title: A study of the usefulness of the HESI Exit Exam in predicting NCLEX-RN failure.
abstract: Schools of nursing across the country are implementing progression policies that prohibit students from graduating or from taking the nursing licensure examination, sometimes based solely on a single predictive test score. In addition, little empirical evidence exists that supports progression policies as effective in increasing a school's NCLEX-RN pass rates. This article reports on a study conducted when one school did not achieve the results they expected after implementing a progression policy. With use of logistic regression, diagnostic indexes, and other methods, reasons for the disparity between expected and observed NCLEX-RN pass rates were examined. Results revealed that the Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) Exit Exam was not able to accurately predict NCLEX-RN outcomes for graduates and, further, that progression policies that allow retest after retest so as to achieve a minimum score on the HESI Exit Exam are not supported empirically. Conclusions and suggestions for schools using or considering progression policies are provided.
authors.affiliation: Mount Carmel College of Nursing, 127 S. Davis Avenue, Columbus, OH 43222, USA. dspurlock@mccn.com
authors.forename: Darrell R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Spurlock
authors.forename: Linda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hunt
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008008:Licensure, Nursing; D016015:Logistic Models; D015146:Midwestern United States; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D016017:Odds Ratio; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012579:Schools, Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity