RESUMO
It is important for a nursing program to determine which variables are good predictors of student success or failure on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) (1). Significant predictors for success may include such variables as National League for Nursing (NLN) Achievement Test scores, grade point averages (GPA), American College Test (ACT) and Standardized Assessment Test (SAT) scores, and grades in various nursing courses. The purpose of this study was threefold: to determine which variables have the greatest predictive value of success on the NCLEX-RN; to investigate the efficacy of the continued use of standardized NLN Achievement Tests; and to develop and evaluate a new assessment instrument, the NCLEX-RN Risk Appraisal Instrument, which allows nursing educators to quickly assess a student's risk of failure by examining school records. Data were obtained from undergraduate nursing students at a large university in the Southeast. The potential predictors used included nursing theory course grades, nursing clinical course grades, and NLN Achievement Test scores.