After years of study, it may be intimidating to imagine all of your hard work culminating in one test that decides whether or not you’re ready to practice in the nursing field. Fortunately, with proper preparation, the test itself will not be nearly as intimidating as you may think. If you dedicated yourself to your studies and soaked up everything during your clinicals, you will likely fare quite well and be given the green light to begin your nursing career. However, very few nursing students feel comfortable taking the NCLEX without doing everything possible to pass the test on the first try. Let’s examine the test in detail and review some preparation options, so you’ll feel comfortable and confident come exam time.
What is the NCLEX?
Passing the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX, is a prerequisite to become a registered nurse. The exam, which is established by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, is available in two forms: the NCLEX-PN taken by aspiring practical vocational nurses and the NCLEX-RN for aspiring registered nurses.
How Do I Take the Exam?
Both forms of the exam are administered on a computer and are known as computer adaptive tests. This simply means that the exam questions change according to your answers. If you answer a question incorrectly, the next question will be easier. Conversely, if you answer a question correctly, the following question will be more difficult. All of the questions are weighted in relation to a “pass line” and the exam score is determined by the number of questions scored below or above the pass line.
How Long Does It Take?
Students have five hours to take the NCLEX, but if you study the material beforehand, it is unlikely that you will need the entire time allotted for the exam, so don’t let this intimidate you. In all, depending on your answers, the test can involve as few as 75 questions or as many as 265 questions. However, the NCLEX-RN has more questions than the NCLEX-PN.
What is the Difference Between the NCLEX-RN and the NCLEX-PN?
Both versions of the exam will cover the same material, but the NCLEX-PN will have some questions pertaining to asking RNs for help, while the NCLEX-RN has some questions about delegating responsibilities to nursing assistants and PNs.
How Do I Register for the NCLEX?
Prior to registering for the NCLEX, you must first apply for your nursing license from your state nursing board. After this has been done, you can pay the $200 application fee and register for the NCLEX via Pearson-Vue. After registering, the state nursing board has one year to determine your eligibility.
Upon being deemed eligible to take the exam and receive licensure from your state nursing board, you will receive an “Authorization to Test” from Pearson-Vue. This exam authorization will provide you with the available NCLEX testing dates. You can then pick a date and schedule your NCLEX test by visiting the Pearson-Vue website.
What is the Best Way to Prepare?
To prepare for the NCLEX, you should first familiarize yourself with the exam and learn as much about it as possible. The NCLEX Detailed Test Plan states that you’ll be tested on health promotion and maintenance, safe and effective care, basic nursing care, infection control, psychosocial integrity, physiological adaptations, and pharmacology.
It may be easy to panic after learning about the comprehensive list of testing topics, but if you have been studying nursing for any period of time, chances are you already know this information inside and out, so there is no need to worry. However, it is still wise to prepare for the exam, but you may be wondering what’s the best way to prepare for the NCLEX degree nursing exam? Luckily, there are countless preparation options. You can study by yourself, engage in group study, study with the help of a NCLEX review book, take free online practice tests, or even register for a review course.
When weighing your options, you should take your personal learning style into consideration. Do you learn best by studying by yourself or with others? Do you prefer to hear something or read it? Do you need the structure of a review course or are you able to commit to your own study plan? The answers to these questions will determine the best course of action for your NCLEX preparation. Regardless of the route you choose, aspiring nurses now have more NCLEX preparation options than ever before.
What’s Next?
After completing the NCLEX, you will receive your official exam results in two to six weeks. That being said, you can receive your unofficial results only two business days after the exam by visiting the NCLEX candidate website and checking out the quick results service or by calling 1-900-776-2539. If you prepared properly, you should be ready to begin an exciting and rewarding career in the nursing field.