A Comparison of Nclex-Rn Pass Rates and Carnegie University Classification

The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) for Registered Nurses is the culmination of all nursing programs and passing is required to become a practicing nurse. Success on the NCLEX-RN is vital for nursing practice and used as a measure of success for nursing education programs. The purpose of this investigation was to determine differences between NCLEX-RN pass rates and variables. There are many variables that affect the NCLEX-RN pass rates. This investigation analyzed the type of college or university, according to the Carnegie classification, in comparison to the respective institutional NCLEX-RN pass rates. A random sample of 150 colleges or universities NCLEX-RN pass rate percentage for the year 2006 was analyzed. An ANOVA was used to statistically interpret the data. The investigation found that there are significant (p < .004) differences between the means of the type of college or university and the NCLEX-RN pass rates for first time test takers. The results showed a significant difference (p= .006) between doctoral programs and masters programs and doctoral programs and bachelors programs, with doctoral programs having the higher NCLEX-RN pass rate percentage.