1. Kaplan Nursing- Behind the NCLEX-RN
Passing Rate Decline
2/18/14
Behind the NCLEX®
Examination Pass Rate
Barbara J. Irwin MSN RN
Executive Director of Nursing
Overview
Overview
NCLEX-RN® Pass Rates
NCLEX-RN® Pass Rates
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
NCLEX®-RN Test Plan
NCLEX-RN® Passing Standard
NCLEX®-RN Passing Standard
How to Help Students
How to Help Students
NCLEX® - RN Pass Rates
April 1, 2013
• Updated NCLEX RN examination test
plan implemented
• Increased passing standard
implemented (-0.16 logits to 0.00 logits)
NCLEX- RN® Pass Rate
Pass Rates - RN
Year
1997
1998*
1999
2000
2001***
2002
2003
2004*
2005
1st-­‐*me
US
87.7%
85%
84.8%
83.8%
85.5%
86.7%
87%
85.3%
87.3%
Repeat
US
53.3%
47.9%
50.5%
48.5%
50%
51.8%
51.9%
51.9%
53.6%
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2. Kaplan Nursing- Behind the NCLEX-RN
Passing Rate Decline
2/18/14
NCLEX- RN® Pass Rate
Pass Rates - RN
Year
2006
2007*
2008
2009
2010*
2011
2012
2013*
2014
Overview
1st
–Time
US
88.1%
85.5%
86.7%
88.43%
87.41%
87.89%
90.34%
83.04%
Repeat
US
54.2%
52.4%
53.3%
55.87%
53.95%
55.78%
55.63%
47.42
NCLEX-RN® Pass Rates
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
NCLEX®-RN Passing Standard
How to Help Students
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
2011 Practice Analysis
2011 Practice Analysis (cont)
• Survey contains 141 practice statements
• Sample drawn from successful
candidates testing between Jan 15 and
March 15, 2011
• Sample size – 12,000 candidates
• Provide care and education for adult
clients from the ages of 18 – 64.
• Assess clients for abuse or neglect and
intervene as appropriate.
• Provide and receive report on assigned
clients (e.g., standardized hand off
communication)
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
Findings
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
Findings (cont)
• 76% responders work in hospitals
• 59.2% responders care acutely ill clients
• 13.1% work in long term care
• 36.7% care for clients with chronic, stable
conditions
• 31% work on Medical/Surgical floors
• 28.4% care for client with chronic, unstable
conditions
• 23.5% work in critical care
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3. Kaplan Nursing- Behind the NCLEX-RN
Passing Rate Decline
2/18/14
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
Findings (cont)
Findings (cont)
• 56.1% responders care for clients aged 65-85
• Group Frequency
Lowest
– Implement and monitor phototherapy
– Provide care to clients in labor
Highest
– Organize workload to manage time
effectively
– Evaluate appropriateness and accuracy of
medication order
• 51.8% care for clients age 18-54
• 27.8% care for clients age 85 and older
• 6.3% care for clients age 13 - 17
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
Findings (cont)
2011 Knowledge Survey
• Group Importance
Lowest
– Plan and/or participate in community health
education
– Implement and monitor phototherapy
Highest
– Prepare and administer medication
– Apply principles of infection control
• Purpose is to identify knowledge needed by
newly-licensed nurses
• SMEs develop knowledge statements for all
activity statements
• Knowledge statements inform item writing
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
MOST Important Knowledge Statements
•
•
•
•
•
Medication error prevention (4.70)
Proper client identification (4.65)
Rights of medication administration (4.64)
Blood product complication (4.62)
Allergic reaction intervention (4.60)
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
Least Important Knowledge Statements
•
•
•
•
•
Phototherapy
Body Image Changes
Preschool Client Care
Postmortem care
Organ Donation Process
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4. Kaplan Nursing- Behind the NCLEX-RN
Passing Rate Decline
2/18/14
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
Test Plan
Test Plan (cont)
• Safe and Effective Care Environment
- Management of Care – 17-23%
- Safety and Infection Control – 9-15%
• Health Promotion and Maintenance – 6-12%
• Psychosocial Integrity – 6-12%
• Physiological Integrity
- Basic Care and Comfort – 6-12%
- Phamacological/Parenteral Therapies–
12-18%
- Reduction of Risk Potential – 9-15%
- Physiological Adaptation – 11-17%
NCLEX-RN® Passing Standard
NCLEX-RN® Pass Rates
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
NCLEX-RN® Passing Standard
How to Help Students
Ques*on
Difficulty
What
is
a
Computer
Adap*ve
Test?
