What's up with all the 'failed NCLEX' posts?

Nurses General Nursing

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I look through the "what's new" feed and keep seeing posts of nursing students who failed their NCLEX. Is the test getting harder? I remember that my graduating class had only one student that failed NCLEX. Are schools graduating people who are not ready for the test?

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Canada might be contributing to the fail chatter.

Since we converted fully in 2015 & didn't teach to the test, our first time pass rate is

Huge crisis in the programs & the national students' association is raising a stink over the only 3 attempts rules.

What happens after a 3rd failed attempt? Remediation, or "three strikes and you're out"?

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

Schools should not be teaching to pass the test. They should be teaching to produce competent nursing school graduates.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Canada might be contributing to the fail chatter.

Since we converted fully in 2015 & didn't teach to the test, our first time pass rate is

Huge crisis in the programs & the national students' association is raising a stink over the only 3 attempts rules.

Good point. I hadn't thought of that. If the Canadian curricula don't emphasize the same things, students may not be well-prepared for the test. While I agree that schools should not "teach to the test," if students are being tested on material they never studied, you can't blame them for having low scores.

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What happens after a 3rd failed attempt? Remediation, or "three strikes and you're out"?

Officially you're supposed to go back to school & apparently do your BScN again. Which is crazy because schools don't give it out again - once you have it, you have it, so I'm not even sure anyone really thought this through.

It's up for debate right now & apparently at least one province is looking at lifting the 3 strikes you're out rule.

One of our provinces had a 47% fail rate on the new exam. This is nothing like what was happening with the previous Cdn specific exam.

The curriculum in some of our schools is just too different & not geared to the nclex so students are having to spend tons of time (& additional $) themselves learning specifically for the test.

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In a nutshell, yes. Some schools are certainly pumping out ill prepared students, with little to no hope of critically thinking their way through NCLEX. Is the test harder? I don´t believe so.

There are also a percentage of students taking the exam who have English as their second language or have some difficulty in reading. This can make the test amazingly more difficult, because I found that you have to have a pretty solid grasp on proper English for NCLEX. In fact, my best friend failed her first time and she said flat out that the questions were difficult for her to understand because of how they are written. She knows the material but, the question confused her. It is common.

Now, when I see the posts like ¨I failed NCLEX 3, 4, 5....times¨ THAT is scary. There should be a limit, otherwise, you have to wonder who is out here practicing....

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

It's because there is a thing called social media. 20 years ago it was the same thing and there were hardly any social media outlets like today. I knew many people that were going for their 4th and 5th time...there weren't hardly any forums to go to and complain.

It could be generational as in the other generations would never admit online failing at something so big but nowadays...it doesn't seem to bother anybody. Also, it's not all young people failing for the upteemth time. Admitting it gets some of the stress off of them, and everyone on here with the "you go attitude" helps/encourages.

I also know that it isn't all Americans who are taking the boards many times over. I personally know many foreign nurses who are coming/came to America to get their RNs, and found it wasn't so easy. Most of them are older (past 30). Many have family here or are going to locate their families here and become citizens. Many of them are members of this forum as well (2 are my friends).

Every job interview I've ever been on, the one question is always asked; "Did you pass your boards on the first try?" Me...yes.

In some states in the United States, there are no limits to the amount of times you can take the boards (sometimes with a time restriction and or remedial action). In some states it's the other way around, and in some it's both. There are even states that have no restrictions, but those are becoming far and few between. I hear CA is the worst to get an RN in.

I've never heard of a 3 strikes you're out in America unless you're a criminal. It's always the wisest choice to check with the particular state itself as to it's policy (if you're in America).

I think that many American members of this forum don't realize that this forum is very diverse in it's population of members.

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

I'd blame it on nurse school "processing mills". All they do is process as much students as they can in a year, take their money and leave them stranded with no guidance. Sure they may teach you how to be a great nurse, but when it comes down to it, it's all about passing a test to be an RN, and if the school is not teaching that...well people will fail. I know my school did not, and I had to teach myself that part. While others tell you go pay Kaplan $500 to learn to pass the test, otherwise you on your own.

