Finding and working with a NCLEX practice test might be the best thought preparation technique in view of the recent exam, be it the NCLEX RN or the PN one but it is also one of the most difficult steps to be taken. That is because both exams are adaptive texts taken on a computer. Adaptive in this context refers to the fact that the computer permanently adjusts the difficulty of the questions to match the perceived level of knowledge of the examinee. In fact the test is complex that it varies in length from a couple of hours to 6 hours the RN test and 5 hours the PN test. In any case the computer will take the exam to that length only if it is incapable of determining the candidate’s ability with a 95% certainty. In this case only the last 60 questions are taken into account in order to create a raw score which is then used. And this is where the value of the NCLEX practice test really lies because it may not be able to mimic the computer but it can present you with a set of questions that will match the testing environment.
As we have already hinted there are actually two tests that are performed under the same umbrella and the NCLEX practice test is the best practice for but of them, it just needs to be adjusted. The RN test refers to registered nurses and is more difficult and ultimately can last longer, up to 6 hours. It will test the candidate’s knowledge in management of care, safety and infection control, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, basic care and comfort, pharmacological and parenteral therapies, reduction of risk potential, and physiological adaptations. The PN test can last for up to 5 hours and although similar in categories its questions are less difficult than the RN test, and they are coordinated care, safety and infection control, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, basic care and comfort, pharmacological therapies, reduction of risk potential, and physiological adaptations. The value of the fields to the end result is relatively the same although minor variations are allowed. This means that if you are doing particularly well during your NCLEX practice test in one field you can accept less than excellent result in another field as they have a compensating system.
Because the NCLEX practice test needs to follow to the letter the most excruciating experience of the actual test it will need to consist of 205 questions for the vocational nurses and 265 questions for the registered nurses. In actuality the PN test consists of anywhere from 85 to 205 questions and the RN test has between 75 and 265 queries. The adaptive system of the computer can allow for the list number of questions if from those questions it can determine with a 95% certainty if the candidate has passed the exam or not. Therefore the length of the exam is in no way a predictor of success or failure. But since the exam can last for up to 5 or 6 hours, depending on the system the NCLEX practice test needs to be that long just to match the potential effort that the real exam might create.