National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses Success Research Articles

Adapting NCLEX-RN remediation during the COVID-19 pandemic

AimRemediation is used by nursing programs to promote success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Evidence related to distance learning as a strategy for NCLEX-RN remediation is non-existent. The aim of this paper is to report the results of a remediation course converted to a virtual format from a traditional format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodUsing an on-line meeting platform, at-risk students enrolled in a pre-licensure nursing program in the Midwest, United States, actively participated in a remediation course. Students met as a group and answered NCLEX-RN questions. The on-line platform allowed discussion among the instructor and students that promoted critical thinking related to nursing content and test-taking strategies. Students were also encouraged to complete NCLEX-RN questions outside of meeting times. ResultsStudents voiced satisfaction with the method of course delivery and felt the course increased their knowledge and confidence in answering questions. The NCLEX-RN pass rate for remediating students was 77.8%. ConclusionA remediation course offered through distance learning proved to be effective in promoting NCLEX-RN success among at-risk students.

Nursing Faculty Coaches: Uncovering a Hidden Resource for NCLEX-RN Success.

This article presents a nursing faculty department's strategy to empower nursing students identified as being at risk for not passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) on the first attempt while significantly increasing the nursing program's overall first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. These students were identified as being at risk because of their low scores on standardized assessments with national norms predicting the likelihood of passing the NCLEX on the first attempt. This account details the NCLEX-RN Coaching Partnership as an exemplar to support nursing students' success through caring relationships with nursing faculty. Faculty coaches offered support, fostered confidence, and maintained accountability with the identified nursing students. The students provided positive feedback regarding the NCLEX-RN Coaching Partnership and ultimately attributed their passing to the coaching relationships. Seven of the eight identified students passed the examination on the first attempt; the overall program's first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate increased significantly from 78% to 90%.

Contemplative Practices, Self-efficacy, and NCLEX-RN Success.

Despite program completion, not all graduates are successful on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Contemplative practices such as meditation and guided imagery were added to an NCLEX-RN preparatory course. The difference between self-efficacy scores at the beginning and end of the course was statistically significant. Students reported that the contemplative activities were beneficial, and they would use these activities again in the future.

If Not Me, Then Who?

Critical thinking (CT) skills are expected of all nurses, yet a limited number of studies have explored the impact of CT on National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) pass rates. We examined 110 students in a first-degree accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program to explore whether CT is a first-attempt predictor of NCLEX-RN success. We found that there was a statistically significant relationship between CT scores and passing the NCLEX-RN.

Correlation Between Critical Thinking Skills and National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses Success in Accelerated Bachelor Nursing Students

Critical thinking (CT) skills are expected of all nurses, yet a limited number of studies have explored the impact of CT on National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) pass rates. We examined 110 students in a first-degree accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program to explore whether CT is a first-attempt predictor of NCLEX-RN success. We found that there was a statistically significant relationship between CT scores and passing the NCLEX-RN.

HESI admission assessment (A(2)) examination scores, program progression, and NCLEX-RN success in baccalaureate nursing: an exploratory study of dependable academic indicators of success.

In an effort to meet the demand for well-educated, high-quality nurses, schools of nursing seek to admit those candidates most likely to have both timely progression and first-time success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Finding the right combination of academic indicators, which are most predictive of success, continues to be an ongoing challenge for entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs across the United States. This pilot study explored the relationship of a standardized admission examination, the Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) Admission Assessment (A(2)) Examination to preadmission grade point average (GPA), science GPA, and nursing GPA using a retrospective descriptive design. In addition, the predictive ability of the A(2) Examination, preadmission GPA, and science GPA related to timely progression and NCLEX-RN success were explored. In a sample of 89 students, no relationship was found between the A(2) Examination and preadmission GPA or science GPA. The A(2) Examination was correlated with nursing GPA and NCLEX-RN success but not with timely progression. Further studies are needed to explore the utility and predictive ability of standardized examinations such as the A(2) Examination and the contribution of such examinations to evidence-based admission decision making.

