an analysis/application question and you got the answer correct - you pass. If you got the answer wrong - you fail. Conversely, if your last question was a content/knowledge based question (i.e below the minimum competency line) - you fail regardless if you answered this question correctly or incorrectly.

Now, the other thing I've read is that if you run out of time, the computer somehow averages out your competency based on how you answered the last 60 or so questions (this 60 is arbitrary - I really don't know if it's 60. It could possibly be any number for all I know).

In my case, once I got to about 150, I just knew I was going to go to the end. The problem here is that I knew my ability to stay focused and accurately critically think out each question would diminish as the clocked ticked by. I mean seriously, at around 220, I think I was slowly going insane, having to read a single question multiple times just in order to comprehend it.

So now here are my questions:

1)Assuming the "last question" rule and the "last 60 questions rule" are both accurate (and not simply myths)...........why in the world would ANYONE allow themselves to get to the last question?? Essentially, if you allow yourself to answer the last question, you are flipping a coin. In Kaplan's own words, "If you get to 265, you have a 50/50 chance of passing". I mean, why not just stop at 264, take a break and go eat a Slim Jim and let the clock run out? Would you rather have your fate determined by the flip of a coin, or have your fate determined by your faith in how you answered the last 60 questions?

2) Another thing I don't get about this "last 60 questions rule" when you run out of time is this: If the computer can determine you were competent (or NOT competent) at the moment you run out of time, why wouldn't the computer have just shut off anyways prior to this moment?

You could even take this to the extreme: why not purposely stop around 150 (if you think your in for the long haul) and just let the clock run out? I would be much more confident in my last 60 questions at 150 rather than my last 60 questions at 265 (again, this is due to critical thinking abilities decaying as the hours tick by).

Again, I could be completely wrong on everything I'm saying. I'm posting this here, because I'm just looking for some understanding and want to be educated on the facts of how the test determines competency when you either a) you hit question 265 or b) run out of time. I've read several posts where people get to 265 and know "for a fact" they answered the last question wrong and still pass. So I wonder now if Kaplan is correct on this "last question" theory?

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

Ahhhh! That post answers my question to a T! Thank you so much. So with the final question (aka final ability estimate), the 95% goes out the window and does indeed determine pass or fail. Got it!

Thus, it truly is a coin flip. So my original question still stands. You wanna coin flip at 265, or just let the time run out before hitting the end and bank on the ROOT rule?

No, that's not correct. That's not how confidence intervals and logit scores work in computer adaptive testing. As you start your exam, you are essentially at zero. You answer the first question. If you get it right, your logit score increases, if you get it wrong, your logit score decreases. The computer is trying to determine if you can get at least 50% of the medium level questions correct. Every time you answer correctly, your next question becomes a little more difficult. The higher the difficulty with a correct answer, the higher your logit score. You are essentially trying to "break even" on this exam. You don't want to be under a logit score of zero when the exam ends.

Unfortunately, you will have no way of knowing if you're hovering around the pass range or the fail range when your exam shuts off.

The last question is most definitely not a "coin flip". It's the last SERIES of questions. If you're going all the way to 265, you're absolutely riding that line where the computer cannot fulfill the confidence interval requirement of 95%. Meaning, your logit score is barely less than zero or barely above zero. If you get to 265 and your last series of questions overall puts you below the line, you fail. Conversely, if the last series of questions puts you above the line, you pass. It's not just the final question.

When you run out of time, the computer looks at the last 60 questions only. Which means, you might have been able to pass if you were well past 60 questions, but since time ran out, the computer only looks at the last 60.

There are some great YouTube videos on how the scoring really works, but it involves a lot of statistics. I think you are misunderstanding the info presented by Kaplan. I used Kaplan when I took NCLEX a few years ago and that is how they explained it to us. They never said the last question determined your fate at 265.