HESI exams: an overview of reliability and validity

Schools of nursing are increasingly administering computerized exams developed by Health Education Systems, Inc (HESI) to evaluate student and program outcomes and provide evidence-based rationale for curriculum development and modification. This article describes the methods used to establish the reliability and validity of HESI specialty exams and HESI exit exams. Discussion of current reliability and validity findings and recommendations for future research to enhance the quantification of validity data for HESI exams are presented.