Why is the pn examination changing in April?

agldragonRN · Jan 6, 2008

good question! i will be done with my lpn program very soon, and i was told yesterday by my program coordinator that the nclex people will make it "harder" because a lot of people are passing. so, they don't want us to pass?

if everything falls in place for me, i will take my board before april. so i won't be affected by this "harder" nclex exam. i am keeping my fingers crossed.

angel :lol_hitti

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jan 6, 2008

I heard this same thing when I graduated and took NCLEX-PN in 2006. I passed the first time, so, I can't say if they did, in fact, change the exam, but I can see it happening. They are now using alternative format styled questions where they have pick all that apply, placing in order the steps of a procedure, diagrams where a certain place has to be identified and fill in the blanks. I got about 7 pick ALL that apply in a row (drove me crazy). My Saunders and Lippincott NCLEX books had them, so, I can believe it can happen. They should also be testing you that way in school, so, at least you'll get used to it.

I think it is a dumb thing to do this, because from what I see, passing NCLEX does not assure the public of a competent, caring nurse. It just seems to me that it means you can take a test and tell them what they want to hear.

epg712003 · Jan 6, 2008

Thanks for the input. Good luck on your examination

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 6, 2008

Why is the PN- nclex changing in April 2008? How often does this occur? This is the first time that I have heard of this. Can someone please explain the reason why?

Prior to the middle 1990s, the NCLEX examination did not even exist. Graduates of nursing programs had to take the old-fashioned state boards, which were all-day affairs back then, and were subjected to a 6 week waiting period for their results.

The bottom line is that change is inevitable. People change, times change, and nursing practice changes. Therefore, our examinations must change with the times. Keeping the examination the same would do a disservice in a constantly changing society.

aviahhasmyheart · Jan 7, 2008

I actually just passed the nclex in dec...they are changing the nclex but not exactly to make it harder just different types of questions will be asked .....they actually "change" the test every 2 or 3 years anyway due to the fact that medicine and practice changes all the time. :specs:

LPN4U · Jan 7, 2008

That is just crazy all together. NCLEX is hard enough but to learn all this information within a year and have to take NCLEX with FILL-INS, you will have more and more people not passing. We all know how it was in school testing there was always 2 good answers. I had a lot of choose that apply the only fill in I had were the calculations and I&O's even though I know how to get it and work the problem out you always doubt your self. For anyone that is going to go through with this new NCLEX, I wish you all the best and study hard.

Butterflybee · Jan 7, 2008

I just spoke w/ a friend who just passed, she said, " KNOW EVERYTHING". That to me says, study my buns off and then some. We all can pass, if not the first try then the second, that's my attitude anyway. All we can do is study hard and do our best and ...... pray. Good luck everyone !!!

kayleighac · Jan 7, 2008

The process I used seemed to work since I just passed on my first try.

Here's what you need to do first

Buy these books:

1. NCLEX-PN Questions & Answers Made Incredibly Easy

2. Lippincott's Review for NCLEX-PN

3. Saunders Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-PN

4. Straight A's in Nursing Pharmacology

Getting the latest edition of these is probably best

Our process that worked with about 97% of our school was to basically do 200 questions a day. You start with your best subjects in Incredibly Easy since it's the easiest. Then move onto the next easiest book which would be Lippincotts on the same subject and lastly, do the questions in Saunders, also on the same subject. After all that, you should be an expert on that subject! Grade yourself on every test you take...read all your rationales...just to warn you, when you start out, you will be getting around the 50 or 60 percents. Don't give up...the more you do it, the better your scores will get. After you finish all the subject specific tests, move on to the comprehensive tests. And once you are scoring in the 80's...you should be ready! I followed this process exactly and I passed at 85 on the NCLEX-PN, which is really good. Do this for about 6 weeks or until youve done about 6000 questions. So, say you do 200 a day for 5 days a week....give yourself two days for rest...then you have done 1000 questions a week.

When you finish one subject, start on the next one and do the same thing.

With each subject you do, try studying the pharma on that subject also. It helps to incorporate it in. Read the pink part of the Straight A's in Pharma, and take the test at the end. If you get below a 70%, then read the whole white part.

DO NOT skip pharma. That's probably THE most important thing on the test. I got over a dozen med questions on it. Thank god I studied it.

One more good book for pharma if you have time is Pharmacology Made Easy for NCLEX-PN. It's self explanatory. Read it and do the questions pretty much.

That's really all you need, is just to do question after question and know the rationales for them. It's going to be a lot of work, nursing is not easy...but I wish you luck and I hope my advice comes in handy!