The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Board of Directors (BOD) voted on Dec. 10, 2013, to raise the passing standard for the NCLEX-PN. The passing standard will be revised from the current logits* -0.27 to -0.21 logits beginning April 1, 2014.
“After consideration of all available information, the NCSBN BOD determined that safe and effective entry-level licensed practical/vocational nurse (PN/VN) practice requires a greater level of knowledge, skills, and abilities than was required in 2010 when NCSBN implemented the current standard. The passing standard was increased in response to changes in U.S. health care delivery and nursing practice that have resulted in the greater acuity of clients seen by entry-level PN/VNs. The NCSBN BOD evaluates the passing standard every three years to make sure the tested scope of practice and passing standard is current. The 2014 NCLEX-PN Test Plan is available free of charge from the NCSBN website.”1
At the 2013 NCSBN Annual Meeting, the Delegate Assembly voted to implement a new NCLEX-PN® Test Plan. The new test plan will be implemented on April 1, 2014. The detailed 2014 NCLEX-PN® Test Plan can be found at https://www.ncsbn.org/2014_PN_TestPlan.pdf. Changes in the test plan categories include:
|
Client Needs |
Percentage of Items from each Category/Subcategory |
|
|
2014 |
2011 |
|
| Safe and Effective Care Environment | ||
| - Coordinated Care |
16-22% |
13-19% |
| - Safety and Infection Control |
10-16% |
11-17% |
| Health Promotion and Maintenance |
7-13% |
7-13% |
| Psychosocial Integrity |
8-14% |
7-13% |
| Physiological Integrity | ||
| - Basic Care and Comfort |
7-13% |
9-15% |
| - Pharmacological Therapies |
11-17% |
11-17% |
| - Reduction of Risk Potential |
10-16% |
9-15% |
| - Physiological Adaptation |
7-13% |
9-15% |
The new passing standard and test plan will remain in effect through March 31, 2017.
Educators in Nursing will keep you updated on any further developments, and Kaplan’s programs and resources for students, schools and faculty will make sure your students will have the most up-to-date material and test questions so they can effectively prep for the NCLEX.
*A logit is defined as a unit of measurement to report relative differences between candidate ability estimates and item difficulties. Read more about what a logit is here.
1 https://www.ncsbn.org/4830.htm
