The Ultimate Guide for the Next Gen NCLEX

Written by Sasha Blakeley

What Is NCLEX?

NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination. The NCLEX is a series of exams given to those who are aiming to become nurses in the United States, Canada, and Australia. There are two major types of NCLEX exams: the NCLEX-RN, which is for registered nurses, and the NCLEX-PN, which is for licensed practical nurses. All aspiring nurses will have to take and pass a relevant NCLEX test for their profession. Those who have not yet taken the NCLEX will find that the NCLEX 2022 and the NCLEX 2023 are very different. There has been an overhaul of the tests to account for changing trends in the field of nursing. Understanding what the NCLEX exactly is, how the test works, how it has changed, and how to prepare for this new version of the exam is crucial for aspiring nurses who want to pass their exam the first time around. This guide aims to provide all of the necessary information to anyone who is preparing to take the new NCLEX exam.

What Is NGN?

NGN stands for ''Next Generation NCLEX,'' also called the Next Gen NCLEX. This abbreviation comes up a lot in discussions around the purpose of the NCLEX and the changes to the new NCLEX exam. The NGN exam often makes some aspiring nurses nervous: much of their education may have come from a time before the exam was reinvented. While that anxiety is perfectly understandable, aspiring nurses do not need to worry too much about the change in exam structure. There is already a lot of information available on the differences in exam structures, the kinds of questions to expect on the NGN, and the goals of the new exam system. Students who do their research should be well prepared for the challenges of the new NCLEX when it comes time to take it.

What Was the Reason for a New Gen NCLEX?

Some nursing students and instructors may be wondering about the rationale behind the NCLEX changes. What was the purpose behind creating an entirely new exam? There was substantial research behind the NCLEX changes of 2023 based on what has been happening in the field of nursing in recent years. One of the major reasons for the NGN was new research on how nurses make decisions while on the job. Nursing is a highly stressful career, and nurses need to be able to make high-stakes decisions about patient care. Making the wrong decision could lead to severe negative outcomes: medical mistakes are actually the third-leading cause of death in the United States. That means that the ability to make good decisions and avoid deadly mistakes is a big area for improvement in the nursing field. The exam has been shifted to ensure that nurses get more practice with dynamic decision-making to verify that they are prepared for the rigors of the job.

When Did the Next Gen NCLEX Start?

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, or NCSBN, first administered the NGN on April 1st, 2023. That means that anyone who started nursing school in the fall of 2021 or later (for associate degrees) or the fall of 2019 or later (for bachelor's degrees) took the Next Gen NCLEX upon graduation from their program, according to the typical timelines for completing nursing school. Most of the time, students will take the NCLEX just before or just after graduating from their nursing degree program. Individual college programs may have their own requirements for when students take the exam.

Changes in the Next Gen NCLEX

The Next Gen NCLEX is substantially different from the older version. The main change to the material covered by the exam is the focus on clinical judgment. According to the NCSBN, clinical judgment refers to a nurse's ability to make an informed decision based on the evidence presented. Good decisions improve safety for patients and lead to more positive outcomes; poor decisions may endanger patients or hospital staff, leading to negative outcomes. The NGN puts a lot of focus on verifying nurses' decision-making abilities using a system called the NCSBN's Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM). Nursing curricula have largely adapted to the NCJMM, providing students with the education that they need to succeed on the NGN. Clinical judgment has become a bigger part of nursing simulations to ensure students are prepared for their careers.

Changes in the Format of the New Gen NCLEX

One of the biggest shifts in the NCLEX is the format of the exam itself. The new NCLEX format of 2023 has a variety of question types that may take some getting used to. Understanding how all of these question types function can help students feel more confident in their ability to complete the exam without too many difficulties. While the content of the exam has changed to foreground clinical judgment, many of the subjects covered remain the same as older versions of the NCLEX. The ways that these questions are delivered make a big difference between the old NCLEX and the NGN.

The Next Gen NCLEX takes place over the course of five hours. Some participants will be selected to complete a Special Research Section at the end of the exam. This portion of the test does not count toward one's score; it is a way for the creators of the test to ensure that the test is functioning according to plan, allowing them to make any necessary changes in the future. Completing the Special Research Section should take approximately thirty minutes. The Special Research Section is not actually a new part of the exam; it has been part of the NCLEX since 2017, but it is still important for candidates to be aware of it as something they may encounter during the test.

Preparing for the New NCLEX Exam

There is a lot to keep in mind when preparing for the Next Generation NCLEX. Nursing students should be sure to speak to their professors about the recommended NCLEX preparations well in advance; studying for the NCLEX typically takes several months. One way to prepare for the NGN is to have a thorough understanding of how the exam is structured. Each question on the NGN can receive full, partial, or no credit. On any given question, there are often several different elements that students have to answer correctly to get full marks. Each incorrect answer reduces the total score. If the resulting score is a negative number, students receive a zero – negative points are not assigned. Students receive partial credit if the score is positive but not entirely correct.

