This study was designed to provide data pertaining to factors affecting pass/fail performance of associate degree graduate nurses on the licensing examination. The problem was to determine if age, cumulative grade index of nursing courses, university cumulative grade index upon completion of the program, continuous enrollment in nursing courses, previous college enrollment, and the average grade of three required science courses could be predictors of pass/fail performance of associate degree graduate nurses on the licensing examination.The population of the study were graduates of an associate degree nursing program offered by a small, private liberal arts university in the midwest. The representative sample of the population consisted of 253 associate degree graduate nurses completing the associate degree nursing program and writing the licensing examination during the years 1977 through 1979.One instrument was employed to collect the data. This instrument was constructed by the investigator to record the data pertaining to each factor under investigation.The statistical analysis of the data was performed by using difference in proportion of large samples test, difference in large sample means test following the application of the F test to sample variance, the non-parametric rank sum test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, and two-way analysis of co-variance test. Data pertaining to each factor was organized into two groups, the number of associate degree graduate nurses passing the licensing examination and the number of associate degree graduate nurses failing the licensing examination.Analysis of the data revealed that the mean cumulative grade point index upon completion of the nursing program and the mean cumulative grade index of nursing courses for the group of graduate nurses passing the licensing examination was found to be higher than the mean cumulative grade point index upon completion of the nursing program and the mean cumulative grade index of nursing courses for the group of graduate nurses failing the licensing examination. Mastery of content of nursing courses affected pass/fail performance of associate degree graduate nurses on the licensing examination.Partitioning of graduate nurses into age groups, continuous enrollment in nursing courses, previous college enrollment prior to admission to the nursing program and the average grade of three required science courses did not influence the pass/fail performance of associate degree graduate nurses on the licensing examination.As the result of the findings of the study, it may be concluded that age of the associate degree graduate is not an influencing factor upon pass/fail performance on the licensing examination. Previous college experience, continuous enrollment in nursing courses and high academic performance in science courses do not influence successful performance on the licensing examination.Cumulative grade index of nursing courses as well as university cumulative grade index upon completion of the nursing program, may be the best predictors as to whether or not the associate degree graduate nurse will pass the licensing examination.The results of the study suggest: (1) replicate study in same setting using a second representative sample of the population to determine if the findings of the study were unique to the first representative sample of the population. (2) Replicate study in another institution offering an associate degree nursing program to determine if findings of study would be the same or unique to the representative sample of the population. (3) Investigate how required science courses in an associate degree nursing curriculum support nursing courses if academic performance in the science courses are not a significant factor influencing pass/fail performance on the licensing examination. (4) Investigate the test taking skills of the group of graduate nurses failing the licensing examination in the representative sample of the population of this study. (5) And, using the same population investigate the methods of study of the group passing the licensing examination and the group failing the licensing examination.