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Everything You Need to Know About the NGN®
The Next Generation NCLEX ® (NGN) is going to be the newest version of the NCLEX ® that prospective nurses will be required to pass, and will be out around April 2023. With the NGN ® on the way, the number of nursing students Googling “NCLEX ® tutoring services near me” will certainly spike when it finally arrives. But, will anything on the exam be drastically different? What do we know about it so far?
As the most up-to-date version, it will best assess your clinical judgment skills and knowledge. Clinical judgment is defined by the NCSBN as the observed outcome of critical thinking and decision-making. Per the NCSBN, it is an iterative process that uses nursing knowledge to:
- “Observe and assess presenting situations”
- “Identify and prioritize client concerns”
- “Generate the best possible evidence-based solutions, in order to deliver safe client care”
What is Changing in the NGN ®?
New Measurements
While the exam will continue to use computer adaptive testing (CAT) as well as some of the current question item types, the NCSBN has approved five new item types that measure nursing clinical judgment.
- Extended Multiple Response
- Extended Drag and Drop
- Cloze (Drop–Down)
- Enhanced Hot Spot (Highlighting)
- Matrix/Grid
A new measurement model implemented into the NGN ® is called the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM). Clinical judgment is defined by the NCSBN as, “The observed outcome of critical thinking and decision-making. It is an iterative process that uses nursing knowledge to observe and assess presenting situations, identify and prioritize client concerns, and generate the best possible evidence-based solutions, in order to deliver safe client care.”
The 6 Layers
The NCJMM uses six layers to measure how well the nursing students can form hypotheses, prioritizes them, generate solutions, and then take action:
- Recognize relevant cues from different sources, such as medical history or vitals
- Analyze those clues, linking them to the patient’s clinical presentation
- Prioritize hypotheses, evaluating and ranking by according to priority (urgency, likelihood, risk, difficulty, and/or time)
- Generate solutions by identifying expected outcomes and preparing for them in as many ways as necessary
- Take action by implementing the solutions in order of priority
- Evaluate outcomes by comparing the patient’s outcomes to the expected outcomes
Formatting, Scoring, and Concepts 
Aside from the new item types, the look and feel of the exam will remain largely similar to the phased-out NCLEX ®.
The updated scoring method is one notable change that will surely let future test-takes breathe a sigh of relief. The new polytomous method will award points for partial correct knowledge as opposed to either all correct or all incorrect. This clearly benefits test-takers during sections such as “select all that apply” (SATA) where you might select some but not all of the correct choices.
As for changes to testable material, you will be happy to know that you will not have to learn any additional material for the NGN ®. In fact, the NCSBN states on their site that, “Any evidence-based curriculum that teaches clinical judgment effectively will provide students with the preparation necessary for the new components of the exam.”
As you can see, there do not appear to be any drastic or difficult changes in the upcoming version. The tried and true method of using online, well-established, and proven test prep and NCLEX ® tutoring services, like Ready to Pass, will remain reliably successful.
Looking for NCLEX ® Tutoring Services Near You? Check Out Ready To Pass!
Contact Us to Enroll Today
Ready to Pass helps students learn how to study for and to pass the NCLEX ®. Ready to Pass has established a team of experienced nurses that are ready to help you prepare for your exam, whether it be for the current NCLEX ® or the NGN ®. Our qualified instructors are education-oriented and passionate about your success. Now, let’s get you Ready to Pass!
Give us a call today at (516) 408-3696 or fill out our contact form to learn about the next steps of enrolling in NCLEX ® classes at Ready to Pass. We look forward to being a part of your success!
