Signs You Failed the NCLEX: What to Do if You Failed- SimpleNursing (2024)

FAQs

How do I know if I failed my NCLEX? ›

An NCLEX Candidate Performance Report was sent to you.

The Candidate Performance Report (CPR) is an NCSBN official report detailing your performance in each test plan's topic areas. If you receive it, that means you failed the exam. To prepare for retaking the exam, you can utilize the CPR as a reference.

Even though you may feel convinced you knew nothing on the NCLEX and are sure you failed, in reality, you probably passed the test. The usual passing rate of NCLEX candidates studying nursing in the U.S. is around 86%. So statistically, you have a far better chance of passing than failing.

To reapply after you failed NCLEX, contact your Nursing Regulatory Board/State Board of Nursing and notify them that you plan to retake the exam. The BON will advise you of any documents or fees you need to submit before you can retest. Log in to your Pearson VUE account and re-register for the NCLEX exam.

You can successfully answer the first 59 questions, but if you don't get to question 60, you will automatically fail the exam. Another method to fail the exam is to not answer enough questions properly within the allocated time or to not answer enough questions correctly out of the maximum of 145 or 265 questions.

Are NCLEX Quick Results Accurate? The NCLEX Quick Results/Pearson Vue Quick Results are believed to be 100% accurate. However, the quick results are computer-generated and unofficial. Official results are released by the state board of nursing, not the NCLEX Quick Results Service.

What Does the Bad Pop up For the NCLEX Say? The bad pop-up for the NCLEX will say something along the lines of “Our records indicate that you have recently scheduled this exam. Another registration cannot be made at this time.”

If the last question on the NCLEX was easy, it means you got a question that was easy or a topic you knew very well. While that could be a sign you passed, you won't know for sure until the official results are available.

2. The “bad” email: You get a Candidate Performance Report (CPR) Candidate performance reports are only sent to people who failed the NCLEX, so if you get one emailed to you, then, unfortunately, you have not passed. This is 100% accurate.

Does 145 questions on NCLEX mean you failed? No, if you answer all 145 questions on the NCLEX, that does not mean you fail. In fact, if you answered 145 questions and each question was progressively more challenging, then that is a good sign that you passed.

How Reliable Is the Pearson Vue NCLEX Trick? Like all hacks, the Pearson Vue NCLEX results trick may not always be 100% accurate. Some sources suggest good pop-ups, which indicate you passed the NCLEX, are more accurate than bad pop-ups which indicate an unsuccessful NCLEX attempt.

When should I schedule NCLEX after failing? ›

NCLEX Retake Policy

The NCSBN requires that an individual wait a full 45 days from the date of their first test before retaking the exam. The 45-day waiting period applies to any additional attempts; the applicant must wait a full 45 days from the date of their last attempt.

Failing the NCLEX may indicate that your study habits were not optimal. Identify your areas of opportunity, and be clear about how you will alter your approach for your next attempt. You may have tried to cram too much studying into too short a time, or you might have not studied enough.

The first fifteen questions are pretest items and are not used to score the exam and determine if a test-taker has passed the NCLEX-RN. Not all candidates will answer the maximum number of questions. However, everyone who takes the exam must complete a minimum of 75 questions.

Each category of questions requires an increasing level of critical thinking skills. Analysis, synthesis and evaluation questions would be considered higher-level NCLEX questions. Synthesis questions are based on creating or proposing solutions, such as a plan of care.

The test starts easy and, as you answer questions correctly, gradually increases in difficulty. The NCLEX will ramp up the difficulty until you get a question wrong.

Candidates who attempt a certification exam with Pearson VUE will receive a score report upon completion of the exam. To view the score report, please log into Pearson VUE and click “View Score Reports” under My Account.

The only way you will receive your official results is through your nursing regulatory body. This takes place approximately six weeks after you take the NCLEX. Some things to note: If you have not received your results after six weeks, contact your nursing regulatory body.

The Pearson Vue Trick cannot be attempted until you have taken the NCLEX exam and received the email confirming your exam results. It is important to wait at least an hour after the exam before attempting the trick, as this will ensure that all necessary information has been transferred to Pearson Vue.

The NCLEX trick is not 100% accurate. Some students have reported getting “a bad pop-up” when they passed and getting “the good pop-up” when they failed.

Does the Pearson trick work? ›

Is Pearson Vue trick accurate? No, the Pearson Vue Trick is not 100% accurate. It is just a method created to help test-takers know about their result before the official results.

If the last question is below the level of difficulty needed to pass, the candidate fails. If the last question is above the level of difficulty needed to pass, the candidate passes.

Failing the test can result in not answering the minimum amount of 70 questions within the allotted time. You can answer the first 69 questions correctly, but you will automatically fail the exam if you don't reach number 70.

always, never, all, and only. These words do not allow for the possibility of an exception, and therefore the answers that contain these words can be automatically eliminated. Never choose an answer that describes the nurse's actions as "vigorous."

