Nursing Exam Specialists
Quick Answer
The TEAS opens nursing school doors. The NCLEX opens the license. ConnectPrep's 1:1 tutoring is built around your test date, your program tier, and your weakest content areas — not a generic curriculum.
Your Real Target
Most candidates fixate on the passing cutoff and underestimate the score that actually wins a seat or a license. We build to your real target, not the floor.
The TEAS is scored as a composite percentage from 0–100. Programs set their own cutoffs — the gap between "passing" and "getting an interview" is bigger than most candidates realize.
NCLEX is pass/fail. The exam is computer-adaptive (CAT): 75–145 questions on NCLEX-RN, 85–150 on NCLEX-PN, with a five-hour time limit. First-time pass rates for U.S.-educated BSN candidates ran around 88–91% in 2024.
The pass standard is the most rigorous in NCLEX history. Retake rates drop sharply for candidates without structured, NGN-focused prep.
What's on the Exam
| Section | Scored Q | Time | What It Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 | 55 min | Key ideas, craft & structure, integration across passages |
| Math | 38 | 57 min | Arithmetic, ratios, percentages, algebra, data interpretation |
| Science | 50 | 60 min | Anatomy & physiology (dominant), life & physical science |
| English & Language | 37 | 37 min | Standard English conventions, vocabulary in context |
Science carries the most admissions weight — A&P is the strongest predictor of nursing-school performance. We allocate more time there.
Since April 2023, the NCLEX has incorporated NGN item types built around clinical judgment — not rote recall.
The clinical-judgment model (recognize cues → analyze cues → prioritize hypotheses → generate solutions → take action → evaluate outcomes) is the framework every NGN item is built on. We teach it explicitly and drill against released NCSBN materials.
Programs & Pass Standards
Every NCLEX candidate sits the same exam. But state Boards of Nursing set their own application, fingerprinting, and CGFNS-credential-evaluation rules.
Internationally educated nurses especially should confirm which state's board they're filing with before studying — the paperwork timeline can outlast your prep window. We help map this in your first session.
Serving students in Connecticut, New York & New Jersey
In-person and online prep available. Most NCLEX and TEAS prep runs online for scheduling flexibility around clinical rotations.
Built for You
A pre-nursing freshman targeting an 85% TEAS for a BSN seat needs a fundamentally different plan than a new ADN grad taking NCLEX-RN in six weeks. Our tutors start from your real situation.
All in One Program
Every Starting Point
Resources
Official sources for registration, test plans, and licensing paperwork.
Student Outcomes
I went from a 58 to an 82 on the TEAS in eight weeks. Got into my first-choice ABSN program. The science blocks were the difference.
Failed NCLEX-RN on my first attempt. ConnectPrep rebuilt my prep around the exact subdomains my candidate report flagged. Passed at 84 questions on the retake.
Internationally educated, applying through New York. They didn't just tutor me on NCLEX — they walked me through the CGFNS paperwork and the NYS application timeline. I would have been months behind on my own.
Questions, Answered
For the TEAS, plan on 6–12 weeks targeting a competitive BSN score; 12–16 weeks if you're starting well below your target. For NCLEX, most candidates work 6–10 weeks after graduating, with 2–3 weeks of intensive simulation leading up to test day. Retakers typically need 8–12 weeks.
ADN programs may accept 60%; competitive BSN programs typically want 70–78%; selective ABSN and direct-entry MSN programs commonly require 80%+; the most competitive programs (Penn, Hopkins, Columbia, Duke, Yale) effectively require 85–88%+.
NGN refers to the question types and clinical-judgment framework live on the NCLEX since April 2023. The exam includes case studies, bowtie items, matrix items, drag-and-drop ordering, and embedded drop-down items. They test clinical judgment under the NCSBN's six-step model: recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action, evaluate outcomes.
The NCLEX-RN is computer-adaptive and variable: 75 to 145 questions, 5-hour time limit. The exam stops when the engine is 95% confident in your pass/fail outcome. Stopping at 75 is not inherently good or bad — what matters is whether the engine reached confidence above the pass standard.
It's pass/fail — no numerical score is reported. Candidates who fail receive a Candidate Performance Report (CPR) showing which NCSBN test-plan subdomains were below, near, or above the passing standard. We use that report to drive the retake plan.
Almost never. They overlap conceptually (especially A&P) but the test formats, item types, and study strategies are completely different. We sequence them: TEAS first to earn admission, then NCLEX as you exit your program.
The exam itself is identical, but the licensure pathway adds CGFNS Credentials Evaluation (or CES/CVS reports), a state-specific application, and often English-proficiency testing. We help you sequence the paperwork against your study plan so nothing delays your test date.
Both. ConnectPrep serves students in person across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, and online for students anywhere in the U.S. Most NCLEX and TEAS prep runs online for scheduling flexibility around clinical rotations.
Programs are scoped to your test date, starting baseline, and target. We'll quote you after your free diagnostic and goal-setting call. Schedule that here.
Spots are limited. Book a free consultation and we'll review your target program, license goals, and timeline — and tell you exactly what it will take to qualify.
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