Between January and June, NCLEX pass rates increased for both licensed practical and vocational nurse candidates, according to second quarter results of 2023 pass rates across the U.S., released Aug. 3 by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
These results are the first to be published since the NCSBN debuted its new Next Generation NCLEX exam format, which launched in April.
In the first quarter of the year between January and March, there were 56,972 U.S.-educated, first-time candidates who took the NCLEX exam resulting in an 80.48 percent pass rate.
But between April and June — following the launch of the new exam format — there were 60,844 U.S.-educated, first-time candidates of which 94.32 percent passed.
Compared to the same timeframe in 2022, only 82.19 percent had passed.
"Although clinical judgment was being taught in prelicensure programs, NCSBN worked with educators to explain how the NGN was being constructed using the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model at its core," Philip Dickison, PhD, RN, chief operating officer, NCSBN said in an Aug. 3 news release. "Educators were introduced to the types of questions that would be included and the type of exam experience a candidate will have. The results from the first quarter show that our collaboration was successful."
Individuals who were first-time exam takers with an international education passed in the first quarter of 2023 at a percent rate of 39.86 percent, but in the second quarter 57.69 percent passed.
Among repeat exam takers who were U.S.-educated, 40.66 percent passed in the first quarter and 62.15 percent passed in the second quarter.