by Sunshine Sweetheart

I just thought that I would post something about my experience. I don't post much but I usually lurk around and gain awesome advice from this board. You guys are an amazing bunch of people. I graduated in Dec. from a BSN program. I already had my job lined in CVICU with a start date in Feb. Starting this job meant that I had to pass boards on the first try. In IL working license pending means that you have taken boards and passed. You are just waiting on your actual license. So anyways I got my ATT 1/11 and scheduled my test for 1/31. I did Kaplan online and used the Saunders book. I studied maybe a couple of hours each day and hit hard on the areas that I knew I was weak in. A friend from school and myself tested at the same time for moral support. My test shut off at 75 questions. At first I was like WHEW it's over, if I got 75 questions then I passed. Then my mind got to rambling. I started telling myself that people have failed in 75 questions and I was one of them. I started looking up answers to the questions that I could remember and I got 4 wrong(out of the 6 that I could remember). I really started freaking out then. The next 48 hours were HORRIBLE!!!! I could not sleep, I cried because I knew I failed, I could not eat. I was a HOT MESS! But in waiting for my results I got some wonderful advice from my family that I want to share with you..........

1) We are all capable of passing the NCLEX as we have already proven ourselves by graduating nursing school. How many people that we know of that did and will not get a change to take NCLEX because they failed in school.

2) My daddy told me to calm down, it is just a test and if I don't pass, it is alright as you can take it again in 45 days. I already did the hard part by completing nursing school.

3) What is done is done. Crying, stressing, praying after the fact will not change the results. The 2 days that we spend doing that are 2 days that we miss out on this precious thing called life!!!

And you know what everything that everyone told me was true. I got my butt up and enjoyed the next 24 hours until I found my results. I knew that if I didn't pass I would just take it again. I realized that all the stressing was not good for me or my family and that I had already done the hard part by making it through nursing school. My class started with 70 people and we graduated with 34. Failing NCLEX is not as bad as failing out of school and not being able to fulfill the dream of becoming a nurse. We all are blessed in that we are at the point of taking NCLEX.

They are a couple of things that I also want to share. If you are taking the test with a friend don't ride together and don't sit by each other in the testing site. I finished in 75 and left before my friend. She finished 1 hour after me. We did not sit by each other and she said that she was glad becuase if she would have known that I finished before her in 75 she would have started freaking out. We chose not to ride with each other because we did not want the stress of knowing someone is waiting on us if our test ran long. Make sure you have fun while studying. I went on a cruise and enjoyed my family and friends. While I did take my Saunders book on vacation, I did more vacationing ( is that a word lol) than studying! Enjoy life and just know that the NCLEX is one thing we are capaple of passing and we all have the tools to pass it already.


Oh and by the way................................ I PASSED. I found out exactly 48 hours to the sec from Quick Results. I realized that I wasted 24 hours for no reason at all. Thos 24 hours were spent on negative energy and I can't get those 24 hours back. Even if I hadn't passed those 24 hours would have still been lost because crying and praying would not have changed the results.

Good luck to all that are waiting for results and to all that have to take the test regardless if it is you first time or your tenth time. Smile, live, enjoy life. Don't let this one test take any more time away from your friends, family,children than it already has. The one thing that I regret is that I spent 24 hours ignoring everyone and everything because I though that I failed. Thank God I had a support system that allowed me to realize I have so many blessing already in front of me and that I would be a nurse someday. If it was not this time then it would be the time after that or the time after that. I just needed to have faith in myself and my abilities.

Re: NCLEX Advice (Long)

: anpom:

Thanks for the advice. Congradulations of passing.

Re: NCLEX Advice (Long)

Thanks for your advice. I agree that what is done is done and try not to worry after any test. It does me no good.

Now as far as worrying before the test...I have not got a grip on that yet.

I also agree about not riding with someone to NCLEX. I don't want to take the exam with any of my friends. We support each other plenty now, but on test day I think it would freak me out.

Best wishes on your new career.