While only your official result is definitive, certain exam-day experiences are reliable positive indicators. These good signs you passed NCLEX stem directly from the test's adaptive design, where the computer adjusts question difficulty based on your performance.
Key experiential signs include:
- The exam shuts off at the minimum number of questions (85 for RN, 85-150 for PN). This strongly suggests you demonstrated clear competency early, a good sign you passed NCLEX.
- You received numerous high-difficulty, complex item types. The test likely gave you many select-all-that-apply (SATA), drag-and-drop, or ordered response questions, indicating you were performing above the passing standard.
- You felt the questions were exceptionally challenging. Counterintuitively, this often means the algorithm was presenting hard questions because you answered the baseline ones correctly.
However, these are only experiential clues. The most concrete good sign you passed NCLEX is the ability to purchase the unofficial "quick results" from your state board or Pearson VUE after 48 hours, which provides a preliminary pass/fail status. Conversely, the absence of these signs is not conclusive of failure. Ultimately, you should wait for your official licensure notification for confirmation.