A Comparison of Predictors of Success on NCLEX-RN™ for African American, Foreign-Born, and White Baccalaureate Graduates

Abstract

This retrospective study was concerned with identifying the strongest predictors of success for African American and foreign-born baccalaureate graduates on the NCLEX-RN from the following nine variables--the admission grade point average, medical-surgical nursing grade point average, nursing grade point average, cumulative grade point average, percentile rank on the Mosby Assess Test, age at the time of the licensing examination, number of semesters needed to complete the nursing curriculum, licensed vocational nurse status, and the number of Ds and Fs received in nursing courses--and comparing these with predictors of success for white baccalaureate graduates. Three random samples of 50 African American, foreign-born, and white graduates from four baccalaureate schools from May 1987 through May 1992 were selected from a total population of 1,205. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, two-way analysis of variance, and discriminant analysis were used to analyze the data. Students in all three ethnic groups with a Mosby Assess Test percentile rank below 21 and a D or F in a nursing course were more likely to fail the NCLEX-RN than those with a higher percentile rank and no Ds or Fs.