National Council Licensure Examination, known as NCLEX-RN exam, is given by selected countries to determine whether or not a candidate is prepared to begin working as an entry-level nurse in that country. USA, Canada, and Australia allow internationally educated nurses (those who studied basic nursing outside of USA, Canada, and Australia) to practice, if the person have minimum competency and skills required to be a safe and effective nurse. One way for these countries to ensure the minimum competency and skills of the nurse is by administering NCLEX-RN exam and see if they pass.  NCLEX-RN exam is the same exam for USA, Canada and Australia, no matter your choice of exam center location or paperwork state/territory. 

NCLEX-RN exam uses computerized adaptive testing (CAT) technology and passing standard estimates. Every time you answer a question, the computer re-estimates your ability based on all the previous answers and the difficulty of those questions. So, the number of questions and the kind of questions will not be the same for anyone as computer software will determine that number based on how good or bad the person is performing. The exam questions can range from 85 to 150, depending on your ability.  The question formats can differ, and scoring for each question is also different. If you would like to see examples of question patterns and how they are scored, please read the separate blog regarding this. https://applern.com/scoring-system-for-next-generation-nclex-rn-starting-from-april-1st-2023/

Unlike other exams, there is no percentage limit to pass, instead the NCLEX-RN uses a mathematical probability standard called “logit”, which is known as “passing standard”. You have to be “Above passing standard” in all areas of NCLEX-RN to pass the exam. Sometimes the computer will need only minimum number of questions (85) to make a decision on whether you are meeting the passing standard. This means, with 85 questions, you may pass or fail as computer needed only 85 questions to make a decision. But if computer cannot make a decision in 85 questions, it will keep giving more questions, until the decision can be made. This can range from 85 to 150, depending on your performance (any number of questions from 85 to 150 is possible). The maximum time allowed for the exam is 5 hours.  

So, how to prepare for this exam? Learn from the expert. At AppleRN classes our educator is Dr. Anila Simon, PhD, RN, CMSRN, CVRN. She obtained her PhD from Texas Woman’s University, USA and her PhD thesis and research is on educational intervention for NCLEX-RN exam. You have many options to choose from, no matter how busy you are. The success stories of our students can be viewed at https://applernmember.com/testimonials/ 

Good Luck