Check out this list of the top 6 questions on the Next Generation NCLEX

The Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) was the focus of a recent edition of “The ATI Talk,” and at the end of the session, the attendees (more than 1,300) had questions. Lots of questions. We’ve narrowed down their queries to the top 6. Jason Schwartz, Director of Outreach at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), provided the answers.

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1. Is the test plan changing?
2. Will partial credit be given?
3. Is there a change to the passing standard?
4. Can students move backward between questions on a case study?
5. What is the correct term for the steps in Layer 3 of the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model?
6. Will case studies focus on content areas?

NEXT GEN NCLEX Q1: IS THE TEST PLAN CHANGING?

Yes. Schwarz said that what has been announced so far is 1 minor change to the 2023 NCLEX-RN test plan. (More may still be announced.) Specifically, the percentage of content on the RN exam will change for 3 categories:

• Management of care. Will decrease by 2% (changing from 17%-23% of the exam to 15%-21% of the exam).
• Safety and infection control. Will increase by 1% (changing from 9%-15% to 10%-16%).
• Physiological adaptation. Will increase by 1% (from 11%-17% to 12%-18%).

NEXT GEN NCLEX Q2: WILL PARTIAL CREDIT BE GIVEN?

Yes. Today, if a candidate missed 1 choice in a select-all-that-apply item type, that individual would miss the entire question. On the NGN, however — effective April 1, 2023 — all of the new item types will be scored with partial credit. (Even today's select-all-that-apply will be scored with partial credit.)

NEXT GEN NCLEX Q3: IS THERE A CHANGE TO THE PASSING STANDARD?

We don’t know yet. Schwartz said the passing standard — the new pass-fail cutoffs — were literally being debated at the time of “The ATI Talk.” Such a change requires approval by the Board of Directors and is usually announced at the December board meeting. If the passing standard changes, the new cutoffs will take effect April 1, 2023.

NEXT GEN NCLEX Q4: CAN STUDENTS MOVE BACKWARD BETWEEN QUESTIONS ON A CASE STUDY?

No. The case study is designed to reveal new information as it unfolds. That new information could indicate what a previous answer was — or should have been. Thus, candidates can only move forward through the case study. Schwartz pointed out, however, that the candidate will never lose access to information that was previously presented. That information will remain as a reference, along with potentially new information.

NEXT GEN NCLEX Q5: WHAT IS THE CORRECT TERM FOR THE STEPS IN LAYER 3 OF THE CLINICAL JUDGMENT MEASUREMENT MODEL (CJMM)?

The NCSBN has not defined an official term. Schwartz said he’s heard people — within the NCSBN office — refer to the 6 steps of Layer 3 in the CJMM as:

• cognitive functions
• cognitive operations
• cognitive components
• cognitive skills
• cognitive process.

Schwartz said if he had to identify an “official” term to describe the steps of clinical judgment, he would use cognitive process being as that’s the verbiage used in the Spring 2019 edition of the Next Generation NCLEX News that explained the CJMM. But any of the terms are correct. “We use synonyms as well,” he added, just like educators do.

NEXT GEN NCLEX Q6: WILL CASE STUDIES FOCUS ON CONTENT AREAS?

Maybe. But if they do, it’s a secret. Content areas such as leadership, nutrition, and community could be the focus of a case study. But Schwartz said the individual item writers determined the topics of the case studies.

“We give our item writers quite a bit of freedom,” he explained. “We encourage things like a diversity of settings.”

The NCSBN simply reminds item writers to make sure the case study addresses the 6 boxes of Layer 3 of the CJMM and that the content fits the NCLEX test plan. However, if the question is, “Will any case studies focus on content areas?” Schwartz replied: “Our bank is too top secret to answer [that] directly. But the idea is that those sorts of things would be eligible as long as the content fits the test plan.”

Watch the full edition of “The ATI Talk” to see Schwartz’s detailed description about the Next Generation NCLEX.

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