It's no secret that the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX, is one of the most important exams a nurse can take. Passing it is essential for becoming a registered nurse.
Unfortunately, not everyone who takes the NCLEX passes on their first try. In fact, according to statistics from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, or NCSBN, the pass rate for first-time test-takers in 2021 was just over 85%.
While a first-time pass rate of 85% may seem moderate, it still means that nearly 1 in 5 people who take the NCLEX fail.
So, if you're feeling nervous about taking the NCLEX, or if you've already taken it and are waiting to find out your results, you may be wondering how you'll know if you've failed.
Of course, the only way to know for sure if you've failed the NCLEX is to receive your official results from the NCSBN. However, there are some signs that may indicate that you did not pass. Here are five of them.
What is NCLEX?
Before getting a nursing license, the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is the final hurdle that stands in your way.
This is a computerized adaptive exam where the questions progressively become more challenging and strenuous as you get more right answers. Still, on wrong answers, it reverses, and the questions become easier.
For NCLEX RN, there are a minimum of 75 questions and a maximum of 265 questions, while for NCLEX PN, the lower range is 85, and the upper limit is 265.
The passing percentage in the first attempt for both of these exams is around 85 percent, and 15% of freshers fail to clear this exam.
How the NCLEX RN Is Scored?
The NCLEX RN is a computer adaptive test that uses a question bank of approximately 145 questions.
It is scored on a scale of 0-145 with a passing score of 75. The test adapts to the examinee’s ability, so the number of questions and the difficulty level of each question varies for each person.
Signs You Failed the NCLEX RN
1- Nervousness before or after the exam
Some slight nervousness is natural, but if you are constantly overwhelmed by the feelings of anxiety and fear even after preparing for months, then you must be doing something wrong.
Confidence in one's exam preparation comes from practice and hard work. If you miss even one of these two factors, your confidence will hit rock bottom, and consequently, you will fail the exam.
2- Questions were too easy
NCLEX is a computerized progressive exam in which the difficulty level slowly raises as you solve more questions correctly. If you feel like the computer is not showing you the real hard questions, you must have made many mistakes in your starting questions.
Suppose the computer keeps asking you theoretical questions related to fundamental concepts such as signs and symptoms of diseases and some common numerical values.
In that case, you must have failed to solve enough problematic questions to convince the system of your nursing knowledge.
Also read: Best NCLEX Review Books For NCLEX Prep
3- 95% Confidence Interval Rule
The NCLEX RN asks a minimum of 75 questions, and NCLEX asks 85, but if you are asked less than this number, the computer might declare you not good enough for the exam. If the system believes you can’t pass this exam, it stops showing you questions before the minimum question limit is reached.
However, if you are having an excellent run and your exam stops at the minimum question number, then it means that you have aced your exam.
These are two scenarios and it really depends on which category you fall into!
4- The Pearson Vue NCLEX trick showed a bad omen
One of the quickest ways to guess whether you have passed or failed your exam is by trying to re-register yourself for the exam. If the website allows you to complete your registration, this is not a good sign, and you might want to start preparing again.
But this is not a 100 percent accurate way to guess the result, sometimes, this process gives the wrong answer, and you might waste your fee, which can’t be refunded.
5- Ran out of the time rule
The NCLEX-RN has a time limit of six hours. Once you reach the six-hour mark, you will no longer be able to continue with the exam. If you have not completed the exam by then, you will automatically fail or the computer will make the result based on your attempted answers.
This rule is in place to ensure that all test takers have an equal opportunity to complete the exam.
6- Unfamiliar questions or terms in the test
If the questions or terms asked by the computer sounded alien to you, then perhaps you were not as well prepared as you had initially thought. This is a huge wake-up call for you to start your early preparations and remove the mistakes which you have made this time.
7- Unsatisfactory result in the Mock test
Some prep courses have mock exams, which are an excellent tool to access your exam preparation. Real exam-like the situation is presented to you, and if you do well here, you have a high chance of repeating the same in the exams.
8- The last question was too easy
The exam is designed in such a way that the questions slowly progress from easier to more complex.
If your exam goes off while the last question was too easy, you might have a problem, but the difficulty of the exam is subjective. What is hard for one might feel easy to the other.
What to do if you fail the NCLEX?
Passing the NCLEX is a big deal. It’s a huge accomplishment, and it means that you have fulfilled your goal of becoming a nurse.
However, in the event that you don’t pass on your first try, it can be discouraging. You may feel like giving up or like there is no point in continuing to study.
But remember that failing the exam is not uncommon, and many people who eventually pass the NCLEX did so after failing it once or twice first.
If you fail the NCLEX, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Don't Panic
Don’t panic! Failing once doesn’t mean that you won’t pass at all. In fact, most people who take the NCLEX more than once do eventually get their license!
2. Register Yourself ASAP
Immediately register for the next exam date; don’t wait until after your scheduled appointment with your state board (which won’t occur until 30 days after your last attempt). This way, if you need to schedule another appointment with your state board, they will be able to accommodate you quickly.
3. Analyze your weak points
The first thing you should do after failing is analyzed what went wrong. If you're like most students, there will be some areas where your performance was subpar—the questions you answered incorrectly or had difficulty with, for example. Take note of these weak points, because they're the areas where you need to focus your studying going forward.
4. Take a practice exam
Taking a practice exam is the first step in preparing for your next attempt at passing the NCLEX. You can purchase a full-length NCLEX test from any of the testing companies or find free resources online.
Use these exams to gauge your weaknesses and study accordingly. If you're missing questions on medication safety, focus on that area until it becomes second nature. If you're struggling with the prioritization of patient needs, read up on that topic until you feel comfortable with it.
Lippincott's NCLEX Review Guide has over 3,000 sample questions with correct and incorrect answers and rationales, as well as a diskette with 100 more.
Also read: How To Create The Best NCLEX Study Plan?
5. Hire a tutor or enroll in a prep course
Review your exam results carefully (you can access them online). Look for patterns in any questions that gave you trouble — for example, did one particular subject throw off your entire test score? Did you encounter any particular type of question repeatedly? If so, that's where you need to focus your studying.
Contact an NCLEX tutor who specializes in helping students prepare for the exam and review their performance afterward. The tutor may be able to help pinpoint areas where improvement is needed as well as offer tips on how to study more effectively in those areas going forward.
6. Devise a study plan
Figure out what went wrong last time around and devise a plan to avoid making those same mistakes again. If you didn't study enough or didn't know enough about certain areas of nursing, then find out where you need more help and go back over those topics until they're familiar to you.
If you think there might be something else going on with your anxiety levels or focus that could be contributing to poor performance on exams like this one, consider seeking out some professional help from someone who can diagnose and treat such issues (like a psychologist or psychiatrist).
7. Be Positive
Be positive. It's easier said than done, but try not to dwell on the negative aspects of failing the NCLEX. Remember all those times when you were studying and you felt like it was going well? Those were positive times and they should be remembered as such.
It can be tempting to give up after failing the NCLEX but don't do it. You've come too far to turn back now. Remember why you wanted to become a nurse in the first place and use that motivation to push you forward. Stay positive and motivated, and you will succeed!
To Summarize - Signs You Failed The NCLEX
If you've failed the NCLEX, don't worry! You're not alone, and there are plenty of things you can do to increase your chances of passing the next time around.
Failure is part of moving forward, and one can’t fail if he doesn’t even try. You must remember that you have only failed this exam, and it is not the end of the world, you have reached this far, and you can go beyond. You just need to change your approach. You can do this!
