The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) is the currently accepted Nurse Licensure examination in the United States and some parts of the world. In order to practice nursing, hopefuls must have a 

(1) recognized nursing degree, 

(2) pass the NCLEX and 

(3) approved application from the Nursing Regulatory Board (NRB).

Passing the NCLEX is an important milestone as it provides the NRBs a standardized examination to independently verify an applicant’s nursing knowledge and gauge one’s ability to safely practice as an entry level nurse. The exam framework is current based on the latest 2019 NCLEX-RN Test Plan developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and will remain unchanged until 2023 to ensure consistency with nurse practice.

The NCLEX is administered by using a testing method known as Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT). It is a digital exam algorithm that continues to re-estimate your nursing ability based on your answers and the difficulty of questions. 

This system is designed to serve up questions that, according to your previous answers, are difficult enough to give you a 50 percent chance of answering correctly. The duration of the test also varies with each candidate. If an examinee is on the edge of a passing score, the test-taker will continue to receive questions until a confidence threshold is met by answering enough questions correctly between 75-365. 

(145 maximum due to new COVID 19 policies) or by simply running out of the given examination time of 5 hours. 

This responsive format helps develop a better gauge of an examinee’s overall competence.

Feeling prepared for the NCLEX is important, so knowing how to study properly for the exam is essential. With the right educational resources, you’ll be feeling more confident in your ability to pass with flying colors.