As my colleagues and I travel across the United States meeting with students and talking about how to prepare for the NCLEX, we’ve been asked countless questions about the NCLEX. Almost all of the questions stem from rumors passed on from one nursing class to the next, and at this point they’ll likely qualify as myths or even urban nursing legends. Here’s a sampling of some of our favorite student statements, as well as corresponding explanations compiled by our own NCLEX experts….*
Photo credit: University of Salford Press Office [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
“Some of the computers in the exam room are pre-programmed to give all 265 questions regardless of how well you are doing.”
“A set percentage of students taking NCLEX will receive 75 questions, 120-180 questions, and 180 and above.”
“If you’re the only person taking the NCLEX exam in the testing center you will automatically receive 265 questions.”
“Each testing location is required to have a pre-set number of 265 item tests per day.”
ANSWER: Whether test-takers like it or not, no computer, test proctor, or even National Council pre-determines anyone’s exam length. If you see more than 75 questions, it is not the end of the world—it just means that you’re not far enough above the minimum competency line (or far enough below the line) for the computer to achieve the 95% confidence interval required for the test to shut off. The person answering the questions on test day is the only one who controls this.
The proper accessories are very important…
“I heard of a girl who failed because she wore lots of jewelry, especially bracelets, and they thought she was cheating.”
“You to bring your own headphones to be able to hear the ‘listening’ questions.”
ANSWER: If someone failed the NCLEX exam, it is because she was answering questions deemed to be below the minimum competency level, not because the computer or test administrator didn’t like the choice of jewelry. We would, however, encourage students to take the “less is more” approach to accessories on test day—don’t dress to impress, and leave your giant purse in the car. Any other materials needed for the exam, including headphones, tissues, and dry erase boards for scratch work will be provided by the testing center.
Everyone loves “Select All That Apply” questions…
“If you see ‘select all that apply’ questions over and over, it means that you are doing awesome on the exam, and if your exam has over 50% SATA questions you will pass.”
ANSWER: Another falsehood—‘select all that apply’ questions can be written above passing level competency and below minimum level competency.
Not all nursing students are the same…
“Students from two-year nursing programs receive a different NCLEX exam than those from four-year programs.”
“Students taking the NCLEX in a different state other than where they went to nursing school will take a different NCLEX exam than those testing in their home state.”
“Some states, like California and New York, have a higher passing standard for nursing licensure.”
ANSWER: The common bond that exists between students educated in diploma nursing programs, associate degree nursing programs, and baccalaureate degree nursing programs is that all students are eligible to become Registered Nurses, and that means that they all must take the same NCLEX exam. Now, of course, no single student takes the exact same test as another—the test pool of questions has over 3,000 in it to ensure variety, to prevent cheating, and to allow the exam to be administered as a computer adaptive test. In fact, the “N” in NCLEX stands for National, so you know it’s a nationally administered, standardized exam.
I think this rumor stems from the fact that some states DO have stricter requirements (they ask applicants to provide proof of “more stuff” than other states) when granting reciprocity of a license or when completing an initial license application. However this is determined by each state’s Board of Nursing, and it has nothing to do with NCLEX.
CONCLUSION: As we all know, the NCLEX is the single-most important test in a new nursing graduate’s life, so it is completely understandable that a healthy mixture of fear, anxiety, and gossip translates into some of the aforementioned statements. When in doubt, we always encourage students to read the NCLEX Candidate Bulletin first, and then if they still have additional questions, they should speak with their professors, their local boards of nursing, and/or with National Council.
My colleagues and I routinely discuss all of these myths and more, in addition to NCLEX methods and strategies, in our free NCLEX Strategy Seminars for students. We hold these seminars during class time, before/after lectures, or even during an SNA or class meeting. If you believe any of your students would be interested in working directly with their local Kaplan contact and planning these free events at your school, please encourage them to learn more about our Student Rep program here.
* The accuracy of the responses to these NCLEX® myths has been verified by Barbara Sarr, MSN, RN, and Nursing Program Manager for Kaplan Nursing. NCLEX® and NCLEX-RN® are registered trademarks of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.
