NCLEX Exam Questions and Answers

NCLEX stands for The National Council Licensure Examination which is a standardized exam used by each state board of nursing to determine if RN or LPN/LVN candidates are competent for entry-level nursing practice. There are two NCLEX tests offered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN): the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses - NCLEX-RN ® and the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses - NCLEX-PN ®.

To ensure public protection, the United States and its territories require entry into the practice of nursing to be regulated by licensing authorities within each jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction requires all candidates for licensure as entry-level nurses to pass an examination (NCLEX) which assesses the knowledge required to perform safely and effectively. The NCLEX-RN is for registered nurse candidates while the NCLEX-PN is for practical and vocational nurses. The main difference between the two tests is the number and difficulty of correctly answered questions required to pass the exam. The States and territorial boards of nursing use these exams in making licensure decisions. The NCLEX-RN has 265 questions and the minimum number you need to answer is 75. The NCLEX-PN has 205 questions and the minimum number you need to answer is 85. The NCLEX exams are administered using Computerized Adaptive Testing - CAT. There is a six hour limit for NCLEX-RN and a five hour time limit for NCLEX-PN which includes time for the computer tutorial and breaks.

Using this method (CAT) each NCLEX exam is unique and the questions are retrieved from a database as the exam progresses. The computer measures the ability of the candidate using the answers provided previously and changes the difficulty and topic of the new questions accordingly - if you answer correctly the computer will select harder NCLEX questions and if you are answer incorrectly it will choose easier questions. The NCLEX software estimates your ability every time you provide the answer to a question and with each new answer you provide the estimate of your ability gets more precise.

The NCLEX exam software selects questions that it considers you will have a close to 50% chance of answering correctly - not too hard or too easy for the ability it believes you have. This is done so that a well prepared candidate will be asked more difficult questions thus having a good chance of passing the NCLEX exam by answering the minimum number of questions while less prepared candidates are not forced to guess the answers to questions too difficult for them. The expected number of correct answers is half the total number of NCLEX questions you are presented with because of the adaptive nature of the test.

After you answer the minimum number of questions for the NCLEX exam the software will analyze your performance and it may shut-down the computer. This means that you either passed or failed the exam. The computer will shut-down only when the program running the test has determined with 95% certainty that your ability is either above or below the passing standard.

The only way to get additional NCLEX questions is if you are very close to the passing score - either 2.5% above or 2.5% below it. If this is the case you should not worry about failing but instead should concentrate on answering correctly the next set of questions. You must understand that you are very close to passing the exam if you answer most NCLEX questions correctly from this point on. You must answer the maximum number of questions on the exam only if at the end of each set of questions you are within the 2.5% above or below the passing score. The time you spend on each question is not an important factor with regard to passing but you should answer the required number of questions in the allotted time.

If you are required to answer the maximum number of NCLEX questions and the computer still isn't 95% sure you can pass, the 95% confidence requirement is dropped. If at this point you have a score higher than the minimum required you pass the exam otherwise you fail. If you run out of time and did not answer the minimum number of questions required you fail automatically. If you run out of time but you answered the minimum number of questions required and for the last 60 NCLEX questions your score was never below the passing standard you pass otherwise you fail the exam.

This does not mean that you have to answer the last 60 questions correctly but only that at any point during the last 60 NCLEX questions your score was above the minimum required to pass the exam. You can think about it this way: for each correct answer add one to your score while for each incorrect answer subtract one. Adding your scores one at a time for each question answered should never result in a negative score in order for you to pass if you run out of time but you have answered the minimum number of questions required.

The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN questions are mostly multiple-choice questions with four answers. In some cases the NCLEX exam uses more difficult question formats such as multiple-choice questions that require you to select one or more correct answers, fill-in-the-blank questions or questions that require you to identify an area on a picture. Both exams cover mostly the same topics but the NCLEX-RN is more difficult. You must apply to your state board of nursing in order to take the NCLEX examination. That board of nursing will decide whether or not you are eligible for the NCLEX examination. If you are eligible you must register to take the exam using the Authorization to Take the Test (ATT) provided by the board of nursing in your state. They will also provide you with a list of testing centers and instructions for how to schedule and take the licensure examination. After you take the test you will have to wait for the results. The time you need to wait depends on how the results are reported in your state: mail, online, phone or email. If you fail the test you will receive a summary of your test performance indicating topics where you did well and topics that you need to study further. You will be able to take the test again after a mandatory waiting period - usually 45 days.

Pass Rate for First-Time NCLEX Candidates 04-05

RN NURSING PROGRAM	Number Tested	Number Passed	Passed %
Community College of Southern Nevada	132	118	89.39
Great Basin College	11	10	90.91
Truckee Meadows Community College	43	40	93.02
Western Nevada Community College	30	26	86.67
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	98	77	78.57
University of Nevada, Reno	59	42	71.19
Nevada Total	373	313	83.91
LPN NURSING PROGRAM	Number Tested	Number Passed	Passed %
Community College of Southern Nevada	22	22	100
Western Nevada Community College	7	6	85.7
Nevada Total	29	28	96.55

Nevada CNA First-Time Test Results for 04-05

CNA Knowledge Test Results
Passed 823 (94%), Failed 47, Total Tested 870
CNA Clinical Test Results
Passed 834 (86%), Failed 125, Total Tested 959

NCLEX Exam Data

When choosing a school, the quality of a nursing program is one of the top priorities for students interested in becoming registered nurses. What are some reliable methods used to measure the quality of a nursing program?

Some of the main indicators of a good nursing program include a high pass rate on the NCLEX exam and a low program dropout rate. Upon reviewing current statistical data regarding student scores on the state license exam, several universities and nursing schools in Nevada are taking action to combat student dropout rates and enhance the quality of their educational programs.

Statistical reports have shown alarming data when it comes to the number of recent nursing graduates failing to pass the licensure examination on the first attempt. Almost fifty percent of those who graduated from the Apollo College in Las Vegas and the School of Nursing at the University of Southern Nevada have failed to pass the state NCLEX exam on the first try.

Twenty percent of nursing graduates from the Touro University and the Nevada State College have also failed the Nevada licensure exam when challenging the exam for the first time. The national average pass rate for the NCLEX exam was 87 percent in 2008, which means that overall only thirteen percent of nursing program graduates have failed the exam in the past year.

Nevada State College

The School at Nursing at the Nevada State College prepares students to become registered nurses through four different educational tracks: a two-year full-time program, a two and a half-year nursing program for part-time students, a one-year accelerated option, and an online nursing program for those who hold an associated degree in nursing.

All four educational tracks lead to a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree. There are thirty-two students accepted into the traditional full-time RN program each year. The same number of students are admitted into the accelerated nursing program in the fall semester. Nevada State College has received full accreditation for its bachelor in nursing program in Henderson, Nevada, from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.