Problem. The purpose of the study was to determine predictors of performance on the National Council's Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) for Associate Degree Nursing Programs (ADN), Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs (BSN), and both ADN and BSN programs.

Methodology. Deans or Directors from 15 nursing programs located in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee provided data for the study. The distribution of the sample consisted of nine ADN programs and six BSN programs.

Results. Based on the data obtained, the results of the stepwise multiple regression were: (1) The best predictors of performance on the NCLEX-RN for ADN programs, which provided data on all variables, were: the Mosby AssessTest, overall GPA, and the NLN Comprehensive Achievement Test. (2) The best predictors of performance on the NCLEX-RN for BSN programs, which provided data on all variables, were: the NLN Comprehensive Achievement Test, nursing GPA, and total number of college hours. (3) The best predictors of performance on the NCLEX-RN for both ADN and BSN programs, which provided data on all variables, were: The Mosby AssessTest, overall GPA, age at graduation, and total number of college hours.

Conclusions. The following conclusions can be drawn from the results of this study: (1) The Mosby AssessTest and the NLN Comprehensive Achievement Test, administered to students during their final semester in nursing school, play a valuable role in determining a student's readiness for the NCLEX-RN. (2) Comprehensive achievement tests remain the best predictors of performance on the NCLEX-RN. (3) Type of nursing program, ADN and BSN, has no effect on NCLEX-RN scores. (4) Type of curriculum pattern, blocked, integrated, and mixed, has no effect on NCLEX-RN scores.