Anyone ever consider retaking NCLEX just to see if you could still pass?

Nurses General Nursing

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I know I'm probably a masochist but I have been wondering for a while if I could still pass NCLEX after 25+ years out of school. There are so many threads about how hard it is to pass- I didn't think it was that tough when I took it 25 years ago. (I was a lousy student and I'm no brighter than average). Does anyone know if you can "audit" NCLEX? God!- what if I took it again and failed- wouldn't they have to take my licence?! Great, now that I've posted this, I'm going to have nightmares about NCLEX for the next week!

I am an RN and LVN. I let my LVN lapse when I received my RN license :jester:.

30 thirty years later ( a few months ago) I took NCLEX-LVN and passed the first time.

I studied over the course of two weeks, aprroximately six hours maximum.

It is really not that hard.

The first test I took was paper and pencil scan tron.

I believe I would pass NCLEX-RN with about thirty hours study, but why?

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Specializes in geriatric correction hospice occupation.

I took NCLEX -PN last July 2009 and thought my nerves were the worst part. I grad. in March but I relaxed/dreaded it so just didn't study because I'd get hives from my nerves. I've alwasys beleaved it self will except when i was itching, even then said my mantras with zeal. Passed the 1st time. :o Hope RN is the same.

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May your RN go the same without the hives.

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Specializes in CVICU, CCU, Heart Transplant.

You can't retake the NCLEX if you have already passed it. You would need an ATT from the BON to schedule an appointment. In theory, No, I would never retake it.

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You can't retake the NCLEX if you have already passed it. You would need an ATT from the BON to schedule an appointment. In theory, No, I would never retake it.

I don't think anyone was seriously going to try to retake it. It was just one of those hypothetical questions that's fun to debate.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
I have to agree with this.

I took the test 3 years ago. Two other GNs on my unit took it first and said it was easy. Both said that most of the questions they got came almost straight from the Kaplan book. I had been studying both Saunders and Kaplan so I thought I'd have no trouble either. HA!!

I'm a good test taker...always have been...and I graduated with an A- average. But the NCLEX was the most horrible experience at taking a test I have ever had in my life! Only one question was even remotely like a question from the Kaplan book (and before anyone says anything, I was NOT relying on getting the same questions in Kaplan), and a lot of them were about obscure things that kept me wondering where they got that stuff from.

Plus, I kept getting hammered with questions about drugs that I'd never heard of. I also got several questions in a new format that had never come up in any review in school or in any book. I must have gotten at least 4 of them wrong before I even figured out what it was that they were asking. When I finally understood what they wanted, I ended up getting a couple more like that and then the test shut off.

I don't know exactly how many questions I got but it was in the low 80's. I was devastated because I was absolutely positive that I had failed and even told everyone at work that I had failed. As I walked out of the testing site it was all I could do to keep from crying. I was literally sick to my stomach for the next 2 days, and when I found out that I had passed, I just stared at the computer for the longest time thinking that there must have been a mistake. I finally let myself be thrilled with passing, but a couple of hours later I started to doubt myself again and logged back in to make sure I hadn't read it wrong.

So yeah, if anyone thinks the test was easy then you got lucky with the questions you got.

Wow, I thought I was the only one that happened to.... I took the NCLEX back in 2002. I had a bunch of questions about diseases and drugs I had never even heard of! Spent a lot of time panicking and wondering when they taught THAT in school because I sure must have missed that day, week or maybe whole semester! Until your post I haven't talked to or heard of anybody else with that same test experience. As it turned out I passed first time with about 80 questions - got a little scared when I passed 75 and it didn't quit and then a few questions later the screen just went dark. That was the FREAKIEST feeling and I walked out of that room having absolutely no clue how I did. Do I want to ever repeat that experience?? NO WAY!!!! Even eight years later that memory just won't fade.

