"NCLEX questions are written at application or higher levels of cognitive ability to test the candidate's complex thought processing," explains Kelly Beischel, a licensed nurse and NCLEX success coach. "The questions can be multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, hot-spot items, multiple response items and ordered response items." There may be more than one correct answer to any given question. Choosing the "most correct" response for the given case, on the other hand, will demonstrate your ability to think critically and make efficient judgments as a nurse. "The NCLEX forces you to think through each situation," RN Esfira Shakhmurova explains. "It perplexes the reader by presenting four or five different scenarios, but as a nurse, you must do what is within your scope of practice and prioritize your care." There are some questions that are like curve balls, but you can only answer what the question asks." Shakhmurova advises taking each question one at a time in order to fully comprehend what is being asked, as well as the basic care that should be provided for the patient. Other NCLEX questions involve the standard fundamental memorization and knowledge of information found on any test, so you'll need to devote a significant amount of time to learning and memorizing important nursing ideas as well. How can you register for the NCLEX? To take the NCLEX, you must first get a nursing license from your state board of nursing. If they verify that you match the exam eligibility requirements, you will be able to register to take the exam. Following that, you will get an NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin in the mail, which will include an Authorization to Take the Test (ATT), a list of testing sites, and instructions on how to register to take the test. What is the format of the NCLEX? On the day of the exam, you must provide a valid form of identification, read and sign documents, store personal things, and head to the testing room. You will have up to six hours to complete the exam here. If it seems like an unusually long amount of time for an exam, rest assured that you'll have plenty of time to think through each question. During the exam, there are at least two predetermined breaks. The NCLEX tests are given using a process known as computerized adaptive testing (CAT). This means that each time you answer a question, the computer will re-estimate your nursing ability based on your answers and the difficulty of the questions. This system is programmed to ask you questions that, based on your prior responses, you have a 50% chance of responding correctly. Because of this testing structure, the length of the test can vary from candidate to candidate. If you’re on the edge of a passing score, you’ll continue to receive questions until you either run out of time or meet a confidence threshold by answering enough questions correctly. While this format may appear difficult, there are good reasons for it. For one, a high-ability candidate passing based solely on their ability to answer the “easy” questions correctly isn’t a great reflection of their ability to work in a real setting. Additionally, providing a series of high-difficulty questions to a marginal candidate often leads to the candidate guessing. A correct succession of assumptions that results in a passing grade is also not ideal. This responsive format helps develop a better gauge of a nurses’ overall competence.