10 Myths About the NCLEX-RN

Did you hear that more people pass the NCLEX-RN on Thursdays than on Fridays? Did you know that you don’t stand a chance of passing if your name has an R in it? These are just a few of the wild — and false — rumors and myths that surround the NCLEX-RN exam.

Length of the NCLEX-RN exam matters

More people agonize over when the test “shuts off” than any other topic concerning the NCLEX-RN. Rumor says that if your test stops at 75 questions, you’ve passed, and if you get 265 questions, you’ve failed. (You may also hear the reverse — fewer questions equal failure and more questions equal passing.)

The truth is that the length of your test has nothing to do with whether you pass or fail. The number of questions you get is based on how you answer the questions. If you answered correctly, a harder question is given to you. If you answer incorrectly, an easier question is given to you.

The NCLEX-RN uses a program called Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT), which assesses a test taker’s abilities (as in whether you can answer difficult questions correctly or only simple ones) based on his or her answers to exam questions and searches its bank of test questions for questions that are equal to the test taker’s abilities. The fact that the NCLEX-RN uses CAT means that, depending on your performance, you may answer fewer questions than you’d have to answer on other types of tests that determine your knowledge of safe and effective nursing care.

Although the exam doesn’t have a time limit for each question, keep a steady pace and try to spend about one minute on each question.

Every NCLEX-RN question counts

This point may sound like a reasonable assumption for any exam, but for the NCLEX-RN, it’s false. The NCLEX-RN uses you as a guinea pig to try out new questions that aren’t yet part of the scored test. Each candidate’s exam contains up to 15 experimental questions, but, tricky devils that they are, the exam folks don’t tell you which ones are the experimental items. So, despite the myth, treat every question as if it counts, even though it really may not, to be on the safe side.

Computer savvy is essential

You don’t have to be a computer whiz to take the NCLEX-RN. When you show up for the exam, the test administrator conducts an orientation, and you work through a tutorial that explains how to use the keys and how to record your answers. (When taking the exam, you only use two keys: the space bar to move the cursor and the enter key to highlight and lock in your answer.) The tutorial also covers how to respond to questions that may use a format other than multiple choice.

You’re allowed to ask the test administrator for help if you have trouble with the computer during the test.

You can’t stop ’til you’re done

After you sit down at the computer to take the NCLEX-RN, two breaks are prescheduled. The first break comes after 2 hours of testing, and the second break comes after 3.5 hours of testing. (You have up to 6 hours to take the test, though most test takers finish in 2.) The computer even tells you when you can take a break, so all you have to do is focus on the test.

Taking a break at prearranged times or times you chose, counts against your testing time, so don’t overdo it. But if you need a quick breath of fresh air and a stretch, a few minutes away from the test may be worth it. Clearing your head and relaxing your body may be just what you need to keep your momentum going, your brain sharp, and your anxiety at bay.

You take breaks outside the testing room, and the test administrator makes sure you follow all the rules and get back to your test without any problems.

The NCLEX-RN test plays off your weakness

The NCLEX-RN isn’t out to get you. When you answer a question incorrectly, the computer automatically chooses an easier question for you to answer. If you answer that question correctly, it chooses a slightly more difficult question. Throughout the exam, the computer gives you questions based on your answer to a previous question’s difficulty level.

What the computer is trying to establish is your competence level, or ability to correctly answer approximately 50 percent of the questions you’re given, which means you need to be above the passing standard consistently to show competency. The computer is able to establish your competence level after a minimum number of questions. It then compares your competence level to the passing standard competence level and makes one of the following assessments:

• You’re above the passing standard. You pass, and the test ends.
• You’re below the passing standard. You fail, and the test ends.
• You’re close to the passing standard, but it’s still not clear whether you should pass or fail. You continue answering questions until either the computer can make the determination of whether you should pass or fail or the time runs out.

The NCLEX-RN tries to give you every opportunity to demonstrate that you have the knowledge, judgment, and skill to get that license. This type of testing actually improves your chances of demonstrating a passing score.

You have to wait eons to retake a failed test

The waiting period for retesting is 45 days. This period gives you enough time to continue studying and reviewing, but you don’t have to wait so long that the knowledge you have becomes obsolete.

If you fail the exam at any point, the state’s board of nursing sends you a Candidate Performance Report (CPR). This report summarizes your strengths and weaknesses based on the NCLEX-RN test plan, breaking down whether you were above, near, or below passing standard in a given area. (The preceding section explains what these standards mean.) This information is very helpful because it lets you know exactly what you need to study so that you don’t waste precious time studying what you already can demonstrate knowledge of.

Your first instinct is probably wrong

The NCLEX-RN doesn’t allow you to go back and review the questions you’ve already answered. When you submit an answer, it’s gone forever. The ability to only move forward prevents that pitfall of reconsidering and changing your answers and, in the process, losing precious time.

The questions are presented one at a time, and you can review each one for as long as you want before you submit your answer. You must confirm your submission before you can go on to the next question, so you can be sure of your choice.

You can change your answer before you submit it, but keep in mind that you’re most likely to choose the correct answer right off the bat because you make the choice calmly and rationally. When you change your answers, you’re second-guessing yourself, which leads to uncertainty and doubt that just balloons until you aren’t sure about anything anymore. That’s definitely not a good way to make a correct decision. So read the question, find your keywords, analyze your answers, and then choose your answer based on what you see in the question and know about the content being tested. If you’re having a “could-be” or “might-be” conversation with yourself, move on and leave your first answer as it is.

The same question popped up twice

The NCLEX-RN doesn’t contain repeat questions, so you won’t see the same question more than once. You may receive a question that contains similar symptoms or diseases to another question but actually addresses a different area of the nursing process.

Don’t assume that you receive a similar question because you answered a previous question incorrectly. Some items on the test are trial questions. Seeing two similar questions may (or may not) indicate you’ve gotten one of those experimental items. Always choose the best answer for each question; don’t select an answer based on information you may have seen in a previous question.

Your test schedule chooses you

You can choose not only your test date but also the time you want to take your test. This control gives you the upper hand in scheduling yourself for success. After you receive your Authorization to Test (ATT) from the board of nursing in the state in which you’re taking your exam, you can schedule your test date and time. Don’t wait to schedule, though, because the longer you wait, the less likely you are to get the schedule you want.

If you’re a first-time test taker, you’re offered an appointment within 30 days; if you’re a repeat test taker, you will be offered an appointment after 45 days. You may choose to make an appointment later than what you’re offered, but make sure you stay within your ATT time frame when you schedule. Otherwise, you lose that attempt. By choosing your own test schedule, you ensure that the day of your test doesn’t conflict with anything else you may have scheduled.

Schedule your test so that you have a six-hour window. Keep in mind that the NCLEX-RN session can last up to six hours (including orientation).

Choice (3) is the magic answer, and other multiple-choice fails

Conventional wisdom claims that multiple-choice tests use Choice (C) as a correct answer more than any other answer choice. In the language of the NCLEX-RN, Choice (C) translates to Choice (3), but the fact remains that the correct answers don’t follow any particular pattern. The chance of the correct answer to any NCLEX question being Choice (3) is no better than the correct answer being Choice (1), Choice (2), or Choice (4).

Another trap: When test takers don’t know the answer to a question, they tend to choose the answer option that they know nothing about. They assume that if they don’t know what it is, it must be the right answer. Nothing could be more incorrect. If you can’t determine the correct answer, your best option is to choose an answer option that you know something about. When you’re unsure of the correct choice, choosing something you know is an educated guess, and it may be correct.