One thing I wish the NCLEX would do though is give a little feedback along with the results. I know I passed, but I would have liked to have known which areas I tested strong and weak in. There were some questions that I answered strictly by eenie meenie minie mo method and I have always wondered if I guessed right on those.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i enjoy paging throught the review q and a books, so if it were no strings attached (and free!!), i'd take it again just because

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Wow, I thought I was the only one that happened to.... I took the NCLEX back in 2002. I had a bunch of questions about diseases and drugs I had never even heard of! Spent a lot of time panicking and wondering when they taught THAT in school because I sure must have missed that day, week or maybe whole semester! Until your post I haven't talked to or heard of anybody else with that same test experience. As it turned out I passed first time with about 80 questions - got a little scared when I passed 75 and it didn't quit and then a few questions later the screen just went dark. That was the FREAKIEST feeling and I walked out of that room having absolutely no clue how I did. Do I want to ever repeat that experience?? NO WAY!!!! Even eight years later that memory just won't fade.

One thing I wish the NCLEX would do though is give a little feedback along with the results. I know I passed, but I would have liked to have known which areas I tested strong and weak in. There were some questions that I answered strictly by eenie meenie minie mo method and I have always wondered if I guessed right on those.

Yeah, I don't think I'll ever forget that experience either!

You must have guessed right on enough of them. :D

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Specializes in Women's health & post-partum.
One thing I wish the NCLEX would do though is give a little feedback along with the results. I know I passed, but I would have liked to have known which areas I tested strong and weak in. There were some questions that I answered strictly by eenie meenie minie mo method and I have always wondered if I guessed right on those.

That's one thing we did have with the 2-day testing. Our results came back with our scores and how we compared with others who took the test at the same time ("You received the highest score on xxx test among the test-takers on (date)") We didn't have to open the envelop to know how we did. It came addressed to "Miss A. Nurse, RN"

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
That's one thing we did have with the 2-day testing. Our results came back with our scores and how we compared with others who took the test at the same time ("You received the highest score on xxx test among the test-takers on (date)") We didn't have to open the envelop to know how we did. It came addressed to "Miss A. Nurse, RN"

It would have been great to get that kind of feedback, sounds just what I would've been looking for. On the other hand with the computerized system I knew for sure that I passed in less than 2 days. It must have really been nerve-wracking to wait for hand processing and snail mail results for weeks [possibly months].

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You need to see Dr. Phil. Don't give the State board's ammunition and money making scemes for us to rekate the NCLEX, like you renew your license every two years. This is just plain NUTS!

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to GM2RN & KBennett65, the OP, and others -

From the polling I've done in the grads at my school, EVERYone feels that way now - walking out sick, sure you failed, and suffering until the results are finally posted.

I also wish feedback was available - I'd like to know how I did, since the questions weren't much like the ones I studied with, during school or during the prep. I'm not too impressed with Pearson, and frankly, I don't see why they can't just show your score immediately after testing - as is done with so many other tests!

People that took it years ago took a comprehensive test and maybe don't realize it's not comprehensive anymore. As a computer-adaptive test (CAT), it's designed to test you on what you DON'T know, not what you do - the test zeroes in on your weaknesses and picks at them until you fall in the hole. It sucks.

I just took it last week and JOYFULLY anticipate NEVER having to take it again.

Not that I would, even for a bet. Don't forget about the pressure you feel taking it - retaking it now wouldn't give you the full effect - you've had your career thus far to support you. When you're newly graduated though, you don't have that (unless you've transitioned to RN from some other aspect of healthcare). All you have is the debt you've racked up going to school, and the whole life you've put on hold to do it. Taking the NCLEX without having everything on the line is hardly sporting!

On the other hand, I sure as heck hope I would feel confident to pass it after working a while. The test is to assure I can meet _minimum_ standards of safe practice - I hope I will be far exceeding them as the years pass. Of course, you lose knowledge you don't use, so if you never see OB patients, you'll forget exactly when and how AFP testing is done. Of course, the way the CAT works, it would figure out you don't know any OB, ask you all about it, and you'd fail. Feh.

Rejoice in your freedom - all you have to know now is the exact policy of your facility as it pertains to every procedure you perform in patient care ! ;)

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