Administrative Rules of the State of Montana

(1) The board shall administer the national council licensing examinations for practical nurse licensure by computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Each examination differs from any other administered examination.

(2) The executive director is authorized to negotiate the contract for licensing examination services.

(3) All candidates desiring to take or retake the licensing examination for practical nursing shall:

(a) make application for licensure to the board on a form provided by the board, accompanied by the fee required by the board; and

(b) make application for examination or reexamination to the national council licensing examinations on a form distributed by the board as provided by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, accompanied by the fee required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

(4) The application for licensure by examination and the examination fee shall be submitted to the board office. The application will be kept on file for one year. If the applicant fails to complete the requirements for application within one year, a new application will be required.

(5) Applicants shall have completed all educational requirements of the program and all credentials shall be received in the board office prior to being made eligible to test.

(6) A passing score on the appropriate NCLEX examination shall be required for licensure as a practical nurse. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing's panel of content experts determines the passing score.

(7) The examination score will be reported to the applicant as pass or fail.

(8) Candidates shall be notified in writing only, regarding the examination results.

(9) Candidates who pass shall receive a license to practice as a practical nurse.

(10) Candidates who fail shall receive the results of the examination and are not eligible to retest for 45 days.

(11) Each school of nursing in Montana shall receive quarterly statistical summary reports of its NCLEX results as well as state and national NCLEX results.

(12) Individual results of the examination shall not be released to anyone, unless the release is authorized by the candidate in writing.

(13) The candidate's examination results will be maintained in the application file with the department.

History: 37-8-202, MCA; IMP, 37-1-131, 37-8-406, 37-8-416, MCA; Eff. 12/31/72; AMD, Eff. 6/4/77; AMD, 1981 MAR p. 143, Eff. 2/14/81; TRANS, from Dept. of Prof. & Occup. Lic., Ch. 274, L. 1981, Eff. 7/1/81; AMD, 1982 MAR p. 1603, Eff. 8/27/82; AMD, 1985 MAR p. 1556, Eff. 10/18/85; AMD, 1988 MAR p. 2720, Eff. 12/23/88; AMD, 1991 MAR p. 2435, Eff. 12/13/91; AMD, 1994 MAR p. 1424, Eff. 5/27/94; AMD, 1996 MAR p. 418, Eff. 2/9/96; AMD, 2002 MAR p. 3399, Eff. 12/13/02; AMD, 2005 MAR p. 1686, Eff. 9/9/05; AMD, 2006 MAR p. 1583, Eff. 7/1/06; TRANS, from Commerce, & AMD, 2006 MAR p. 2035, Eff. 8/25/06; AMD, 2011 MAR p. 2144, Eff. 10/14/11.