It’s official! The NCSBN has released data on the national passing rates for a full year after the April 1, 2013, NCLEX-RN passing standard increase. NCLEX pass rate results are always widely anticipated by nurse educators across the country, but given the larger-than-expected drop immediately following the most recent passing standard increase, there’s a little more anticipation than normal. This is why I’m pleased to say that the January 1-March 31, 2014, national results improved from the previous three quarters under the new passing standard, following historical trends!
While the results aren’t at a 100% pass rate, where I know every school would love for them to be, it is fair to say that in the first quarter of this year, there has been a clear rebounding of the passing rate after the gradual decline that initially followed April’s test change.
This leads us to postulate- is this the beginning of a new trend showing a continuing increase? While we won’t know for sure until Quarters 2 and 3, in our previous pass rate analysis blog and in our “Behind the NCLEX-RN Pass Rate Decline” webinar, “Educators in Nursing” identified a few historical patterns that would be beneficial to remember while making any predictions about the upcoming quarters.
As 2014 progresses, Kaplan Nursing will continue to collect more data to help you as nursing faculty determine the lasting effects of the passing standard change. That being said, we’re curious to know what your thoughts are. Will the pass rates continue to rise, or will a new trend emerge? We’re certain that you, as the nurse educator, are continuing to target and assist at-risk students who are in danger of not passing NCLEX on their first attempt and recommending additional resources to help right their ship’s course. We hope that you’ll feel free to recommend our YouTube channel, found at http://www.youtube.com/KaplanNCLEX, which has resources for both nursing students and nurse educators. In particular, you might consider recommending our NCLEX-RN Myths Debunked seminar to help allay some of those urban legends that seem to be ever present around this important exam.
We know that talking about pass rates isn’t always an easy conversation, but we hope that you keep having it in class, during faculty meetings, and in one-on-one conversations with advisees. And of course, please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you, your students, or your program continue along the path to NCLEX success.
Sources:
https://www.ncsbn.org/Table_of_Pass_Rates_2014.pdf
https://www.ncsbn.org/Table_of_Pass_Rates_2013.pdf