The exam is designed to be dynamic based on students' knowledge. There are fifteen pretest items that check an individual's knowledge level; the exam is then centered around those answers. Students can receive between 70 and 135 scored questions. If enough questions are answered incorrectly, the exam will often end early, though it is not possible to know one's score in advance, regardless of the exam length. Two people who take the NCLEX at the same time and place will still receive different questions and may have drastically unique experiences. Some of the questions on the exam will still be based on the older NCLEX, but around 21% will be based on NGN material. That material will focus primarily on question sets that are each based on a specific case study.

The other major consideration for those who are aiming to take the NCLEX is the registration process. Registering for the NCLEX involves several distinct steps. First, students will need to apply to their local nursing regulatory body for licensure or registration. Once aspiring nurses have received confirmation that they are eligible for the NCLEX, they will need to register for the test with Pearson VUE, the company that administers the NCLEX exam. The third step in the process is fee payment; for Americans, the NCLEX costs $200, with additional costs for extra services, like taking the exam from abroad. The cost for Canadian licensure is $360 CAD and for Australian licensure is $200 USD. Once all of these steps have been completed, test-takers will receive an email informing them of their eligibility. They will then be able to register to take the test on a specific day. It is important to start this process well in advance to ensure that all of the paperwork has been completed on time.

Test Plans

One of the most valuable resources that aspiring nurses should explore is the NCLEX test plan. Each test plan allows students to see what the real exam will be like. The NCSBN offers test plans to those who are planning to take the NCLEX. The plans explain the structure of the exam and also provide other important information to make the process go as smoothly as possible. These plans have been updated to feature the NGN content that is now on the NCLEX. Guides are typically relevant for three years and are updated regularly to reflect the changing nature of the exam.

The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN test plans are both available to download for free on the NCSBN website. Each one introduces its respective test and outlines the content that is on each exam. All of the important topics that RNs and LPNs need to know before taking the test are explored in detail in the test plans. After this detailed information, the plans go on to discuss the format of the exams, including the length of the exam, the scoring system, and how to answer each type of question. At the end of the guide is an exploration of the sample content that could be on the exam. A test plan is not an NCLEX practice test, but it will provide an excellent basis for creating a study guide. For those who want to take a full practice test, the NCSBN website does offer the opportunity to take one for those who already have an account.

Strategies on How to Pass the New NCLEX

Everyone who takes the NGN will, of course, hope to pass on the first try. While there is no way to guarantee success on the exam, there are good strategies that students can use to improve their odds of succeeding. Learning about the structure of the exam, knowing how each question is weighted, and examining practice tests and test plans are all fundamental ways to get as prepared as possible for the test day. For those who are still in college, speaking to professors, attending tutorials, going to office hours, and working with a tutor are all good ways to get more information about what to expect on the NGN. When practicing for the NGN, it is a good idea to try to create an environment that closely resembles the real exam experience whenever possible.

Creating a strong study plan is also a good way to set oneself up for success during the exam. Those who start studying early and take their studies seriously will be more likely to cover all of the relevant material before the big day. Studying allows students to realize where their areas of weakness are, ideally giving them a chance to focus on those areas and improve. It is a good idea to create a study plan and stick to it over the course of the months and weeks leading up to the test. This plan should be comprehensive, but it should also leave room for error: sometimes, something comes up, and it is not possible to study as much as the plan dictates. Building room for other areas of life to get in the way can make the studying process less stressful and more effective.

Strategies for Tricky Questions in the New NCLEX

On any test, there will likely be questions that are more challenging to answer, and the NCLEX is no different. There are several strategies that students can use to answer tricky questions accurately without spending too much time on them. To fully understand how best to answer these questions on the NCLEX, students should be aware of how the test is formatted. The NCLEX is computer-based, and each question will be on the screen one at a time. Test-takers must answer each question before they will be able to move on to the next one. That means that if a challenging question comes up, it will be necessary to answer it to continue with the test. It will also be impossible to return to an earlier question or to review one's work at the end of the exam.

Because of the format of the test, students need to be prepared to tackle tricky questions head-on rather than skipping them and coming back later. In some ways, this is a good thing because it reflects the in-the-moment nature of a lot of nursing work. When encountering a difficult question, it is important to do several things:

• Refrain from answering impulsively
• Read the question carefully
• Consider all information provided
• Make an informed decision

When students can take a moment to process the question, they can avoid some impulsive mistakes that can lead to missed marks. Thinking critically about the content of the question and relating each question to familiar study materials can reduce the odds of error. There are no penalties for an incorrect response on the NCLEX, but choosing enough incorrect answers to questions will result in the exam ending and the test-taker receiving a failing grade. It is important not to spend too much time on any given question: agonizing over a response is more likely to waste valuable time. Students should trust themselves and their knowledge while still being careful to give each question its due attention during the exam.

Future of NCLEX

The NCLEX is updated every three years to reflect the current state of nursing in the United States. The NGN is the most recent of these updates. The exam in its 2023 form is expected to remain valid until 2026, at which point it will be updated again. Those who are taking the exam for the first time should do their research on clinical judgments and the current expectations placed on RNs and LPNs. Those who have already taken the NCLEX should still keep up to date on what is currently considered best practice for nurses and other healthcare workers. That means keeping an eye on changes to the NCLEX to remain current and to provide exceptional patient care.