Should there be a limit on trying to pass NCLEX?

[2ndCareerRN]

I often see where people have failed NCLEX 3 or more times. Some states require a remedial course of study after failing so many times. Arizona will allow multiple times in 1 year. In Kansas, you must petition the board if you take more than 24 months after graduation to pass NCLEX. In Louisana you can only take the NCLEX four times in four years. In Michigan, it is 3 years or a max of 6 tries. South Carolina is 4 tries in one year and then remediation.

http://www.virtualnursinghome.com/licensure.htm

Most of the states do not have a limit for retaking the NCLEX. You can keep going and going and going. Eventually the law of averages will catch up, and the test will be passed, IMO.

So, how do you feel about the number of times a person should be able to take the NCLEX exam? Remember, this is the same nurse that will be taking care of you or your loved ones. Should remedial education be required after 3 tries, 5 tries, a certain time frame?

This is a harsh world, there are some people who should not be nurses, and if the NCLEX is one way to prevent that, then I am in favor of a 3 try limit, followed by remediation and then one more try to pass.

I feel that the practice of allowing unlimited re-takes does nothing to advance the practice of nursing.

bob

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

It is logical that students who never took the NCLEX would say that there should be no limit..And the nurses who are already RNs or LPNs would say that there should be a limit..The RNs and LPNs already passed so they dont really care and it would not effect them if people failed the NCLEX and never become nurses..

By the same token, you could say that those who haven't taken the exam yet have a vested interest in open-ended retakes, but that those that have already taken it can view it more objectively.

But, I take your point, and take it well. Especially since I tend to hold the same viewpoint in regards to another famous recurrent debate on this site.

And for the record, this RN believes that you should be able to take it until you pass. But, after having studied how NCLEX works in depth, I have confidence that only those prepared to begin nursing will pass. . .

And I DO believe that it would be beneficial to the test-taker to require that after 3 failures, that they re-evaluate and remediate the preparation gaps that contribute to repeated failures.

Fortunately, I never took NCLEX-CAT. I took NCLEX-pencil.

~faith,

Timothy.

[goats'r'us, ASN, RN]

i've come to add my 2c and the aussie rules.

here, if you fail your final year of nursing three times, you can't register.

i know that probably sounds harsh, but over here, if you fail, you don't just doo book-work and re-take an exam, you actually have to go back and re-do the subjects you failed, then re-take the exam, sort of like being put back a grade in school.

you can have unlimited help from the teachers, tutoring ect, but at the end of the day, if you fail three times, it's bye-bye.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

i've come to add my 2c and the aussie rules.

here, if you fail your final year of nursing three times, you can't register.

i know that probably sounds harsh, but over here, if you fail, you don't just doo book-work and re-take an exam, you actually have to go back and re-do the subjects you failed, then re-take the exam, sort of like being put back a grade in school.

you can have unlimited help from the teachers, tutoring ect, but at the end of the day, if you fail three times, it's bye-bye.

Doesn't sound harsh to me; my nursing school wouldn't allow anyone back in if they failed ANY of the courses (first or last or anything in between) TWICE. There is no third try. I can't say how many other schools do this, but I've heard of it in other schools, too. I suppose, you could fail out of one school twice, then somehow get accepted to another school, and fail out there....but at some point, fate's gotta kick in and give you a new direction!

[1happygirl]

I have to be the devil's advocate here.

Firstly, Bob is correct. ANY nursing student cannot be considered a "poor test taker" whatever that is.

No rebuttals here please, I don't believe in the concept, or nursing schools would do orals to graduate.

As far as NCLEX, 2 strikes and you are out. It's a difficult exam, but we have to maintain SOME standards.

And before you think I am being harsh, consider the scenario:

A GN is precepting on a med-surg floor. Takes her boards in June. Fails. Works as a preceptee through Jan. Takes boards, fails again. Would you be worried that this supposed RN candidate cannot pass Boards after 6 months of graduate clinical experience?

Otherwise, our profession is a joke.

AMEN. My roomate (who by the way) is 30 and supported by her parents, has failed the nclex (took it the same say as me) is in an icu internship and has also been working as a preceptee until she takes it again. She also failed her lethal arrythmias test through her internship and had to retake. Come on----ya can't recognize v-fib??!!!!

She had originally graduated from one nursing school but didn't pass the exit exam and re-took the last yr over at my nursing school and graduated (we do not currently have a HESSI type or any exit exam).

GET REAL. She has seen these rhythms before (hmm.. 2 schools at least plus internship class). You want her taking care of you or your loved one?

PLEASE____not a good testaker through osmosis she should be able after seeing strips multiple times to recognize. Unfortunately she will take the NCLEX again after the 49 day waiting period (in texas) and pass.

Another competent nurse enters the profession. Ya right.

PS My ICU internship would have kicked me out if I hadn't passed NCLEX on the first try.

