by mye614

Hello,
I took my NCKEX-RN in CA on 7/15...Just found out 3 days ago that I FAILED... : crying2: I am so depressed and so frustrated. I guess in the beginning after I left the Testing Center, I was so sure that I failed it and did not feel as bad...But now that I have the result in my hand..."WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU DID NOT PASS..." I was so hurt and down. Now I know how the other poeple who failed feels and felt. I feel terrible. I don't know what to do...I don't know how, when, and where to start again. Now, I face another dilemma. I have been working as an IP-RN for 2 months now and next week will be my last week of orientation and after that I will be on my own, but now I can't anymore...I feel like I've wasted my time and the hospital's time and money because I will not be able to work as an RN until I pass (which I don't know when)...I have so many things going on in my head. Should I quit my job and focus back in my studying? Please help...For those of you who took it more than once and pass, can you please give me some advise on what to do to prepare myself for the second (or third or fourth ) try??? Thanks!

I am so sorry about the results. Hey, don't be too bummed. There are tons of ppl who fail it and then take it again and pass. Just remember that you can take it over and at least you have an idea of what to expect. I know I am not of much help, but believe me you can do this. I have faith in you that you will make it. Go on, clear your mind and then hit those guides again. There is hope for everything my friend EXCEPT death. I wish you the best of luck.

Try not to get too down on yourself. Like Jessica stated, next time you'll be more prepared because you know what to expect. You can do it! You aren't the first and won't be the last student who have had to take it more than once. Try to keep a positive attitude when going back to retake it because I'm sure that can have an influence on how you do also. Best of luck to you

Try to take a couple of days for yourself and then just regroup and get back on the horse and begin your studying process. You are not the first, nor will you be the last.

What exactly did you do to prepare yourself, what did you use, and how did you use it? I am willing to help you, but you need to tell me exactly what you were doing first, then I get set up a program for you.

Originally Posted by suzanne4

Try to take a couple of days for yourself and then just regroup and get back on the horse and begin your studying process. You are not the first, nor will you be the last.

What exactly did you do to prepare yourself, what did you use, and how did you use it? I am willing to help you, but you need to tell me exactly what you were doing first, then I get set up a program for you.

Hello, Suzanne
Thanks for your reply and the willingenss to help me set up a study program. Right after graduation in May I've attended a live review class that was offered in our college thru Drexel University. The course was good at first as they showed us the "technique" but overall I did not really like it because it was crammed ( 9 days, 3-4 hours each day). Then I also used NCSB learning ext (7 weeks subscription), and also I used Saunders ( I also used this book throughout my nursing school). I studied for 2 months, everyday at least 4 hours a day and I was going from reading the book/materials to answering 100-150 questions a day and also reading the rationales. When I got my result, the result interpretation for each category I got "near passing" and one with "below passing" which is the Physiologic Adaptation category. I thought I was doing good and when I was taking the real exam most of the questions I got were prioritizations and select al that apply. The computer concentrated on giving me "Prioritization" questions which right there got me so worried. The quetions/scenarios were lenghty with lenghty choices as well. You see, English is not my native language (eventhough I graduated in the US), not only do I have to understand the question I also have to translate it in my language to fullu understand it. I am so tempted to take another review class and everyone I went to the grad program where I work sweared that Kaplan works. What do you think? Kaplan costs a lot of money and I have to travel 2 hours each way twice a week to get to the Kaplan review center but what if it's just the same as Drexel............I'm so lost and unsure...Next week, I will need to tell my employer that I failed and I'm afraid to lose my space at the hospital especially now that I am more competent at work. Please help...............................

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't pass.

Good luck the 2nd time.

From the sound of how much you studied, it is quite possibly that you were just below the pass mark, so you'll probably pass next time. Also, you already are familiar with the testing, so you won't have the initial nerves that you had. Why don't you check into the Hurst review. It is pretty concentrated, about 8 hours over 4 days, but I've heard a lot of good things about it.

I'm not sure how long you have to wait until you can take it again, but talk to your nurse manager. I'm quite sure that you are not the first person that has failed the first time. If you've been doing well, she'll do what she can to keep you, even if you may have to scale down to a patient care tech. It's only temporary.

I personally do not like the Kaplan program, and especially where English was not your primary language to begin with.

With Saunders, were you doing the questions from the CD, or from the actual book? Which city are you located in? What language is your mother tongue?

[quote=suzanne4]I personally do not like the Kaplan program, and especially where English was not your primary language to begin with.

With Saunders, were you doing the questions from the CD, or from the actual book? Which city are you located in? What language is your mother tongue?[/QUOTE
yes, I was doing the CD from the Saunders (ed.2) but I concentrated more on the NCSB learning ext. I'm from Southern California. My primary language is Tagalog. Also, I seem to noticed that I'm really weak with prioritizing especially with disaster and triage planning (who you would see first or who you would discharge first..some of the questions I got had multiple diagnosis per patient on the choices). Any suggestions how I could improve myself and my critical thinking skills on these categories?

You need to focus on the CD from Saunders. Forget about the others.
You need to do at least 100 questions per day from the CD, and review the rationale behind every single answer. Both the correct answer that was chosen, as well as why the others were incorrect. You can learn more from studying that way. The book should be used as your resource if you do not understand something. Your focus should be on the CD and nothing else at this point.

You should not need to translate the questions into your language. You have already attended school here, etc. That may be causing you a problem as well. You need to get familiar enough with everything in English, you are not going to be able to translate back and forth in an emergency.

Which island are you from? Were you not speaking English when back home?
I work primarily with foreign nurses who never spoke English until they started working with me, and I have gotten every single one thru the exams.

Send me your e-mail address by pm and I will send you some articles that will be extremely helpful. You will pass this time, if you listen to what I am going to tell you to do.