You must pass the NCLEX to become an LPN or RN.
A passing score on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is required to become a nurse. There are two NCLEXs available: one for registered nursing (NCLEX-RN) and one for practical nursing (NCLEX-PN). You can receive the unofficial results of your exam in as little as 48 hours by paying a small fee if the nursing board in your state is one of the 47 boards that participate in the Quick Results Service. Official results will come via mail around one month after your test.
Instructions
1. Wait for your NCLEX Candidate Performance Report (CPR) to arrive in the mail. This report will accompany your exam results if you failed. This is a two-page evaluation of your performance on the test. If you answered less than 75 questions for the NCLEX-RN and 85 questions for the NCLEX-PN, you will not receive a full report because you did not answer enough questions for an evaluation. You will only receive the number of questions that you answered, whether they were right or wrong. This is known as an abbreviated CPR.
2. Look over your CPR when it arrives. This will give you detailed information regarding the areas in which you were strong and the areas in which you were weak. Each area gives one of three results: "Above the passing standard," "Near the passing standard" or "Below the passing standard." Each area will be listed with two testing objectives below it.
3. Pay attention to the areas where you were near or below the passing standard. This means you did not pass in the specified area, but may have come close. Either way, you will need extra guidance in the area.
4. Refer to the objectives listed under each failed area to get a better understanding of what skills the area tested. For example, if you failed the Safety and Infection Control area, then you will want to study up on rules pertaining to emergency response planning, error prevention and handling hazardous and infectious materials.
5. Use the information you got from the CPR to devise a study plan that places importance on your identified weak areas, but that also gives you a quick review in your strong areas.
