NCLEX 2025 Updates: What's Changing in the Exam?

When I first heard about the upcoming changes to the NCLEX-RN exam, I felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has been working diligently to ensure the exam remains a relevant and accurate measure of a nurse's readiness for practice. If you're preparing to take the NCLEX in 2025, it's crucial to understand these updates and how they might impact your study strategy.​

Emphasis on Clinical Judgment

One of the most significant shifts in the 2025 NCLEX is the heightened focus on clinical judgment. Recognizing that nurses today are required to make complex decisions in dynamic healthcare environments, the NCSBN has introduced the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) to better assess these critical thinking skills. The NGN, launched on April 1, 2023, incorporates innovative item types designed to evaluate a candidate's ability to make sound clinical judgments.

New Question Formats

To effectively measure clinical judgment, the 2025 NCLEX introduces several new question formats:

  • Extended Multiple Response: These questions require selecting multiple correct answers from a list, challenging you to consider various aspects of a clinical scenario.​

  • Matrix/Grid: You'll be presented with a scenario and data, then asked to check appropriate boxes within a grid to demonstrate your judgment.

  • Enhanced Hot Spot: These questions involve highlighting specific information within a scenario to answer the question accurately.

  • ​Unfolding Case Studies: These simulate real-world situations, presenting a medical record followed by a series of questions that lead you to analyze findings, make decisions for appropriate care, and evaluate patient responses.

Partial Credit Scoring

Another notable change is the introduction of partial credit scoring. Previously, questions were scored as either entirely correct or incorrect. With the new system, you can earn partial credit for questions with multiple correct answers, reflecting a more nuanced assessment of your knowledge and decision-making abilities.

Exam Length and Structure

The 2025 NCLEX maintains its computer-adaptive testing (CAT) format, adjusting question difficulty based on your performance. However, the number of questions has been updated:​

  • Minimum Number of Questions: 85​

  • Maximum Number of Questions: 150​

The exam duration remains at five hours, including breaks.

Preparing for the 2025 NCLEX

With these changes, it's essential to adapt your study strategies:​

  • Focus on Clinical Judgment: Engage in practice questions that require critical thinking and decision-making.​

  • Familiarize Yourself with New Question Types: Seek out resources and practice exams that include the new formats to build confidence.​

  • Understand Partial Credit Scoring: Recognize that even if you don't select all correct answers, you can still earn partial credit, so it's beneficial to attempt all parts of a question.​

By staying informed about these updates and adjusting your preparation accordingly, you'll be well-equipped to tackle the 2025 NCLEX with confidence.

Good luck on your journey to becoming a registered nurse—you've got this!

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