Admission predictors of success on the computerized adaptive NCLEX-RN among associate degree nursing students at a Maryland rural community college

This ex-post facto study was conducted to determine if the American College Test (ACT) entry option is a better predictor of success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) than the grade point average (GPA based on the five college-level general education courses) entry option. In addition, the study was conducted to determine if the success or failure of vulnerable students can be identified prior to admission to the nursing program.; Three hundred and fourteen graduates from an associate degree nursing program in a rural Maryland community college participated in the study. Discriminant analysis was used to analyze the descriptive data. Grade point averages based on the five college-level general education courses were the best predictors of success on the NCLEX-RN. The findings in the study also indicate that nursing students who are deemed vulnerable are no more likely to fail the NCLEX-RN than students who are deemed non-vulnerable.