Once Upon a Timeline… Making sure You’re on Track to Graduate and Take the NCLEX!

The end of school is closer than you think, and you’re almost an RN or LPN, but there are a few critical things left on the to-do list…..graduating and taking and passing the NCLEX being at the top of that list! Right now you’re so focused on completing your coursework and filing critical paperwork that details can sometimes get lost. Graduation has a very specific academic focus, but not paying critical school fees, returning school property and completing paperwork can be tasks that prohibit on-time graduation which can impede taking the NCLEX in a timely fashion. Because you are so incredibly busy at this time of year, we’ve consulted the experts and put together a timeline for you.  No doubt faculty at your school has already told you much, if not all, of this information, but one more gentle reminder will not hurt!  Organization is critical at this juncture, because you want to take the NCLEX on time.  Once testing moves past the 30 day window after graduating pass rates sharply decline, so plan well, study hard, and meet your NCLEX goal! In a 2006 study by NCSBN¹ which analyzed candidate data from the calendar years 2003-2005 for both 421,739 registered nurse (RN) candidates and 183,540 practical nurse (PN) candidates, evidence showed that for the overall testing population as well as the sub-populations passing rates tend to decrease with increased time between the date of becoming eligible to sit for the examination and the test date itself.

1Source: NCLEX® Psychometric Research Brief, January 2007, NCLEX® Delay Pass Rate Study, Michelle Eich, MS | Thomas O’Neill, PhD | NCSBN

What’s important to remember about the graduation, employment and NCLEX processes is that they require teamwork; both you and your school administration will be filing paperwork on your behalf.  Perhaps one of the most common questions we get on campus is about the Authorization to Test for the NCLEX.  Many students don’t realize that the school needs to wait until graduation is confirmed before the school can submit the students’ paperwork to the nursing board! Many students also don’t realize that preliminary paperwork should be filed early in the last semester, both for the NCLEX and for the job application process.  This graduation timeline provides a great resource for you and is meant to be a guide for you.  Your school may have specific requirements so it’s important to check with your administration for your individual situation.  While we have elected to use the May and December graduation dates, this timeline can easily be adapted if you have a graduation date in another month.  The processes for registering for the NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® are identical, and while there may be some subtle differences in the job timeline, the message to RN and LPN students is that early planning is essential to securing employment.  Don’t delay, because the best opportunities will disappear quickly!

Timeline Sources:  NCSBN, Eight Step of NCLEX:  https://www.ncsbn.org/Eight_Steps_of_NCLEX.pdf