Depressed while preparing for NCLEX 2nd Time

i'm in a similar boat. i did reasonably well in school, took hurst and took the exam two months later. i failed after only 100 questions which makes me feel really incompetent. here's the deal, though: i refuse to be depressed anymore. it's been a week and i'm committed to studying smarter. i had a friend who failed the exam 2 times before passing. i got her advice on what she did to pass, which was study questions not content. i also put it on facebook. shockingly, a lot of my friends who have been nurses for a while let me know they failed the first time. lastly, i think the nclex is a flawed exam. we study text, we go to clinicals and preceptorship and learn how things are done in medical setting, then we're told we have to take a test where what you actually do is wrong and they want to know what happens in the IDEAL setting. oh well, enough with my rant. good luck on retaking the exam! you'll do it!

Don't get depressed. It will only make studying that much harder. And don't get down on yourself. If it was an easy exam there wouldn't be so many review classes, books, and people posting about it.

Here's my advice: Make a realistic game-plan for yourself. Set up a timeline where there's days you are really focused doing 150-200 questions and then every 3-4 days you are giving yourself a day off to refocus and charge your batteries. It just sounds like you are burned out. Also, if its possible, I really had an amazing experience going to Kaplan in-person classes. I underestimated how valuable and helpful it was having someone talk me through the thought process of answering nclex questions especially the ones where you don't even know what it is asking. To me that class was invaluable. I watch the online videos and in my opinion the inclass question answering time is so much more useful.

You are going to do great the second time around. Give yourself a break, recharge your batteries, and then just push yourself and go for it and be done with it so you can move on to much more fun and exciting things in your life.

Good luck! I am sure you will do great!

I have taken the nclex 2 times and am waiting on approval for my 3rd! I am also in the same boat, I refuse to get depressed as most of the things I saw on my exam were not what I learned in school but how to figure things out. This time I am using all the resources I can for pratice tests and trying to find things with harder than usual questions. I sail through ATI and Lippicotts but Kaplans seems to me to be the closest to the questions on the actual exam. I wish you well, we will all get there!! I have to pass this time or I go to remediation before another attempt. I did well in school and am an above average student, so I am going with testing strategy and being able to pay attention after sitting for an extended time while testing. I think this is the biggest problem for me as I get bored sitting still. I am working on endurance so I can answer any question like it is the first one!! You will do fine, keep studying!!!

That is so true! Got to keep moving forward!

i suggest you buy and use lacharity delegation and prioritization book. this is a must for the nclex-rn.

good luck and believe in yourself that you will make it this time.

angel, rn

Ogechi:

Lacharity,Examcram and Nclex4000.Thats what most of our naija dey use pass am my dear.Goodluck