Failed CRNE for the 2nd time, HELP!

World Canada CRNE

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

Hey guys,

So unfortunately today November 8th, 2011, I got my CRNE results and found out that for the second time, I failed it by just one single mark.

It is so discouraging and (I know it is not likely) I feel like I'm being targeted to just fail. Having this helpless feeling is just terrible, specially when my younger sister who did the first exam with me on June 2011 passed it on her first attempt (she's still currently looking for an RN job...but at least she's already registered).

I'm not a complete idiot that I know for sure...I may slack here and there--which I did on the first exam, but I studied hard for this second one using Mosby's Comprehensive. Unfortunately I did not study much of the book except for the first eight Chapters.

So now I am at my most desperate...should I risk paying the $52.80 fee to get my scantron hand-scored, or will I just be wasting more money. I am stuck in a corner financially and I don't even have a job yet because I was unsure which job to apply for (part time jobs or an RN job) because I was waiting for the exam results.

--What are the chances that they'll dig in one single mark in there for me to pass...I have a feeling it's just their way of getting more cash. I mean, if they did find one single mark in there for me, that would definitely have a negative effect on the accuracy of their marking...so I have a strong feeling that they won't even get me that one mark--

My question is:

1: To those that failed it and passed on their 3rd attempt, what did you do differently?

2: Should I even bother with the Hand-Scoring Fee? Has anyone in here ever paid for it and actually got that one mark?

3: Should I take extra classes and can you suggest a really good class that would help out?

4: Any advice would be great and those who failed it for the 2nd time this time around please share your views.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

I think the answers to your dilemma are in your post. You freely admit you didn't take the first exam seriously and that you didn't really study for the second one... which you failed by one mark. Don't waste the rescoring fee, your exam would have been rescored already to ensure your mark is accurate. I wouldn't recommend wasting money on a review course either. Simply study from the resources you already have and take the whole thing much more seriously.

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

Aside from the Mosby..I did take a class and did the full CRNE so I really did not slack off on the 2nd exam, I just didn't do the full Mosby Comprehensive--I guess I should have clarified it some more.

I failed both exams by 1 mark and it's rather frustrating. I studied and took this exam seriously the 2nd time around and aimed on more than "just passing" it. It's very frustrating to know that even if I studied--the outcome remains the same as the previous one and I only have one chance left.

Is there anyway that I can do a healthcare related job at the moment while preparing for my 3rd attempt?

**and is it true that the June exams are much harder than the October or February?

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

You could look into working as a porter, service attendant or nursing attendant/assistant/aide - whatever they're called in your area. You may need some kind of certification for the nursing attendant role though.

You should be able to get a job as a nursing Aid in your province. Most nursing students qualify for this after the first year or school. I think you need to take the time to study and make this your priority, no matter what is wrong finically. I failed the June 2011 exam because I did not take the time off work to study. For the oct exam I took a few months and reviewed the mosby comprehensive book like crazy. By the end of my studying from that book I had two notebooks and cards full of studying notes. I also hired a nursing tutor for a week, who assigned me homework, things to study, and mock exams. It was expensive but worth it. I do not do good on exams and I'm pretty sure I got through nursing school, because of my good marks on papers. If I can pass this exam I know you can too. You spent four years in school, so don't waste it. Take the time to understand that you failed and analyze what went wrong and what you should do. If I can help you in anyway please let me know.

Hey i just wrote the exam in october and just got my results...and i failed by 1 mark also...that was also my second time writing the exam! I studied my butt off this time and still failed...i dont get what im doing wrong....

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

Thank you very much for the reply and the support. I just found out a few of my group study members did pass which makes it a lot worse. The next exam is on February and the final day to pay the $508 fee is by November 21.

I decided to work for four months and study for the four after that before the exam. I have heard that the June ones tend to be a tad bit harder (plus a lot more pressure because there will be new students...and it'd be 1 year after I took my first one), but I believe some time in between this and my FINAL attempt would be helpful.

Thank you very much for the offer and I will keep in touch. I really hope that more people will speak out.

I also decided not to waste an extra $50 on hand-scoring...janfrn has a great point about putting my focus on really taking this much more seriously.

****By the way, do we have to take any Remedial Classes prior to doing our third attempt? I swear I've read it somewhere that we need to prove that we prepared better to take the 3rd exam? I called CNO today and the lady was unclear about her explanation and she seemed to be in a rush of putting me to a different phone operator.****

Specializes in Perioperative Nursing.

I'm so sorry about your story. I guess my suggestions would be to not only study from Mosby, but look into the actual CRNE study handbooks. They sell these on their website (they are not cheap) but the questions are more similar to the ones you see on the actual exam (as compared to the mosby Q's). When I studied, I buddied up with some friends; we all used the Mosby book, CRNE book and the practice exams (also for purchase on their website). We all did the questions, compared answers, then talked about our answers so all of us understood the right answer. We lived at the library for 3 weeks (M-F). Studying for this exam is serious stuff and takes a lot of dedication. Be sure to put enough time aside for a thorough review. Good luck! :nurse:

ButtonNose said:
I'm so sorry about your story. I guess my suggestions would be to not only study from Mosby, but look into the actual CRNE study handbooks. They sell these on their website (they are not cheap) but the questions are more similar to the ones you see on the actual exam (as compared to the mosby Q's). When I studied, I buddied up with some friends; we all used the Mosby book, CRNE book and the practice exams (also for purchase on their website). We all did the questions, compared answers, then talked about our answers so all of us understood the right answer. We lived at the library for 3 weeks (M-F). Studying for this exam is serious stuff and takes a lot of dedication. Be sure to put enough time aside for a thorough review. Good luck! 

I failed twice even though I really studied. I am so depressed right now, but I think I will just study harder this time. I will not write the next exam in February, but will wait until I am really ready. Thanks for advice, I will make sure that I do not fail again

Where are you from?

If you are in Toronto area, I heard the U T school of health has a good program. If you are in AB, GMU has a 2 days prep course

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

So a friend of mine took this Prep Course that's worth $950 and apparently everyone he knew who took the class passed.

http://www.torontoschoolofhealth.com/A/RN%20Exam.htm

We have 5 years after graduation to take the CRNE, so rushing to do the next one isn't really a wise decision if we really know that we're not ready. In my case, I opt out on doing it on February, I will be doing mine in June and work for the meantime to earn enough cash to pay for my prep course and the exam.

Another friend of mine decided to go straight for the NCLEX, apparently there are way more job offers in the US and some are good enough to offer housing with the job. Might be something to look into as well :). Why rush in Ontario (specially when it's taking long for people to get jobs) when there are other places where they also need nurses.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
electricblack said:
So a friend of mine took this Prep Course that's worth $950 and apparently everyone he knew who took the class passed.

http://www.torontoschoolofhealth.com/A/RN%20Exam.htm

We have 5 years after graduation to take the CRNE, so rushing to do the next one isn't really a wise decision if we really know that we're not ready. In my case, I opt out on doing it on February, I will be doing mine in June and work for the meantime to earn enough cash to pay for my prep course and the exam.

Another friend of mine decided to go straight for the NCLEX, apparently there are way more job offers in the US and some are good enough to offer housing with the job. Might be something to look into as well :). Why rush in Ontario (specially when it's taking long for people to get jobs) when there are other places where they also need nurses.

Please refer to this thread:

It's not correct that there are lots of jobs open in the US. Most areas of the country are not hiring new grads from anywhere, never mind from outside their borders. Read some of the threads in the First Year forum... 

https://allnurses.com/first-year-after-licensure-c141/

 

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