Impact of HESI Specialty Exams: The Ninth HESI Exit Exam Validity Study

Using an ex post facto, nonexperimental design, this, the ninth validity study of Elsevier's HESI Exit Exam (E(2)), reexamined the predictive accuracy of the E(2). The value of administering HESI Specialty Exams within the nursing curriculum in terms of E(2) scores was also investigated. The sample was composed of nursing students (N = 3,790) from 63 randomly selected schools-26 baccalaureate, 31 associate degree, and 6 diploma programs-throughout the United States who took the E(2) between September 2008 and August 2009. As in the previous 8 studies, the E(2) was found to be highly accurate (96.61%) in predicting success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Findings also indicated that students who took one or more HESI Specialty Exams during their nursing curriculum had a significantly higher mean E(2) score (P ≤ .0001) than students who did not take HESI Specialty Exams during their nursing curriculum. Of the 8 HESI Specialty Exams investigated, scores on the Critical Care, Pediatrics, and Medical-Surgical specialty exams were most predictive of NCLEX-RN success. Schools of nursing that used HESI Specialty Exams as course final exams had a significantly higher mean E(2) score (P < .01) than schools that used the exams for remediation and practice.

Predicting NCLEX-RN Success With the HESI Exit Exam: Eighth Validity Study

Increasingly, Elsevier's HESI Exit Exam (E(2)) is being used to assess students' readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Seven previously conducted validity studies indicate that the E(2) is 96.36%-99.16% accurate in predicting NCLEX-RN success. Findings of this eighth validity study, which also investigated the predictive accuracy of repeat testing with parallel versions of the E(2), indicated that the E(2) is highly accurate (94.93%-98.32%) in predicting NCLEX-RN success for the initial testing and 2 retests. Of the 66 participating nursing programs, deans and directors from 43 (65.15%) of the programs reported implementing a policy that used E(2) scores as a benchmark for remediation. A score of 850 was the most common E(2) benchmark designated by faculties, and students who failed to achieve the faculty-designated E(2) benchmark score were required to retest with a parallel version of the E(2). Remediation resources used to assist students in achieving faculty-designated E(2) benchmark scores varied widely, with many programs employing multiple remediation methods.

HESI Exams: Consequences and Remediation

A growing body of knowledge supports the use of Elsevier's standardized HESI exams as an admission criterion to evaluate ongoing student performance and curricular outcomes and to measure students' preparedness for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Because a plethora of research indicates that the HESI Exit Exam (E(2)) is a valid predictor of NCLEX-RN success, faculty often designate a benchmark E(2) score that students are required to achieve. Students who do not achieve the faculty-designated benchmark score are required to remediate and retest with a parallel version of the E(2) to determine the effectiveness of the remediation and to reevaluate the student's preparedness for the licensure exam. This study compared mean E(2) scores of students who attended schools that attached consequences to E(2) scores with students who attended schools that did not attach consequences to E(2) scores. Based on data obtained from the Eighth Validity Study Questionnaire, findings indicated that E(2) scores were significantly higher (P < .01) in schools that associated consequences with failure to achieve the faculty-designated E(2) score and were also significantly higher (P < .01) in schools that required, rather than merely suggested remediation.

Predictors of success in associate degree nursing programs

This retrospective correlational study was conducted to identify predictor factors to assist nursing programs in determining admission criteria. The dependent variables were nursing course grade point average (GPA) as a predictor of program success and National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) success. The independent variables were the American College Test (ACT) composite score, ACT math subscore, ACT reading subscore, ACT English subscore, ACT science subscore, grades in anatomy and physiology, and cumulative GPA prior to entering nursing school. The relationships between variables were analyzed using analysis of variance and logistic regression. The results of the study showed that all the independent variables in combination were predictors of success in the nursing program. The ACT English subscore was statistically significant ( p < .05) as a predictor of success in the nursing program of study. The variable of nursing GPA was the only independent predictor of NCLEX-RN success. With the growing shortage of nurses, critical evaluation of admission criteria is required. Findings of this study support the use of rigorous admission criteria in determining the most qualified students with the greatest potential for success.

