Efficacy of a midcurricular examination for predicting nursing student academic success.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the HESI midcurricular examination in identifying at-risk students earlier in their nursing career. This study used quantitative measures to examine the relationship between the HESI midcurricular examination and the student's success in the nursing program and their performance on the HESI-E2 and the NCLEX-RN. In logistic regression models, the score attained on the HESI midcurricular examination was a significant predictor of academic and NCLEX-RN success, with significant differences in scores between those who were and were not successful. Statistically significant correlations were found between the HESI midcurricular examination score and the score on the HESI-E2 and their performance in the capstone nursing courses. An analysis of the data supported the belief that the HESI midcurricular examination was a useful predictive tool that can identify students at risk for nonsuccess prior to the senior year of nursing so that measures to ensure success can be implemented.