NCLEX-PN

Calculating Competence : By continually adjusting question difficulty based on your responses, the computer is adept at calculating your level of competence. This adaptive approach ensures that the questions remain appropriately aligned with your knowledge and skill level. This adaptive testing methodology enhances the precision of assessing your nursing knowledge and skills, ultimately contributing to a more fair and reliable evaluation of your readiness for the NCLEX-PN® exam. Exam Structure Whether you complete the NCLEX-PN® exam in 85 questions (the minimum number) or 150 questions (the maximum), the test format includes a mix of standalone questions and case study question sets. Standalone Questions : Standalone questions can be answered independently without considering other questions on the exam. These questions may be text-based or include a chart/exhibit in place of some text. The most common standalone question type is the familiar text-based four-option multiple-choice question. Some standalone questions are case-based. They begin by introducing a client, their diagnosis or symptoms upon admission, and their medical record. Depending on the context, you may need to analyze vital signs, physical assessment findings, and/or healthcare provider orders. While foundational nursing knowledge is crucial for these questions, clinical judgment is equally important. Case Study Question Sets : You'll also encounter case-based questions presented in six-item sets . These sets start with an introduction to a client case, passage, or vignette. In these six-item sets, you must use information obtained in earlier questions to answer subsequent ones in the set. Each "tab" of the medical record displays an aspect of the same client case, including nurse's notes, history, and physical, laboratory, or diagnostic results, flow sheets, admission or progress notes, intake and output, and medications. Additional "unfolding" tabs may appear as you progress through the set, providing new information for the current and subsequent questions. Once you move to a subsequent question in a set, you cannot return to previous questions to revise your responses, but you can adjust based on newly added information as you answer the remaining questions. Navigation : Case-based questions appear as a split screen. The case remains static on the left side, while the right side changes with each individual question. Within each set of six questions, you may encounter different question types, such as highlight items, Matrix items, Cloze items, and more. You can distinguish between standalone questions and question sets by checking the boldface text in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. "Case Study Screen 1 of 1" indicates a standalone question, while "Case Study Screen 1 of 6" (or similar) signifies a question in a six-item set. The structure of a minimum-length NCLEX-PN® exam, comprising 85 questions, includes three scored six-item question sets (18 scored questions) and 52 scored standalone items, totaling 70 scored items. The remaining 15 questions are unscored experimental items. Questions after reaching the minimum length of 85 continue until the computer makes a pass/fail decision, you answer 150 questions, or you reach the maximum testing time of 5 hours. All remaining items will be scored, with approximately 10% being case-based standalone items and the rest approximately 90% being non-case-based standalone items. Don't be concerned about the test's length

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