Remediation Methods that Improve Learning Outcomes and NCLEX-RN Success

A growing body of knowledge supports the use of Elsevier’s standardized HESI exams, as an admission criterion, throughout the nursing curriculum, and as a measure of students’ preparedness for the National Council Licensure Examination for Register Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Because of a plethora of research indicating that the HESI Exit Exam  (E²) is a valid exam—96.36%–99.16% accurate in predicting NCLEX-RN success, faculty often designate a benchmark E² score that students are required to achieve. Students who do not achieve the faculty-designated benchmark score are required to remediate and retest with a parallel version of the E² to determine the effectiveness the remediation and to reevaluate the student’s preparedness for the licensure exam. This study compared mean E² scores of students who attended schools that attached consequences to E² scores with students who attended schools that did not attach consequences to E² scores. Based on data obtained from the Eighth Validity Study Questionnaire, findings indicated that E² scores were significantly higher (p < .01) in schools that associated consequences with failure to achieve the faculty-designated E² score, and E² scores improved significantly (p < .01) between the first and second testing when remediation was required, rather than suggested.