Academic predictors of success on the NCLEX-RN examination for associate degree nursing students

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between selected admission variables (entrance GPA, ACT subtests scores in English and mathematics, composite ACT scores), age, perception of role strain, achievement in clinical and nursing courses, achievement on NLN examinations, exit GPA, and performance on NCLEX-RN examination. Data were attained from records of 146 associate degree graduates who were admitted to a specially-designed associate degree program in nursing and on those graduates who wrote the NCLEX-RN examination in July 1987 and July 1988. Pearson product moment correlations and stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to identify the relationship between the predictor variables (admission criteria, age, perception of role strain, achievement in clinical and nursing courses), achievement on NLN examinations, exit GPA, and the criterion variable (scores on the NCLEX-RN examination). The best predictor for performance on the NCLEX-RN of the selected admission variables, age, perception of role strain, and exit GPA, were exit GPA (R = .71) and ACT composite scores (R = .75). The ACT math, ACT English scores, entrance GPA, age, and perception of role strain, had no predictive value. The best predictor for performance on the NCLEX-RN of nursing theory course and clinical course grades were the two theory courses in the second year of the program NUR 2712 (R = .77) and NUR 2713 (R = .79). NUR 2711 and 2711L, NUR 2712L, 2713L, and 2813 had no predictive value for success on the NCLEX-RN.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)