Does More SATA mean you're doing well?Let's talk

When I sat for the NCLEX, I had heard the rumor: “The more SATA you get, the better you’re doing.” So, when I got my first Select All That Apply question, I thought, Alright, let’s go. But then I got another. And another. By question 10, I was already sweating. It felt like the test was personally attacking me.

Somewhere around question 50, I started panicking. Was this a good sign, or was I just getting these because I was bombing the exam? I second-guessed every single answer. The worst part? A lot of the SATA questions felt like complete guesses Id pick three options, stare at the screen, add one more, then delete it again. Pure chaos.

When my exam shut off at 88 questions, I was convinced I had failed. But when I got my results, I PASSED. That’s when I realized the NCLEX gives harder questions when you're doing well. SATA questions are high-difficulty, so getting more of them usually means the exam is testing your ability at a higher level. But trust me, in the moment, it feels like you're failing. If you had a ton of SATA, take it as a (stressful) compliment you were probably doing better than you thought.