How to Pick a Nursing School - The 10 Most Important Questions You Should Ask!

Question #2 -- What is the school's NCLEX® examination pass-rate?

The NCLEX exam is the standardized exam that all nursing school graduates must take and pass in order to receive their Registered Nursing license.

In order to sit for the NCLEX® exam:

• students must apply for the exam


• complete a background check


• documentation must be sent from the nursing school to the board of nursing in the state the student will be taking the exam to prove the student has successfully completed a nursing program
  

Security is very tight at the testing site. Fingerprints and photo IDs are required to sit for the computer adaptive test (CAT for short) at an approved testing center.

A school's NCLEX® exam pass rate is an important indicator of how well they will prepare you for the exam and for practice.

How can I find out what a school's NCLEX® exam pass rate is?

• You can ask the school for their pass rate and number of graduates for the last 5-10 years
• You can look the stats up yourself:

a. Each state has their own board of nursing.

b. Each board of nursing publishes NCLEX® exam pass rate statistics on all nursing schools in their state.

c. Just google the Board of Nursing in the state you are researching and there will be a listing that you can review.

What pass rate should I look for?

Here is an example of some of the statistics you can find on the national pass rates at http://www.ncbsn.org/ for 2008.

2008 Number of Candidates Taking NCLEX Examination and Percent Passing

Total Number of 1st Time Graduates

129,121

Overall Pass Rate

86.7%

A good rule of thumb for evaluating a school's pass rate would be to pick a school that at least meets the national pass rate (86.7% for 2008). If the schools you are evaluating are not accredited or they don't have a solid NCLEX pass rate - pass on to your next option. You deserve a school that will prepare you well for your career in nursing.