The document outlines the objectives and strategies for aligning nursing education with the NCLEX test plan using ExamSoft during the EAC 2018 in Fort Lauderdale. It details how faculty members map course content to program outcomes and NCLEX categories, creating structured assessments that drive accountability and improve quality through data analysis. Additionally, it provides insights into utilizing examination results to assess student performance and inform curricular improvements at both course and program levels.

1. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
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NCLEX TEST PLANS AND EXAMSOFT
Dr. Teresa Darnall, Assistant Dean
May School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Lees-McRae College

2. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
Learning Objectives
• Utilize Examsoft Categories for program and NCLEX test plan outcomes
• Data analysis of exam results to determine areas for quality
improvement
• Faculty accountability in developing examinations that test on the
delivered content.

3. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
NCLEX Test Plans and Examsoft
Categories
• Schools of Nursing use the NCLEX Test Plan as a blueprint of the competencies
needed for entry-level nursing.
• Using the Examsoft Categories, our nursing school is driving faculty
accountability to test on what is taught in the classroom, clinical, and simulation.
• By mapping the course content to Program/Student Outcomes and NCLEX Test
Plan Categories, the faculty member has an outline of each summative
examination given to students

4. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
Mapping NCLEX Test Plan to Program
Outcomes
• NCLEX Test Plan Categories were
mapped to Program Outcomes.
• This provided a template and
assisted faculty to align the test
questions to the appropriate NCLEX
category.
• Creating this template also drove
faculty discussion on where
different content material should be
categorized for consistency across
the program, and also identify
where NCLEX test plan categories
may be missing from the course
content.
• Faculty also received a template of
all the NCLEX subcategories to
further delineate course content.

5. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
Categorizing Weekly Course Content
• Each faculty member
identified on the
course Learning Plan
the program
outcomes and
NCLEX Test Plan
categories discussed
in class.

6. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
Creating the Test Plan
• Using a template, each faculty
member then transfers over the
program outcomes and NCLEX
categories to an Excel
Spreadsheet.
• The faculty member indicates
how much class time/content
was spent on the NCLEX
category.
• Example: 30% of weekly
content was spent on Risk
Potential; 20% was spent on
Pharmacology; and 50% was
spent on Management of Care
• Each week adds up to 100%

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Creating the Test Plan

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Category Report
• Once the examination is
completed, the Category
report is pulled from the
graded examination
• Choose the statistics, full
path, the category
description, and the Parent
pathway, since exam
questions are tagged with
the Program Outcome and
NCLEX subcategories.

11. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
Viewing the Report

12. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29
Using Data for Quality Improvement
• By assigning each test question a Program Outcome and NCLEX Test Plan
category, the evaluator has a wealth of data to determine if the desired outcomes
were achieved.
• The number of questions tagged in the exam can be compared to the Test Plan
template provided by the faculty member to ensure that all course content was
tested appropriately.
• At a course level, it is easy to identify what content areas students did not do well
so that teaching-learning strategies, student resources, and time spent on content
can be evaluated for efficacy.
• At a program level, the data can be examined across all courses to determine
what NCLEX Test Plan categories are not receiving the appropriate attention in
course content, where category results are not achieving desired outcomes, and
if there are scaffolding issues that require correction.

13. Questions

14. EAC 2018 | Fort Lauderdale | June 27-29