Computer Adaptive Testing
Overview
New
Passing
Level
Passing
Level
(line
of
minimum
competency)
75-265 Questions
NCLEX-RN® Passing Standard
Rasch Model
• Type of Item Response Theory.
• Items and people are mapped on a
single continuum.
• Comparison of individuals is
independent of which items are included
on the test.
NCLEX-RN® Passing Standard
Logit
• Unit of measurement.
• Reports relative differences between
candidate ability estimates and item
difficulties.
• Range -3.0 – 3.0
NCSBN
4

5. Kaplan Nursing- Behind the NCLEX-RN
Passing Rate Decline
2/18/14
What is Tested?
What is Tested on the NCLEX® Exam?
Critical Thinking vs Clinical Judgment
Critical Thinking – What is It?
Thinking that is clear, rational, openminded and informed by evidence
Clinical Judgment
“Thinking about your own thinking to
improve your thinking”
Paul
Critical Thinking vs Clinical Judgment
Clinical Judgment – What is It?
“Clinical judgment refers to the ways in
which nurses come to understand the
problems, issues, or concerns of clients/
patients, to attend to salient information
and to respond in concerned and
involved ways.”
Critical Thinking vs Clinical Judgment
Clinical Reasoning – What is It?
“Processes by which nurses make their
judgments.”
Tanner (2006)
Benner et al. (1996)
How to Help Students
Overview
Successful NCLEX Candidates
NCLEX-RN® Pass Rates
• Understand the NCLEX-RN® examination is testing
clinical reasoning
NCLEX-RN® Test Plan
• Think about their thinking
NCLEX-RN® Passing Standard
• Effectively use available resources
How to Help Students
5

6. Kaplan Nursing- Behind the NCLEX-RN
Passing Rate Decline
2/18/14
How to Help Students
Explain the NCLEX® examination
• Unsuccessful students do not understand the
NCLEX® examination is only testing clinical judgment
• Unsuccessful students focus on content
How to Help Students
Teach students how to recognize
critical thinking
• Critical thinkers
-
-
-
-
-
-
Identify the problem
Look for patterns and relationships
Validate and organize data
Transfer knowledge from one situation to another
Consider all the options
Reflect
How to Help Students
How to engage in clinical reasoning
How to Help Students
Teach Students How to Remediate Test
Questions
• Consider the context of test question
• Discuss importance of study schedule.
• Determine what is important
• Give students permission to think through questions
• Thoughtfully consider all options
• Discuss active remediation. “Why did I miss this
question?”
• Discuss importance of reflection
References
Benner, P., Tanner, C.A., & Chesla, C.A. (1996). Expertise in nursing practice:
Caring, clinical judgment, and ethics. New York: Springer.
McDowell, B. M. (2008). KATTS: A framework for maximizing NCLEX-RN
performance. Journal of Nursing Education, 47, 183 – 186.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (2013). 2013 NCLEX Pass Rates.
Retrieved from: https://www.ncsbn.org/Table_of_Pass_Rates_2013.pdf
References
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (2013). 2011 RN Practice Analysis:
Linking the NCLEX-RN® Examination to Practice. Retrieved from:
https://www.ncsbn.org/12_RN_Practice_Analysis_Vol53.pdf
O’Neill, T. R., Marks, C. M. & Reynolds, M. R. (2005). Re-evaluating the NCLEXRN® passing standard. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 13(4), 147-165
Tanner, C.A. (2006). Thinking like a nurse: A research-based model of clinical
judgment in nursing. Journal of Nursing Education, 45, 204 – 211.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (2013). Report of Findings
from the 2011 RN Nursing Knowledge Survey. Retrieved from:
https://www.ncsbn.org/12_RN_KSA_Vol55_FINAL.pdf
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7. Kaplan Nursing- Behind the NCLEX-RN
Passing Rate Decline
2/18/14
THANK YOU!
Barbara Irwin, MSN, RN
Executive Director, Kaplan Nursing
barbara.irwin@kaplan.com
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