devastated.

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I failed the NCLEX-PN exam.. the thing is.. I wasnt even close. The computer shut off after the minimum number of questions. I did so well in nursing school, all A's and B's and on all the practice tests.. But I didnt recognize any of the drugs and there were a ton of pharm questions. Where do I go from here? It sounds dumb but I just feel like giving up.. I wanted to be a nurse more than anything. I really thought I'd pass so I sort of waited til the last minute to study and crammed some.. But I knew all my lab values and read a Kaplan book on NCLEX format.. I never did well when I overstudied in school...I am so devastated, dissapointed to tell my family, my husband, co-workers, my new job, my friends.. I let them all down and myself. And my instructors. :bluecry1: I cant take it again for 90 days and at this point I am so discouraged I cant imagine going through this again. Its supposed to be minimum competency.. I did well in my clinicals and my studies.. how did I fail so miserably? Any wordsof encouragement out there? I've been crying non stop and I just feel like laying in bed and never getting up again. I worked SO hard this year. I have a new job I'll be starting and now I will have to work as an MA 40 hours a week for the next 3 months and try to figure out a way to study better for NCLEX. I NEED HELP!!! I'm so sad.

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Hi dear, ok that is behind you now. The thing is this, there is a NEW format since April 2008 as you know. You braved it...all of us that need to take it are afraid. We have it harder with the new format questions. Take your time to recover, gather yourself, hold your head up and try again. I took a review course and there had to be 25 or more nurses that failed (some more than once). Im scared to death of taking it, think I will fail but I have to try. YOU were brave enough to try.

Now you can buckle down and study like you need to. You now realize the extreme seriousness of it. NO MORE CRAMMING. Your family cannot begin to understand the anxiety and difficulty w/passing this NCLEX and with the new format questions making it triply hard.

Please dont give up and give in to pride. You can do it and you will! Just remember with all your good grades in nursing school, it was very difficult and you passed that, remember all the hard tests you took. Now...look ahead, settle down, study hard and pass. :up:

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Thanks so much for your compassionate words... It was so hard.. there were so many of the Select All that Apply and I always stuggled with those.. I am so afraid to retake it and go through this again.. I am so discouraged... I am so upset. I wasnt even close.. Do you think it will make it harder to pass 3 months from now even with studying? My husband and I made so many sacrifices for this this past year.. Scraped together the money to take the test and now have to do it again. I have to figure out how to study and work full time. I feel so hopeless. I wish I could just give up but I cant.

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Thanks so much for your compassionate words... It was so hard.. there were so many of the Select All that Apply and I always stuggled with those.. I am so afraid to retake it and go through this again.. I am so discouraged... I am so upset. I wasnt even close.. Do you think it will make it harder to pass 3 months from now even with studying? My husband and I made so many sacrifices for this this past year.. Scraped together the money to take the test and now have to do it again. I have to figure out how to study and work full time. I feel so hopeless. I wish I could just give up but I cant.

What was suggested to me is to get a block of time for nothing but study for a minimum of 2-3 hours a day and a certain number of practice questions per day 300 if you can and stick to it! This is difficult even for me because I am so tired of studying. If it's possible at all not to work, that would be great. If you absolutely must work, get that block of timein no matter what. And it may sound funny but I even have a review book in my bathroom that I read. Dont lose momentum, stay focused.

I get burned out like a day or two and then pick it up again and keep it moving. DO IT!!! Im sure you will pass. :up:

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Moved to the NCLEX Discussion forum.

Here's a hug. (((hug))) :icon_hug: I'm sorry you didn't pass, but keep on trying!

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What makes you think you failed it? Because it shut off at 75 questions?

...don't be so quick to assume.

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Specializes in hospice/geriatrics.

hi nurselauren, just wondering if you received your results or, are you under the impression that you failed; because if that's so and you haven't received your results, you could have easily passed with minimum amount of questions as well............

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Hey, I am right there with you. I failed the RN exam in 76 questions this past Saturday. I could tell that I was stuck in those lower level questions and my anxiety level kept going up. All those test taking strategies went out the window. I did Hurst Review and really felt confident that I could pass. I know I really need to know my pharmacology better. I have been crying since I found out last night. Now I have been having to tell everyone that calls that I failed. That is almost worse than anything else. Tomorrow is my first day back to work and I am dreading telling everyone over and over. I know everyone says it's okay, but I feel like such a failure! Even though the wind has been knocked out of my sails, I am just that much more determined not to fail again. I went right out to the bookstore and bought the Saunders book and I am starting today! The most successful people are also the ones that fail the most. So, don't let this get you down because I am definitely not. Fight for your license! You worked too hard to give up now!

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Hi, Dont worry too much, rest a little while and tell urself again that why do u want to be a nurse and why this has to be done. Think of all the good things in ur life , gifts of GOD and u will fel better.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I also want to ask if you are sure that you did not pass...I mean did you call Quick Results, or look on line at Pearson to see for yourself? I know many people walk away thinking that they failed (I know I sure did). Either way, I am truly sorry. Take a few days to breathe in and out, and then, start again after giving yourself a few days to grieve (I think that is important as well). In addition, do something nice for yourself. You STILL deserve it...you worked hard and sometimes, pampering yourself is necessary to start planning ahead.

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thank you so much.. that helps more than you know. family and friends can be an encouragement but i dont think they truly understand what it feels like to have worked so hard and achieved something only to have it swept out from under you. the pharmacology is what i need to work on as well.. i also knew i was stuck in the lower level questions.. nothing worse than that! it just makes it more anxious for the test taker. its so nice to have this support and encouragement here.. thank you all... i am definitely dreading telling everyone who kept reassuring me i'd pass.

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Do you know for a fact that you did not pass the exam, or are you just assuming the worst?

Most come out of the exam thinking that they did not pass the exam.

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