I think $20,000 in student loans should include NCLEX test preparation. I should not have to fork out another $500-600 to learn that part.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

I made a comment some time ago that maybe nurses should be REQUIRED to wear some type of badge with the number of times that they tested on boards/NCLEX.

Might be veeeeeery interesting to see consumers' responses knowing their nurse was a 9 times test-taking nurse as opposed to another nurse wearing a 1 time badge. Wonder whom they would choose to provide care?

And wouldn't it be something if starting salaries could somehow be adjusted to pass rate times??? A premium rate for a 1 time test taker versus a low rate for a multiple test taker?

I realize the improbabilities of this suggestion, and yes, there are some legitimate reasons for test failures. But that test is the LAST failsafe for the intention of the tester providing minimum safe levels of care at the start of .

Kind of like Drivers' Ed and the driving test. One studies and then one tests. You don't pass the test, then you don't drive until you do. It's the only method we have today to put a safe driver out on the road today.

The goal is delivery of safe care by the practitioner.

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I made a comment some time ago that maybe nurses should be REQUIRED to wear some type of badge with the number of times that they tested on boards/NCLEX.

Might be veeeeeery interesting to see consumers' responses knowing their nurse was a 9 times test-taking nurse as opposed to another nurse wearing a 1 time badge. Wonder whom they would choose to provide care?

And wouldn't it be something if starting salaries could somehow be adjusted to pass rate times??? A premium rate for a 1 time test taker versus a low rate for a multiple test taker?

The "special snowflakes" wouldn't like this at at all!

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It's because there is a thing called social media. 20 years ago it was the same thing and there were hardly any social media outlets like today. I knew many people that were going for their 4th and 5th time...there weren't hardly any forums to go to and complain.

It could be generational as in the other generations would never admit online failing at something so big but nowadays...it doesn't seem to bother anybody. Also, it's not all young people failing for the upteemth time. Admitting it gets some of the stress off of them, and everyone on here with the "you go attitude" helps/encourages.

I also know that it isn't all Americans who are taking the boards many times over. I personally know many foreign nurses who are coming/came to America to get their RNs, and found it wasn't so easy. Most of them are older (past 30). Many have family here or are going to locate their families here and become citizens. Many of them are members of this forum as well (2 are my friends).

Every job interview I've ever been on, the one question is always asked; "Did you pass your boards on the first try?" Me...yes.

In some states in the United States, there are no limits to the amount of times you can take the boards (sometimes with a time restriction and or remedial action). In some states it's the other way around, and in some it's both. There are even states that have no restrictions, but those are becoming far and few between. I hear CA is the worst to get an RN in.

I've never heard of a 3 strikes you're out in America unless you're a criminal. It's always the wisest choice to check with the particular state itself as to it's policy (if you're in America).

I think that many American members of this forum don't realize that this forum is very diverse in it's population of members.

Funny, and 20 years ago I knew of ONE person, in all my years and in all my jobs that did not pass the RN, she just couldn't. She was an LPN, and went to a Diploma School and could not pass the RN to save her life.

That being said, she was a great nurse.

I don't know anyone who took 4 or 5 attempts.

I'm a firm believer in the 3 strikes and you're out rule.

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I am not a nursing student yet, but I have a thought on it - perhaps it is because the NCLEX was just introduced to Canada. It has been big on the news in Canada lately that many Canadians are having difficulty with it. Previously, the CRNE was given. The nursing schools were teaching the curriculum on preparation for the CRNE I suppose, and now that it's the NCLEX, there has to be a transition for change. Again, just a pre-nursing student so that is only a thought!

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Funny, and 20 years ago I knew of ONE person, in all my years and in all my jobs that did not pass the RN, she just couldn't. She was an LPN, and went to a Diploma School and could not pass the RN to save her life.

That being said, she was a great nurse.

I don't know anyone who took 4 or 5 attempts.

I'm a firm believer in the 3 strikes and you're out rule.

I went to a diploma school that went for decades without having its graduates fail NCLEX-RN.

It's not the type of program (Diploma/ADN/BSN), it's the person.

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