The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has spent over a decade researching new ways to measure nursing clinical judgment. This has led to the addition of unfolding case studies, new item types, and new partial-credit scoring on the Next-Generation NCLEX (NGN) exam. These item types and scoring methods are new to students. To avoid having immeasurable error from the novel item types and scoring, and to increase accuracy and confidence in scores, it is important to give students basic coaching and test-taking tips.
This report presents the three NGN item scoring types. Within each scoring type, there are multiple item types with tips for how students may want to approach answering these items. As an educator, it may be beneficial to coach your students on these strategies. Of note are the tips for Plus/Minus items, which are more nuanced due to the nature of the scoring algorithm.
