The NCLEX Exam
The National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX exam, is given to nursing school graduates in order to ensure that they have the competence to practice as nurses. The NCLEX-RN is given to registered nursing student graduates, and the NCLEX-PN is given to practical nursing graduates. Both are developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) in order give regional nursing boards information on which to base a licensing decision. All of the fifty United States as well as its territories require regulation of nursing practice.
A great deal of time and thought is put into these examinations to make sure that they reflect current entry-level nursing practice, and that they are free from bias of any type. Each test always has a number of questions that are themselves being tested for use in subsequent years. Practice analysis surveys are sent out to nurses all over the country to make sure the exam reflects current practices.
The NCLEX Examination Committee is the body that generally oversees the examinations. The NCLEX Item Review Subcommittee does more detailed work on the actual examination questions. The Examinations Staff contributes their expertise. The actual development and administration of the tests is done by Pearson VUE.
The testing has been done at computer test centers since 1994. You do not need to have special computer knowledge to take the test. There is a tutorial given at the time of the test, and onscreen help is available while you are taking the test.
You will not be able to bring personal items into your test area. You will be taking your test at the same time that other people are testing for completely different purposes. That means that you may hear people typing answers, although there are no questions requiring essay answers in your exam.
These tests are computer adaptive tests. That means that response to a question determines what question the computer will next present the person taking the test. There are no set numbers of questions. The computer will stop presenting questions when it has confidence statistically (95% confidence level) that the particular candidate is below or above the standard set for passing. There is also a time limit – six hours for the NCLEX-RN and five hours for the NCLEX-PN. The examination will finish when the computer has determined with confidence that the examinee has passed or not passed the standard, or the six (or five) hours has finished.
There will be two breaks offered. Candidates will be given an erasable noteboard to use if necessary. If a question requires calculations, an on-screen calculator will appear.
You must answer each question before you will be presented with the next one. You cannot go back and you cannot jump ahead. In contrast to pencil and paper computer testing, you should not randomly guess on this kind of test even if you are running out of time. Select the best answer you can.
You should not assume that you have passed or failed based on the length of the test or number of questions. The passing standard is set by the NCSBN Board of Directors and does not mandate a particular number of candidates to pass or fail.
You will only get your results from the nursing boards which are usually mailed about a month after you take the exam. In some states, you can pay for your "unofficial" quick results in two business days. This is on the NCLEX Candidate Web site, or by phone.
There are no test preparation classes officially recognized by the NCSBN. There is a lot of information about the test on their website, and reviewing all available material beforehand will help answer a lot of questions. It will be easier if you understand what you need to do to register for the test and actually take the test. It will also allow you to understand the computer adaptive test, so that you do not guess whether or not you passed based on something like the length of your test. Candidates who will both pass or fail may have short tests.
It is also good to know that you can retake the test within 45 or 90 days, depending on the nursing board.
Published: 2009-10-14