Employers typically can't see how many times you've taken the NCLEX. Even if they can, it's unlikely to matter as much as you think. Facilities are more concerned with you having an active, unencumbered nursing license.

Yes, you can pass the NCLEX-RN by answering only 75 questions. Keep in mind, the number of questions you answer may be a sign you passed, but it is not a definite sign. If your questions got progressively more challenging until the test stopped, this is one of the good signs you passed NCLEX in 2023.

When the NCLEX-RN shuts off at 75 questions, it means you either did very well or very poorly—enough so that the CAT model is 95% confident in your success or failure after only one-third of the possible 265 exam questions. Further, in a 75-question test only 60 questions are counted toward your passing score.

If a student got all 265 questions, that would mean they are really straddling the competency line. The NCLEX algorithm is complicated, but it's a very smart, adaptive test. After you get past 75 questions, once it determines whether you're above passing or below passing, it will shut off.

Does Pearson VUE give results? ›

Pearson VUE will send candidates an email when the results are posted, directing candidates to log-in and check their accounts for these results. You can also login and check your Pearson VUE account to see if your results are available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some SATA questions are higher-level NCLEX questions but not all. It ultimately depends on how the test question writers wrote that particular question.

One of the NCSBN's findings when evaluating the NCLEX is that nurses are more often caring for critically ill clients than has traditionally been the case. This increased client acuity means that new NCLEX questions are more difficult, with an increased focus on caring for more critically ill clients.

Run-Out-Of-Time Rule

For examinees taking the NCLEX-RN, at least 75 questions must be answered. A minimum of 85 questions must be completed on the NCLEX-PN exam. Test-takers who do not answer the minimum number of questions within the time limit automatically fail the test.

Does NCLEX-RN Get Harder with Every Retake After Failing? Some candidates mistakenly believe that the NCLEX is harder each time. Questions become more challenging with each correct answer you provide on the NCLEX. However, subsequent tests are not easier or more difficult than previous exams.

A: “Near the Passing Standard” means a particular candidate's ability estimate is not clearly above or clearly below the passing standard in a content area.

The maximum number of questions in both exams is 145. Therefore, test-takers typically answer between 75 and 145. Since the test is adaptive, the NCLEX percentage to pass will vary for each candidate.

Easy questions on the NCLEX are questions that are lower on Bloom's taxonomy level. These are memorization style questions that do not require any critical thinking or application.

The NCLEX is scored using dichotomous scoring, so you can either pass or fail the exam. Currently, to pass the NCLEX-RN, the standard is 0.00 logits–or answer questions correctly at least 50% of the time.

How many questions should I do a day to pass NCLEX? ›

We recommend that you complete about 2,800 practice questions before your exam. If you are giving yourself a month to study, that means that you would be doing about 100 NCLEX practice questions per day.

According to the NCLEX writers, if you pass 50% of only the "easy" questions, you fail after 75 questions. If you pass 50% of the "harder" questions, you pass. If you are close to the passing score, the computer keeps asking questions until it clearly knows if you can only answer easy or difficult questions.

The NCSBN retake policy allows candidates to retake their exam 45 days after administration of the exam.

Employers typically can't see how many times you've taken the NCLEX. Even if they can, it's unlikely to matter as much as you think. Facilities are more concerned with you having an active, unencumbered nursing license.

Analysis, synthesis and evaluation questions would be considered higher-level NCLEX questions. Synthesis questions are based on creating or proposing solutions, such as a plan of care.

Answering all 145 questions on the NCLEX-RN alone does not mean you failed the exam. However, with each correct answer you provide, the test should give you a question that becomes increasingly more difficult than the previous one.

If the last question is below the level of difficulty needed to pass, the candidate fails. If the last question is above the level of difficulty needed to pass, the candidate passes.

NCLEX Retake Policy

The NCSBN requires that an individual wait a full 45 days from the date of their first test before retaking the exam. The 45-day waiting period applies to any additional attempts; the applicant must wait a full 45 days from the date of their last attempt.

The NCLEX trick is not 100% accurate. Some students have reported getting “a bad pop-up” when they passed and getting “the good pop-up” when they failed.

What are the three pass fail rules for NCLEX? ›

There are three pass/fail rules for the NCLEX examinations: the Run-Out-Of-Time rule, the Maximum-Length Exam Rule and the 95-Percent Confidence Interval Rule.

Can You Work If You Fail the NCLEX? In the United States, you cannot work as a nurse if you fail the NCLEX. This is because you cannot work as a nurse without a nursing license, and you cannot receive a nursing license without passing NCLEX.

If they fail, they'll need to wait 45 days before retesting. After failing three times, though, they'll need to complete a board-approved remediation program before the next retake. test-takers have six attempts to pass in total.