After 3 attempts at the NCLEX-RN..........

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I finally passed it!!!!!!!! Geez, it's been a long time coming, but the moment that I had longed for so long has finally happened. Just wanted to thank all those @ allnurses.com who have wished me well, as well as those who have posted in the past their success stories. These stories not only inspired me, they gave me motivation and hope that I too can be among those who were able to pass the NCLEX exam. I truly believe that this site was instrumental in me passing. Thanks again, and for all those who have taken it several times and haven't passed, don't give up! Believe me, I know that its hard having not passed several times, but don't despair. If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask. I am more than willing to help anybody out. It's the least I can do to contribute to this site. Now, I can have more time to :onbch: and :vdgmg:

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:ancong!:

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Congrats

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Specializes in heart failure and prison.

Congrats 2 u. Share with us how u prepared and what was different about how u pass this time.

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Specializes in none.

Congratulations:nurse:....thanks for your inspiration. I am going to take mine for the third time on Friday. :plsebeg: I need all the positive I can get. Good luck in your career....and with your games!! LOL:lol2:

:dancgrp:

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Specializes in icu.

congratulations!!!

:dncgcpd::hpygrp:

to luvnlife, :hlk: YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

Congradulations!!!! WooHoo, good luck in your new career. :dncgbby::dncgbby::dncgbby:

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Specializes in dialysis.
:nurse: Great job! Congrats!!!!;););):yeah:;););):yeah:;););):yeah::nurse:
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CONGRATS!!!!:up:

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Congrats 2 u. Share with us how u prepared and what was different about how u pass this time.

Lets see....

1st Attempt: I strictly used the Kaplan Q Bank and questions trainers. Being as it was my first time taking it, I was quite anxious and was overwhelmed with the amount of information that I could possibly be tested on. I did the full 265 questions but ended up failing. What possibly got me that far in the test was breaking down each question and eliminating wrong answers.

2nd Attempt: To be honest, I kind of took it a bit easy on the studying this time around. I was under the impression that I could only add on to the knowledge that I had gained during preparation of the first exam. Big mistake. I continued answering questions and did a bit more reading this time around, buying several NCLEX review books in the process. Mistake #2. I ended up doing just 75 questions when the computer shutoff. I ended up failing a second time, which was not only heart-breaking, it brought down my confidence and made me doubt my talents as a potential RN. What I noticed afterwards was that I wasn't quite as nervous as the first time, yet I was breezing through the questions. I finished at around an hour and a half, but I had a suspicious feeling that I didn't end up doing so well. The questions were too "simple" and I was getting alot of them. It would be 6 months and probably around 10 reschedules before I would take it again.

3rd Attempt: This time around, I still stuck with answering questions, but instead of just doing each question and moving on to the next, I read each rationale (whether I got it right/wrong) and tried to get a feeling of what the question was asking for ( A Kaplan strategy). For all the wrong questions I got, I wrote a short note on it, and later read up on it. My rationale for doing this was to better utilize my time and focus on my weak areas, rather than going over whole sections of reading (i.e. cardiovascular, endocrine, GI, etc). Then I got the book "Prioritization, Delegation, Assignment" by LaCharity. Get your hands on this book!!! I highly recommend it. I thought that I had a fair grasp on prioritizing and delegation, but after doing some questions from it, I realized that I needed a bit more reviewing. A week before the test, I did about 175-200 each day, but by the 5th day I couldn't force myself to do anymore questions. For the 2 days prior, I did some lite reading by looking over all the notes I wrote up during answering questions, as well as reviewing lab values. On the day of the test, I said a prayer in my car before I went inside the test-taking building. I told myself that I would take my time with each question and not rush like I had during the second time. I read somewhere on these forums that someone posted that Priority questions were considered high level questions, so each time I encountered these kind of questions, my confidence rose. I finishing at about an hour and 45 minutes, 77 questions, and ended up not taking my time as I intended. I was a bit scared because yet again, I breezed through the test. I only had one SATA and no math medications. What perplexed me this time around was that the questions seemed a bit "simple" and weren't as complexed as I was anticipating. Its kinda hard to describe, but I'll be honest by saying that it felt "easier" than what I was expecting.

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions to ask, please feel free to!:D

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Congratulations:nurse:....thanks for your inspiration. I am going to take mine for the third time on Friday. :plsebeg: I need all the positive I can get. Good luck in your career....and with your games!! LOL:lol2:

:dancgrp:

Thanks! Like so many others, try to relax 1-2 days prior to your examination. I know its hard to resist studying for those to days but you should give your brain time to relax. If need be, read a few notes here and there but don't end up in full-on study mode! Just mentally prepare yourself on this exam, remaining positive and imagining yourself passing it. As hokey as it may seem, it helps. I am not by any means a good test-taker, but if I can do it, I'm confident that you can as well!

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I will be taking the NCLEX again I am trying to study but still at a lost. How did you study for this exam Please help!

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