Introduction to NCLEX Exams
The NCLEX, short for National Council Licensure Examination is a licensing exam for nursing graduates in the United States. It is the checkpoint to test that whether the aspiring nurses possess the necessary knowledge and skills to provide safe and effective care.
There are two NCLEX exams i.e. the NCLEX-RN for becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) and the NCLEX-PN for becoming a licensed practical nurse/licensed vocational nurse (PN).
The NCLEX is not just a test of knowledge but a comprehensive assessment of a nurse’s ability to make decisions and respond to patient care scenarios. Both exams assess critical thinking and the application of nursing education knowledge to test whether a future nurse will be able to make the right patient care decisions.
Next Gen NCLEX
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the agency responsible for taking NLCEX exams, launched the Next Gen NCLEX (NGN) on April 1st, 2023 with an objective to better evaluate the competencies required of nurses in today’s healthcare environment. This new exam format i.e NGN uses real-world case studies to measure a nurse’s ability to think more critically and make the right decisions.
Eligibility Requirement
To be eligible for the NCLEX, candidates must have graduated from an accredited nursing program.
Registration for the exam
Registration for the exam involves applying for licensure with the nursing regulatory body where one wishes to practice and registering for the NCLEX through the Pearson VUE website.
What is the difference between an RN and a PN?
A Registered Nurse (RN) and a Practical Nurse (PN) differ in their educational requirements, scope of practice, and job responsibilities.
Educational Requirements for NCLEX RN
A professional nursing degree is required to become a Registered Nurse, which can be a hospital-based diploma program, a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or a 4 years Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.
Educational Requirements for NCLEX PN
To become a PN, you have to complete a practical nursing course after high school offered at technical schools or community colleges, which usually takes about one year.
Scope of Practice and Job Responsibilities
RNs have a broader scope of practice and are responsible for creating care plans, executing doctors’ orders, administering medications and treatments, performing diagnostic tests, analyzing test results, and instructing patients. PNs, nursing students, and aides are under their supervision.
Whereas PNs focus on basic bedside care, including taking vital signs, dressing wounds, assisting with bathing, dressing, standing, and walking.
Salary and Career Advancement
RNs have higher salaries due to their advanced education and greater responsibilities and have more opportunities for career advancement, including specialized areas of practice.
Syllabus
The content of the NCLEX-RN test is organized into four major categories. While two of the
four categories are further divided into subcategories.
1. Safe and Effective Care Environment
- Management of Care
- Safety and Infection Control
2. Health Promotion and Maintenance
3. Psychosocial Integrity
4. Physiological Integrity
- Basic Care and Comfort
- Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
- Reduction of Risk Potential
- Physiological Adaptation
Cost of NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams
The cost for both the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams in the United States is $200 USD for the registration fee. But if you’re taking the exam outside the U.S., there’s an additional international scheduling fee of $150 USD and in case you want to change Nursing Regulatory Body then the fee for it (after registration) is $50 USD.
Exam format & Number of questions per exam
The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams have a variable number of questions due to their Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) format.
Number of Questions
The NCLEX-RN exam consists of 74 to 145 questions, including 15 pre-test questions that do not count toward the score. Whereas the NCLEX-PN exam has 85 to 205 questions, including 25 pre-test questions.
Format
These are CAT format-based exams, meaning the computer adapts the questions based on the test taker’s performance. The test includes multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, ordered responses, and hot spot questions. The Next Generation NCLEX introduced in 2023 added new question formats like matrix/grid and Cloze (dropdown).
Similar to the NCLEX-RN, the NCLEX-PN uses a CAT (Computerized Adaptive Testing) format with various question types, including multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, ordered response, and hot spot questions.
How does NCLEX CAT work?
The Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) method, used for the NCLEX exams, is a sophisticated testing system that adapts to your performance in real-time. Questions are given and the computer adapts according to the response.
The test begins with a question of medium difficulty level, and the computer assesses your response. It estimates your ability level and selects the next question on the basis of whether your selected answer was right or not. If you answered correctly, the next question selected by the system is slightly more difficult, while if you answered incorrectly, it shows a question of lesser difficulty than the one you attempted. In this way, the computer determines your ability level and if it meets the standard you get passed otherwise you get failed.
How many times can you take the NCLEX?
You can retake the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) multiple times, but there are specific guidelines you have to follow.
Waiting Period
After an unsuccessful attempt, you have to wait for 45 days (min.) before the retake. So that candidates can have time to study and prepare for the next attempt.
Annual Limit
If you’ve applied for registration or licensure with a participating Nursing Regulatory Body (NRB), you can take the NCLEX up to eight times a year.
Some states allow unlimited retakes, while others may limit the number of attempts or require additional education after a certain number of failed attempts.
State-Specific Policies
Each state’s board of nursing may have additional requirements or limitations. For example in Colorado, candidates can take the exam three times within three years from the first examination date. In Louisiana, the limit is four times within four years. Whereas in South Carolina, candidates failing their NCLEX within the first year must show evidence of remediation before retaking it.
What are NCLEX pass rates?
The NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) pass rates provide us with valuable info regarding the difficulty of the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams. In 2023, Overall pass rate was 69.66% for NCLEX-RN and 74.54% for NCLEX-PN.
On the basis of country of education, the pass rate of US-educated nurses in NCLEX-RN was 79.60%, whereas for Internationally-educated, it was 48.28%. The pass rate of US-educated nurses in NCLEX-PN was 75.03%, whereas for Internationally-educated, it was 40.15%.
Conclusion
You can visit the NCLEX webpage specifically built for documents like sample questions, exam preview, and different tutorials related to preparations for these exams through this link.