[LADYFLOWER]

AMEN. My roomate (who by the way) is 30 and supported by her parents, has failed the nclex (took it the same say as me) is in an icu internship and has also been working as a preceptee until she takes it again. She also failed her lethal arrythmias test through her internship and had to retake. Come on----ya can't recognize v-fib??!!!!

She had originally graduated from one nursing school but didn't pass the exit exam and re-took the last yr over at my nursing school and graduated (we do not currently have a HESSI type or any exit exam).

GET REAL. She has seen these rhythms before (hmm.. 2 schools at least plus internship class). You want her taking care of you or your loved one?

PLEASE____not a good testaker through osmosis she should be able after seeing strips multiple times to recognize. Unfortunately she will take the NCLEX again after the 49 day waiting period (in texas) and pass.

Another competent nurse enters the profession. Ya right.

PS My ICU internship would have kicked me out if I hadn't passed NCLEX on the first try.

Wow!

[RN34TX]

As a Texan who lives in a state where multiple tries are allowed for several years, I say that yes, there should be a limit before remediation is required.

But that is not to be punitive to the examinee, it should be in place to help the examinee identify where their weak points are at, and how to do better the next time.

The examinee should not be left alone to find some "refresher course" across town or even farther to satisfy state requirements.

Remediation should be in place for the student to fall back on if unsuccessful the first time.

This should be the responsibility of the instituton graduating nursing students who fail the NCLEX, to be enforced by the state and to be required to maintain accreditation as a nursing school in any state.

If any nursing school is churning out supposed "graduates" of their program who are not able to pass the NCLEX, then what does that say about the academic and graduation requirements of that particular school?

If you pass with a "C" 2.0 and graduate from any nursing school, then there is no reason why you shouldn't pass the NCLEX at least after a couple of times with minimal remediation.

If not, then it is the nursing program itself, rather than the individual graduate/examinee, who truely needs to be examined as being fit or competent and may need to be revamped.

If you can't pass after taking it 6 times for example, then the nursing school should never have graduated you in the first place.

We need to start questioning the nursing schools, instructors, and their curriculums, not the individual examinees, when you see people failing the NCLEX multiple times.

[Bala Shark]

I believe it is the school's fault that people are failing the NCLEX..You see the statistics..Some schools can get a 100% pass rate for 5 years straight on their students taking the NCLEX..While other schools some of them barly get 70-75% pass rate on the students passing the NCLEX..I believe it is the college's responsiblity in bringing out the main points in nursing so that graduates would have a solid knowledge base..

[Retired R.N.]

I believe it is the school's fault that people are failing the NCLEX..You see the statistics..Some schools can get a 100% pass rate for 5 years straight on their students taking the NCLEX..While other schools some of them barely get 70-75% pass rate on the students passing the NCLEX..I believe it is the college's responsiblity in bringing out the main points in nursing so that graduates would have a solid knowledge base..

I really have difficulty in understanding some of the opinions I have read about the so-called incompetence of some nurses merely because they didn't pass the computerized NCLEX on the first time. Maybe you would like to go back a few years in time? When I took my state board exam it included a clinical component and to get a passing grade I had to be able to successfully demonstrate a number of procedures. Did I pass it on the first try? Of course I did! One of the main bragging points for my hospital school of nursing was that we had a much higher passing rate for state boards than any of the collegiate schools in the state. As I recall, there was only one nurse from our hospital who did not pass the board exam on her first try. However, her clinical skills were superb, and we students loved being assigned to work under her because she taught us so much and was always eager to help us learn. Our school was only too happy to offer her free coaching and tutoring to help her pass it on the second try.

When we graduated from a hospital school of nursing, we were well prepared for our first jobs, and didn't need any internships to be able to handle a full patient load.

[LydiaNN]

I don't think it would be fair for me to say "there should be a limit" when i passed it on the first try, therefore i won't.

Some people aren't good test takers. That doesn't mean they'd be a bad nurse.

:yeahthat: And not only that, but to say the law of averages will eventually kick in isn't exactly accurate. Whether the first attempt or the 100th, if you don't know the material, you will not pass the test. The odds of passing increase with each attempt only because the test taker continues to study and prepare between exams. Joe Q. Public, with no preparation, is as likely to fail on the 100th attempt as he is on the 1st. I would consider a limit on the number of tries necessary if the applicant were being permitted to work as a graduate nurse until the exam was passed, but that isn't the case.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I believe it is the school's fault that people are failing the NCLEX

Not at my school. Their pass rate was 95% percent, but any school should not have to spoonfeed people to get them to learn. And quite honestly, there are a few students that do expect to be able to sit back and not have to make the effort to learn it (went to school with 2 of them, and no they didn't make it to graduation).

[phillymalenurse2b]

Well---- I dont think there should be a limit. Also as to the seeing questions again, not possible. NCLEX remembers Q's it has given a test taker and never gives it again, even if it was answered right or wrong.

Now maybe I would consider time not # of trys. Like, 2 years after grad. then you must take a remedial class.

[phillymalenurse2b]

Man you guys in this topic are BRUTAL!!!