Failed NCLEX 5 Times! Am I The Only One Who . . .

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Am I the only one who is concerned about someone who has failed multiple times, finally passes and then wants to share their experience with everyone else? Am I the only one who is concerned about working with nurses who finally pass on their eighth try? Granted, I'm so experienced that I took my licensing exam on paper eons ago when it was offered only twice a year, everyone answered all the questions over a two day period and it took six weeks to get the results. In those days, you only got two tries. That was it. So I could be someone biased and/or out of touch. I just wonder, though, about the knowledge base and learning capacity of a nurse that took the exam eight times to pass. Although perserverence is a virtue, and those folks obviously have plenty of that. Is nursing so different now that it's OK to take eight tries to get your license? Or is this a development of the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality? Keep trying and everyone gets a license?

0 Votes

LOL Ruby, I read the title there and said to self "Ruby, you surely did not fail the NCLEX 5 times!!!!!"

But, I agree. One of the first in my class to get a decent hospital RN job failed the NCLEX. She had a relative who worked there, so passing was only a technicality when she eventually passed. The hospital would not interview anybody else. I think she worked for about 6 months got pregnant and plans to only MAYBE do PRN now, I last heard.... apparently PRN is "all she really wanted to do in nursing anyway."

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU.

How many times can you take it? Really, 3 strikes and your out.

0 Votes
Specializes in OB.

I totally agree Ruby. There should be a limit at which you are required to retake some of the course or a remedial course of some sort. Of course, being one of those oldies who did the "two days at the convention center" testing I'm still baffled that anyone thinks 75 questions could cover the breadth of knowledge one needs to begin a nursing career

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU, ER.

being one of those oldies who did the "two days at the convention center" testing i'm still baffled that anyone thinks 75 questions could cover the breadth of knowledge one needs to begin a nursing career

good point! (from another oldie)

0 Votes
Specializes in Pedi.
How many times can you take it? Really, 3 strikes and your out.

I tried to find information on this from my state, but the only information I could find stated that one could take the exam no more frequently than every 45 days and that if he/she didn't pass within one year from their original eligibility date, they would have to re-apply as a new application. Nothing on a limit as to how many times one could test.

0 Votes
Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.
Or is this a development of the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality? Keep trying and everyone gets a license?

I think that mentality exists primarily on message boards.

Allnurses in general is a very supportive community. A (mostly) unintended result of that is that people can come here and get a lot of support for things, ideas, and actions that would get an "Are you kidding me?!!?" response in real life.

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC.

Ruby it is this mentality of you and others that really irk me. I don't care if a nurse had to take the NCLEX 20 times to pass, not passing the nclex the first or second time by know means determines ones capability of being a great nurse. Have anyone ever thought about the fact that there are just some people who are poor test takers? There are nurses who struggled through school and on NCLEX but turned out to be competent nurses.

Here is some food for thought: I know of a man who was an expert at taking exams. One day he was asked to take a nursing exam. Well, this man had no medical background whatsoever but still passed this nursing exam with flying colors. To me NCLEX does not test how much you know or what you know. NCLEX tests your ability to pick the best answer.

These people made it through a vigorous nursing program. Therefore they do have some knowledge base about nursing.

To you nurses out there that had to take the NCLEX multiple times to pass: Congrats, you did it! Hold your head up high and be proud of our accomplishment.

To the nurses such as the OP who looks down and judge nurses that had to take the exam numerous times, I say this: Get a life and get over yourself!!!

Before I get flammed I took both LPN and RN boards and passed with minimum questions on my first try:nurse:

Just because some of us did not have to walk 10 inches in snow to take a two day exam does not mean we don't deserve our license anymore then you all do!

I'm done with this thread. Thank you and God bless you all :)

0 Votes

My husband (who went to law school) was telling me about a friend who finally passed the bar exam on the 3rd try. He told me that generally if you don't pass on the 3rd try then you are basically out. Not sure if there are determined people that will keep trying but he seemed to indicate that people don't.

I don't know about the current NCLEX and the 75 question passing point but is it an adaptive test? That might explain the reasoning for only 75 questions needed to pass?

I know some people get severe test anxiety so I can understand them not passing once or twice although at some point you'd either have to figure your school was lacking or your absorption of the information in school was lacking.

0 Votes
Specializes in Telemetry, OB, NICU.

Lol. I never reply "I passed it in 12th try, here's my story/here's what worked" type of topics. If I ever put my honest reaction on those topics, I would get flamed bad by everyone who passed it after 2+ times.

Hence, it should not be allowed to take boards after 3 times in my opinion. If one doesn't have capacity to pass an "entry level" test to practice as a nurse, then they better not practice as a nurse.

I wouldn't like someone to take care of me or loved one who had this much trouble passing a standardized test, no matter how they usually claim how they are awesome at patient care, and NCLEX is just a test that has nothing to do with being a nurse. :)

0 Votes
Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

This is a difficult topic. I had so many SATA questions on my test, I thought I was going vomit right there. SATA questions are not my strong point. I passed, but felt more like a failure.

I have a friend who never opened his nursing books at all in school and never studied for the NCLEX. Passed easily. Most students study, mark their pages, etc.

I also have a friend who is a great nurse with really bad test anxiety. She took her PN boards 3 times before passing. I was her lab partner at the time and she knew her stuff, but sit her down to take a test and she just couldn't do it.

The NCLEX is much more difficult now than 20 yrs ago. It's more difficult now than when I took it in 2010.

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC.
This is a difficult topic. I had so many SATA questions on my test, I thought I was going vomit right there. SATA questions are not my strong point. I passed, but felt more like a failure.

I have a friend who never opened his nursing books at all in school and never studied for the NCLEX. Passed easily. Most students study, mark their pages, etc.

I also have a friend who is a great nurse with really bad test anxiety. She took her PN boards 3 times before passing. I was her lab partner at the time and she knew her stuff, but sit her down to take a test and she just couldn't do it.

The NCLEX is much more difficult now than 20 yrs ago. It's more difficult now than when I took it in 2010.

I agree. I was reading a nlcex book from the 80's and the questions were pretty basic. Now days we have to listen to heart sounds, read ekgs, locate organs and things like the macula lens on diagrams. Its' a computer adaptive test, therefore not everyone passes with 75 questions. Some people should really do some research about the new nclex before passing judgement.

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment