Design: Descriptive, comparative designs employing chi squares were used to determine the accuracy of the E2 in predicting NCLEX-RN-RN outcomes.

Population, Sample, Setting, Years: The sample consisted of more than 25,000 graduating RN students who took the E2 prior to graduation during one of the 5 academic years studied. Responses of school administrators to questionnaires and their students’ aggregate E2 scores comprised the data.

Concept or Variables Studied Together: Predictive accuracy of the E2 by academic year and type of program, and comparison of student E2 scores in five scoring intervals with their performances on the NCLEX-RN were examined.

Methods: Of the 705 questionnaires distributed annually to RN program administrators, 596 (84.54%) responded. Predictive accuracy of the E2 was calculated, and chi square analyses were used to detect differences between expected and observed frequencies among NCLEX-RN outcomes of students scoring in each of the five scoring intervals, and among student scores by program type and across five academic years studied.

Findings: The E2 was found to be 96.36% to 98.30% accurate in predicting NCLEX-RN success across five academic years. No significant differences were found in the predictive accuracy of the E2 by program type or among years studied, and failures of the NCLEX-RN increased as students E2 scores decreased.

Conclusions: The E2 was a highly accurate predictor of NCLEX-RN success, regardless of type of nursing program tested. As students’ E2 scores decreased, so did their likelihood of NCLEX-RN failure.

Implications: The E2 was determined to be a valid predictor of NCLEX-RN success and as such can be used as an outcome measure for nursing curricula.

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Back to 15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004