NCLEX Information
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is a not-for- profit organization through which State Boards of Nursing collaborate to protect the public’s health by establishing standards that ensures that safe nursing care is provided by licensed nurses. The NCSBN is responsible for developing and administering the National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX), which is the prerequisite exam for obtaining a nursing license. The NCLEX-RN is administered to prospective RNs and the NCLEX-PN is administered to prospective LPN candidates. A passing score on the NCLEX is required by all 50 states as one of the requirements for obtaining licensure.
Nursing graduates must first apply to the board of nursing in the state where they want to be licensed. The state must verify that an individual has met all of the state requirements before they can schedule an appointment with Pearson VUE. Pearson VUE is the company that administers the NCLEX for the NCSBN. It is important that you carefully review the most recent Candidate’s Bulletin, which is available on the NCSBN website at https://www.ncsbn.org/1213.htm. The Candidate’s Bulletin provides specific information about the NCLEX exam and the criteria for taking the NCLEX. These criteria can change from year to year. So, make sure you go right to the source to get accurate information about applying to take the NCLEX.
The NCLEX is a carefully developed test that measures the abilities of new nursing graduates. The purpose of the test is to ensure that newly licensed nurses meet minimal standards of safety. Remember, the primary focus of all the state boards of nursing is to protect the public. New graduates are not expected to be advanced practitioners, but they are expected to provide safe patient care. So, keep in mind that the exam questions are not designed to test your knowledge of advanced practice. The focus is on the basics: what must a nurse know to practice safely at the entry level?
A test plan forms the basis for the NCLEX exams. This plan is developed from a survey, the Practice Analysis, which the NCSBN conducts every three years. The survey contains statements that describe nursing activities. Licensed nurses who are recent graduates respond to the survey by indicating whether the activities described apply to their work setting. The responders rate the activities for priority and frequency and specify the amount of time they spent involved in activities in each category of client needs on the last day they worked. These ratings are the foundation for the NCLEX test plan.
The NCLEX test plan for 2016 includes eight Client Needs. Make sure you carefully review the NCLEX detailed test plan. It will provide you with an itemized description of the plan. The test plan focuses on activities that are classified according to the following Client Needs:
The Detailed Test Plan specifies the nursing activities from the Practice Analysis that are included in the questions on the NCLEX. These nursing activities are listed under the Client Need that they relate to. This document is a valuable study guide. Read it carefully, it will give you insight into what is on the test. The Detailed Test Plan also includes a sample item for each of the Client Need categories.
The NCLEX-RN detailed test plan is available on the NCSBN website at: https://www.ncsbn.org/2016_RN_Test_Plan_Candidate.pdf
The NCLEX-PN detailed test plan is available on the NCSBN website at: https://www.ncsbn.org/PN_Test_Plan_2014_Educator_v2.pdf
NCSBN takes its responsibility to both the nursing graduates and the healthcare consumers very seriously. The NCLEX exams are developed to meet high psychometric standards. The question development program at the NCSBN is designed to create high quality exam questions that identify a candidate’s ability in the safe performance of nursing care. The questions on the NCLEX address higher cognitive levels. In other words, you will not be successful on the NCLEX if you rely solely on memorization. The NCLEX questions require problem solving and critical thinking.
Characteristics of the NCLEX
As you most likely are aware of, the NCLEX is administered on a computer. The test is a computerized adaptive format (CAT). While the process may not be easily understood, it is a valid format for testing ability. With a CAT test, each candidate is given a unique test that can accurately estimate the candidate’s ability. A detailed explanation of the CAT test is available on the NCSBN website at: https://www.ncsbn.org/1216.htm and a video is available at: https://www.ncsbn.org/356.htm
Every three years, after the results of the Practice Analysis are analyzed, the NCSBN reviews the passing standard. The passing standard is the minimum difficulty point where an examinee must be consistently successful in answering questions in order to pass the NCLEX. It represents the minimal level of competence that a candidate must attain to pass. The NCSBN Board of Directors decides whether it is necessary to revise the passing standard to protect the public. You can check out the process for setting the passing standard on the NCSBN website at: https://www.ncsbn.org/9011.htm
The NCLEX exam length varies with individual test takers. The minimum number of questions for the NCLEX-RN is 75, which includes 15 pretest items that are not scored. The maximum number of questions is 265 and the maximum time length for the NCLEX-RN is six hours. The minimum number of questions for the NCLEX-PN is 85 with 25 pretest items. The maximum number of questions is 205 and the maximum time is 5 hours for the NCLEX-PN. Refer to the NCSBN website for an explanation of the CAT and the pass/fail rules at: https://www.ncsbn.org/1216.htm
Question Formats
While the test is predominantly multiple-choice, the NCSBN has introduced alternate format questions. Unlike many of the NCLEX prep books on the market, the NCLEX Success Coach series includes these alternate format questions in the tests. The questions on the NCLEX are mostly 4-option multiple-choice. But there are also alternate format questions. All questions are scored as either right or wrong.
There is no partial credit. So, for example, you must select all of the correct options and none of the incorrect options on a multiple-response question to receive credit. There is not a set percentage of alternate format items. The questions administered are selected based on the candidate’s ability. The NCLEX Success Coach series includes alternate format items at a variety of difficulty levels.
Remember, the point of the NCLEX is to test critical thinking. If you can think like a nurse, you will pass NCLEX. Don’t worry about mastering a particular format; all of the question types are designed to test your ability to analyze and apply information. However, it does make sense to familiarize yourself with the different formats used on the NCLEX so you will not be surprised during the actual test.
The NCLEX Success Coach Series includes, multiple-response, fill-in- the-blank, chart/exhibit, and graphic option items. Remember, you do not have to master an item format type. You need to master the concepts of safe nursing care and be able to apply your knowledge to clinical situations.
Ordered response
Ordered response questions ask the examinees to click and drag the options from one column to another and place them in their exact order
Graphic options
Graphic options items present a problem and supply four graphic options instead of text.
Fill-in- the-blank
Fill-in- the-blank questions present a calculation to complete. The candidate must type in a number in the blank space provided in the stem.
Hot spot questions
Hot spot questions present a picture or a graph and ask the candidate to click on an area that supplies the answer to the question.
Audio questions
Audio questions require the examinee to wear headphones to listen to an audio clip and select the correct answer. Refer to the Study Guide Website Resources for sites that offer practice in mastering Audio Sounds
Chart/exhibit questions
Chart/exhibit questions present a problem and ask the examinee to solve the problem based on the information in the chart/exhibit.
Multiple-response questions
Multiple-response questions require the candidates to select two or more answers from a list of five or more options. In order to receive credit for the correct answer all of the correct options must be selected and none of the incorrect options can be selected by the examinee. In other words, the answer must be exactly correct.