Adaptive Quizzing Improves End-of-Program Exit Examination Scores.

Background: A third of nursing schools use a standardized, end-of-program exit examination requiring minimum passing scores for student progression. Student failures on high-stakes tests have negative implications for students and schools of nursing. Adaptive quizzing has increased grades, graduation rates, and NCLEX-RN passing rates and reduced test anxiety in nursing students.

Purpose: To diminish the negative effects of high-stakes testing and increase standardized exit examination scores, an undergraduate nursing program incorporated customized adaptive quizzing for nursing students in their final nursing course before graduation.

Methods: End-of-program exit examination scores were compared in a preintervention cohort of students and postintervention cohort assigned individualized adaptive quizzing.

Results: Statistically significant increases in end-of-program exit examination scores were evident in groups of students completing the customized adaptive quizzing assignments.

Conclusion: The use of tailored adaptive quizzing increased exit examination scores, supporting the implementation of customized assignments for remediation.