Extreme stress about NCLEX exam in a week!

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Hey everyone! I am new to the site but have been reading the forums for quite some time now.

My Nclex exam is in a week and I am stuck on whether or not I should reschedule.

I took the Kaplan in class course and it wasn't my favorite. Everyone had told me it was content focused. When I got there, I realized it was just doing questions in class! Yes, doing questions reading rationales can help, but I needed content. With that said, I still ended up continuing with the course. My exam results are really horrible. I am scoring 45s-58s. My average is about a 50% at this point.

I let a friend of mine do a few Qbank questions, and she too was scoring in the low to mid 50s. This friend of mine generally knows her stuff, has experience working as a nursing assistant for a few years now, and is currently working as a new grad RN without a license. I felt a little better after seeing she wasn't scoring great either, because I wasn't alone

I bought the Exam Cram book and read the entire thing and did pretty well on the questions. I have yet to do the CD exams because I have been focusing on the questions. I do about 200-300 questions a day from Kaplan and the Exam Cram book.

I truely do not know what to do. As much as I want to get this exam over and done with, I also want to pass. I have been really down on myself because of my poor scores.

My test is in a week. I need serious advice!!

Thanks.

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hey newyorknygirl,

i almost feel like i'm talking to myself :jester:. i am also battling the beast next week, i took the kaplan in class course and i am just now beginning to score in the 60's for the qbank (overall score is 52%). i think you should take the test, at this point i feel there is no more preparing for this test. i'm @ the point that i just want to get it over with, lets say i do fail :crying2:. i can just take it again and at least i can use my mistakes on the test to guide me through the next study sessions. everyone's experience and study style is different, no matter what at least you will have your own picture of what the test is truely like and can go from there. plus you wont have to pay again because you can get a refund from kaplan. i honestly think you will be fine. i was hung up on content at 1st, but realized quickly that my progress was alot better just doing questions. the whole point of me taking kaplan was to enhance my test taking skills because thats something i know that i struggle with, the nursing content is there. kaplan does provide content in the video lectures online, they are quick and focused on the important areas that the test questions are broken into. if you havent already try watching those videos, it wasn;t until i started watching the videos that i began consistently scoring in the 60's. i hope this helps, it's a little difficult when i'm freaking out myself ;). best of luck!

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Im scheduled next week as well, AND I'm freaking out too!!

I'm scoring between 52-68% on Kaplan and I have to pass.. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do if I don't pass..

Anyway GOOD LUCK to us all...

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when you review the questions from kaplan do you just read the rationale and move to the next question? i’m only asking because the way i studied was to read the rationale and then look up the topic in the kaplan/and/or sauders (even if i got the question right i'd look up the content). if you're constant looking at the material it'll stick in your head. if i wasn't familiar with content that was in one of the answer choices, i'd look that up too. it takes longer than just reading the rationale but i found it very helpful.

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Have you viewed the content videos on the Kaplan website? They are EXTREMELY boring, but they help to review content. Also, reading the book through and through helped me out a lot. My scores went from the 50's to mid 60's after reviewing the videos and reading the book again.

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Work on your relaxation techniques. If you feel you must reschedule, then reschedule, but make certain you give yourself enough time and get down to business. Do not get wrapped around the axle with predictor test scores, they are known to go either way when people test.

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Only reschedule if you feel you absolutely need to. It might be better to just go with your original date and take it because honestly you won't ever really feel "ready"

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I am also taking it next week, and I am really starting to panick as well! I am not doing well on practice questions! I am scoring in the 60's and have no idea what a "passing standard" is for these quizzes & practice tests. I am having bad dreams, getting nauseus! This test is horrible! BUT my desire to have it BEHIND me and done is what is keeping me keeping on. I feel like with all the studying, nothing is really "sticking" in my brain. I feel like at this point, I need to just take it and pray a lot.

So far I have taken a content & test strategy review, read the whole Exam Cram book, and I have been using Davis & Saunders practice questions. I just picked up Lacharity, starting that today.

My house is so distracting, I cannot seem to get any studying done here! Just found out the library is closed all weekend UGH.

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relax, stay focus and believe. PRAY PRAY PRAY

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The NCLEX is very stressful! I also wanted to reschedule my test because I didn't feel ready. I barely even had time to review any meds besides a once over. But no one around me would let me reschedule. They wanted their life back too. My daughter and niece have been watching my younger boys so I could study. My husband had to sleep in my son's room while my other son was shipped to my sisters in VA. (We switched kids for a week) I had to set up my study area in our bedroom because the kids took over all the other areas of the house. I was always still studying when he wanted to go to sleep you know cause he had to go to work the next day.

To top it all off I came down with Hives on my hands and the top of my feet the week before my test. I thought I had mosquito bites but thought it was rare to get mosquito bites when I have hardly been outside my bedroom. Then I thought I had bed bugs because I was always in my bed studying so I changed my sheets. I then went to show my husband the weird pink bumps on my hands when he came back from a errand and magically they disappeared. That is when I realized I had hives for the first time ever in my life. I then realized I needed to just relax to have a chance at this. I asked myself what was the worst that would happen if I didn't pass and realized it wasn't going to be the end of the world and my hives haven't been back since I started to just relax. I downloaded a "Celtic Women" DVD from itunes and that was on my laptop while I studied. It is this Irish type music which is beautiful and their voices are just amazing and the concert was in front of a castle in Ireland. So what ever works for you to help you relax whether it is music or exercise my advice is to add that to your study plan.

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Hey all. Thanks so much for the replies. I watched all the content videos mentioned and they helped so much!

I just wanted to update.....

I took my NclexRN today. 265 questions. I felt miserable after because I had so many meds (my weak spot) and just felt like I literally guessed on everything. I just came home to do the PVT and got the good pop-up. I wasn't sure how to fill out the info (whether or not to select Yes when questioned if I have taken an Nclex exam before), but I tried both ways and I still got the good pop up. I really hope this PVT is real! It is such a relief but still so much stress of not seeing official results.

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Thanks for the really helpful posts.. New York girl: I take my exam in a week, my scores on Kaplan are mostely in the 50's and some 60's.I havent done question trainder 6 or 7 going to do 6 tomorrow, my readiness test was a 60...do you think I would be ready next week . ahha i know its hard to tell, but im so nervous!!! CONGRATS TO YOU!!!

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