Suzanne4, have a question.

It isn't that you must, it is how the exam is actually set up. It is checking the level that they feel you must be at to practice as a safe nurse.

If I took the exam today, I would still get 50% correct, and 50% incorrect, even your nursing professors would do the same.

Don't get stressed by the 50% number, that is just how NCLEX exam works.

Not really stressed about it, just curious I got my RN license in May but just could not figure out why the 50/50.

It's not rigidly a 50-50 thing. The computer program is set up to keep throwing you more and more difficult questions. For example, if you get a question right, the next question will be more difficult. If you get a question wrong, the next question will be easier. The level of difficulty can progress all the way up to "expert". The computer program shuts off once it determines your level of knowledge -- if you can only answer "easy" questions but can't progress to a higher level of difficulty, you fail. You have to answer a certain % of questions right in a category that developers of the NCLEX program have determined identify a candidate as having the ability to provide "safe, knowledgable" care. No candidate is expected to answer "expert" questions, but if you are able to answer difficult questions correctly, you're above the passing range. The computer asks a minimum of 75 questions, and a maximum of 265 -- if it determines your level of knowledge after asking question #75, it shuts off. If it's debating between 2 levels of knowledge, it continues asking questions until you've demonstrated "passing" knowledge or proven statistically that you will not be able to pass with only 265 questions.