Should I give up in taking NCLEX-RN or not?

My journey to Nursing. It wasn't really my first choice of degree to college but came to a point in my life I said, I should've taken it long time ago so I don't have to deal with it like I am dealing with it now. Students NCLEX Article

Should I give up in taking NCLEX-RN or not?

First and foremost, I wanted to tell a story how I ended up in the nursing field. I graduated Bachelor of Science in Commerce Major in Management Accounting in another country outside the USA. During my college days or shall I say High school days (you know time to decide what course in college you are taking) my schoolmates and classmates, even friends and relatives or even my brother and sis-in-law chose to be in the Nursing field. Take note I am afraid of seeing bloods, or even seeing a person in the television undergoing a surgery. And to fast forward, I worked at my dad's business in the bookkeeping department as a bookkeeper.

When my great grandmother got sick I had the privilege of taking care of her and realize I had a compassionate heart when giving care. But it didn't start there that I decided to go to Nursing school. I worked here in one of a well known bank with good insurance but then I was let go due to no available work, in short-Laid off.

I tried to look for a job and to a point that I decided to apply whatever company or line of job it was, but unfortunately did not find one. And that was the time I decided to change my career to Nursing. I told myself that I will try to do Practical Nursing School first and see if I am going to like it. I finished the course and took the test 1 time and voila, I passed. Glory to God it is because of Him that I did pass. It was a miracle for me.

Years have passed and still working as an LPN, the field of nursing is getting in demand and now very competitive. I decided to pursue with the BSN. Not to boast for myself I finished my BSN in 2015.

Sad to say and at the same time feeling embarrassed, I failed for the 4th time in taking the NCLEX. Yesterday was the day of my exam and today I found out I failed. I tried different reviews, live in class, or self study books but unfortunately no positive results yet. I spent thousands of dollars just to try a different strategy of studying just to pass. 4th time? I felt ashamed.

Now the question is should I give up or keep on going? I am frustrated right now of myself but I cannot blame myself either because I know I gave my best in studying plus with small kids and a full time job! I just wanted to cry right now. I think this is where the statement says When you stumble it is not the "how many times it happened, but how many times you keep on standing up right away to finish the game". What to do next? Where to go to or to whom to ask for help! Now this is where the line says that we need to do our part and God will do the rest right? (I am a believer)

My goal is to Pass the boards, work in a hospital to gain more experience but where is it going? Should I continue? Should I give up or not? Even me cannot answer that right now. But I know things happen for a reason. All I can do right now is wait, pray and study, because In due time I will be rewarded if I don't give up.

Feel free to comment but please respect each others points of view. I would love to hear good encouragements that will help individuals who feel like what I'm feeling now to be lifted up and not to give up1

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If it something that you truly want, I say keep on trying. You will eventually get it. Look at how you were studying, see what isn't working and change the way you studied. Make sure you know how to break down the questions and find out exactly what it is asking. Answer as many practice questions as you can each day. Read the rationales for each. Not just for the questions you get wrong, but for every question.

The most important thing is to make sure you know the basic principles. Don't try to memorize everything. NCLEX is testing you on how well you basic principles. NCLEX is not testing to see how well you memorized the list of S&S for this med, or the list of S&S for acidosis. You need to know the basic principles, so you can generate the list for yourself based on that. NCLEX is a NATIONAL test, so they have to make the questions fair no matter what book, school, etc. someone went to. Therefore, they can't write questions based on some list out of one of the NCLEX prep books (e.g., Kaplans). The only way to do this is to write questions based on principles to see if the person can generate the answers from the principles.

So, say a question on the NCLEX says that a pt has acidosis, what S&S will the pt exhibit? Select all that apply. They are testing you on a principle. What principle are they testing? That in an acidotic environment, chemical reactions cease. So, everything shuts down. You aren't supposed to memorize all the S&S. You are supposed to be able to apply the principle. So, when a question asks you about S&S of acidosis, you kno the principle – in an acidotic environment, chemical reactions cease. So, everything shuts down. In other words, as the pH goes down, the pt will go down too (e.g., lethargy, bradypnea, bradycardia, etc.). So, instead of trying to memorize different things, focus on learning the basic principles. Focus on answering as many practice questions as you can EVERY day, and reading ALL the rationales so you can learn the reasons for the answers. Reading the rationales should also help you learn the basic principles and how to break down questions to figure out the answer.

You can do it!

krean21

1 Article; 45 Posts

Specializes in none for now.

Thank you for this. That is what I need to do.

Knotanoonurse

78 Posts

Maybe practice 1:1 with someone who has helped students pass, like an instructor from Kaplan or another review. I am not saying go to the class, but get this kind of person as a private tutor. There used to be a lady here on AN who had a lot of tips for foreign grads. I think she was an American who had worked with students in Singapore. I cannot remember her name. Others will though. Maybe try a 1:1 study buddy.

How do you like being an LPN? Is it going well? If you do like nursing, I would say try for the RN. You will make more $ and have the opportunity to pursue more options. You will get this and then you can help someone else! God bless!

krean21

1 Article; 45 Posts

Specializes in none for now.

Okay I will try to ask for her. I liked being an LPN. My patient's love me so it boost's my self-esteem for a caregiver like me. But I am tired of having a lot of patient in a nursing home. We have higher patient ratios compared to Hospital nurses. Plus I really wanted to have a good experience and I know in the hospital it will be to expand my knowledge and apply what I have learned. Plus it is a bridge in furthering bigger salary and specialty as a nurse. Thanks.

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP

2 Articles; 1,718 Posts

Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

Did your NCLEX scores go up each time you took the test? If your scores are increasing, then keep working at it. If your scores are not increasing, then you really need to sit down and think about what is causing you difficulty.

One of my classmates took the NCLEX 3 times and passed on the 3rd try.

Good luck.

krean21

1 Article; 45 Posts

Specializes in none for now.

I haven't seen the result yet. I am waiting for it. Thank you.

Alex_RN, BSN

335 Posts

For me, it was not the content that was the issue but the way NCLEX questions are structured. While I studied content a lot, I mostly used an app on my phone and did sample questions, thousands, whenever I had a few free moments. I NEVER felt confident but I passed in less than 90 questions.

When I took the NCLEX, there were maybe 2 questions that I felt confident about. The rest were a shot in the dark based upon how the questions were worded and my instincts. I had also worked with someone specifically to manage anxiety about the test: relaxation exercises, deep breathing, etc. I tried not to over-think the questions and calmly approach each question rationally and then after I made my choice, to move on to the next question and not dwell on previous questions.

Dying2nurse

15 Posts

Keep pushing until you get it. You can do it. Never give up on your dreams!

~Blessings

bsyrn, ASN, RN

810 Posts

Specializes in Peds, School Nurse, clinical instructor.

Don't give up! Is there any type of a refresher class you could take that might help?

krean21

1 Article; 45 Posts

Specializes in none for now.

I did refresher course but it did not let help me pass. Thank you for the encouragement.

krean21

1 Article; 45 Posts

Specializes in none for now.

Can someone please help me decide what is best NCLEX RN practice questions that works, if there is any? Any input? I tried UWorld, NRSNG, NCLEX mastery app. Dunno what else to try that will help a lot. Thanks for all the encouragement. You never know how much confidence I had when I read there are still people who believe in me. God bless you.