Comparing NET and ERI Standardized Exam Scores between Baccalaureate Graduates Who Pass or Fail the NCLEX-RN©

In the United States, nursing programs are commonly evaluated by their graduates success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The purpose of this paper is to describe a change in NCLEX-RN success rates following the addition of standardized exams throughout our program's curriculum, and to compare these exam scores between graduates who pass NCLEX-RN and those who do not. Our results indicate an 8.5% change (p < 0.000) in the NCLEX-RN pass rate from our previous 5-year mean pass rate, and significant differences in standardized test scores for those who pass the NCLEX-RN compared to those who do not (p < 0.03). We conclude that our selected standardized exam scores are able to significantly identify graduates who are more likely to pass NCLEX-RN than not.

Choosing a Theoretical Framework to Guide HESI Exit Examination Research

This article responds to issues raised in 2004 by Spurlock and Hanks, who interpreted data that were presented in four published studies describing the validity of the Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) Exit Examination. The argument for using classical testing theory as the preferred theoretical framework to a clinical disease detection model is advanced. While the Spurlock and Hanks article promotes a philosophical bias against the establishment of progression policies within schools of nursing, this article offers another assessment of the merits of detecting at-risk students so timely remediation can occur prior to administration of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). From data presented in the four validity studies, the HESI Exit Examination was reported to be 96.36% to 98.30% accurate in predicting NCLEX-RN success, and those original findings are reaffirmed.

Can success and failure be predicted for baccalaureate graduates on the computerized NCLEX-RN?

The current shortage of nurses and declining national pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) has heightened educators' interest in identifying students at risk for failure. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted at a rural, public baccalaureate nursing program to determine variables that best predict NCLEX-RN success and failure. Data collected from 1998 through 2002 (N = 186) included entry as native or transfer student, preadmission grade point average (GPA), GPA after completing one semester of nursing courses, cumulative GPA at graduation, grades earned in prerequisite and core nursing courses, test averages in beginning and advanced medical/surgical nursing courses, and performance on the National League for Nursing Comprehensive Achievement Test for Baccalaureate Students (NLNCATBS). Logistic regression analysis revealed that a combination of test average in advanced medical/surgical nursing and percentile score on the NLNCATBS predicted 94.7 percent of NCLEX-RN passes and 33.3 percent of failures. The combination of NLNCATBS score and pathophysiology grade predicted 93.3 percent of NCLEX-RN passes and 50 percent of failures. Although success could be accurately predicted across all models, predicting failure was far more difficult.

Predictors of NCLEX-RN success in a baccalaureate nursing program as a foundation for remediation.

This study evaluated students' demographic and nursing program variables and standardized test scores to determine whether significant differences existed between students who successfully completed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and those who were unsuccessful. In addition, the predictive accuracy of two standardized examinations, the Mosby AssessTest and the Health Education Systems, Incorporated (HESI) Exit Examination were compared. Two cohorts of graduating senior nursing students were studied (1999 cohort N = 121; 2000 cohort N = 103). Demographic and nursing program variables were obtained from student records. The Undergraduate Studies Committee provided standardized test scores (Mosby AssessTest in 1999; HESI Exit Examination in 2000). Only two program variables were consistently associated with success on the NCLEX-RN--final course grade for a didactic, senior-level medical-surgical nursing course and cumulative program grade point average. Scores on both standardized tests were significantly different in students who were successful on the NCLEX-RN and those who were not. The HESI Exit Examination demonstrated greater sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and test efficiency, compared with the Mosby AssessTest. Use of program variables and students' standardized test scores may allow faculty to identify students at risk for failing the NCLEX-RN and to provide structured remediation so these students may be successful on the licensing examination and begin their nursing careers.

A model for intervention and predicting success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of selected academic variables to National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) performance and determine a "best set" of indicators predictive of NCLEX-RN success. These variables could be used as early indicators of students at risk for failing the NCLEX-RN. The sample for this retrospective ex post facto study included 152 basic students who completed the baccalaureate nursing program between 1985 and 1987 at a large midwestern university. Data were analyzed by using multiple regression analysis to determine the strongest combination of variables predicting NCLEX-RN success. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficients were computed between interval level criterion and predictor variables. The best predictors were a sophomore nursing theory course (N205), a junior nursing theory course (N311), the junior year grade point average (JGPA), and a senior nursing theory course (N421). Results of this study indicated that selected nursing theory courses and the JGPA could be used in a statistical model to predict pass or fail on the NCLEX-RN.