Your HESI Exit
Exam Results
and Success
on NCLEX®: Are
They Related?
You have taken a big sigh of relief. You passed your HESI Exit Exam with a 900, meeting your school’s
requirement to progress in your nursing program. Great job! You might now be wondering: “Can I take it
easy until my NCLEX exam? Do I have to keep studying and reviewing? What does the HESI Exit Exam score
mean anyway?”
Here are the answers to some of your most pressing questions.
What does the HESI Exit Exam score mean anyway?
HESI exams and products are tools to help you succeed throughout your nursing program. For example,
during your program, there are HESI Specialty Exams and HESI Case Studies. Toward the end of your
program there is the HESI Exit Exam. HESI will help you gauge how well you are predicted to perform on your
board exams.
There is solid science behind your HESI exams. Research shows that the HESI Exit Exam has a 96-99%
estimated prediction of success on the NCLEX exam. That means that most students who score 900 or above
are likely to pass the NCLEX exam. Most students – not all. That is an important distinction. HESI cannot
guarantee that even with a high HESI Exit Exam score that you will pass NCLEX.
There are still many factors that must come together for NCLEX success. Here are a few questions to
consider:
• Have your reviewed your weak areas as outlined in your HESI Exit Exam report?
• How long will you wait after graduation to take the NCLEX?
• Are you accumulating work experience before you take the NCLEX?
• How confident are you in taking exams?
• How much have you practiced taking NCLEX-type questions?
• How are you feeling on exam day (Rested? Confident? Stressed? Hungry?)
