Failed NCLEX in 75 - Advice? Comments?

[kwreacher]

TL;DR - I failed NCLEX. I'm new here. Please help.

This post is mostly intended for venting, but feel free to comment if you think you have anything to add or would simply like to offer some advice or words of encouragement.

I took the NCLEX **finally** after putting it off and rescheduling several times to the point that my actual exam date was 1.5 months after my original exam date. It felt like no amount of studying I was doing was making me feel prepared enough. I used Uworld, ATI, and Registered Nurse RN videos and notes. I guess that wasn't enough. I took the exam yesterday and it really didn't seem that hard, and I initially felt way more confident that I had passed, but as the day went on and I started checking my answers and realizing that several of them were incorrect, I began to expect the worse.

I ended up trying the Pearson Vue Trick. I used the incorrect expiration date and it ended up charging my card, which caused me to freak out even more because after extensively researching I found out that the PVT doesn't always work and you CAN get the bad pop-up even if you've passed and you CAN accidentally have your card charged with that non-refundable $200 registration fee even if you passed. If you're thinking about trying the PVT... DON'T DO IT!!! You might have passed and you'll have wasted $200. That being said, I still felt doomed even with the glimmering hope that maybe, just maybe, the PVT wasn't working. That hope was crushed this morning when I woke up after having a dream that I had received the Candidate Performance Review e-mail (which, if you didn't know, you only receive if you've failed) so I immediately went and checked my e-mail only to find that I did receive the CPR e-mail and I did fail as I had dreaded.

I've read and heard that 86% of people pass their first time, and my BSN program specifically has a 96% first-time pass rate. The odds seemed like they were in my favor and I really thought for sure I would pass my first time. I mean, how hard could it be? I noticed a few things while taking the exam. After clicking submit for each question, the screen would either transition to the next screen in a glitchy flashy way, or it would be a smooth seamless transition to the next screen. I began thinking that maybe the incorrect questions caused the glitchy transition and the correct questions caused a smooth transition, because it seemed like the ones I was most confident about transitioned smoothly to the next screen. I could be completely wrong about this, but it was just a passing thought and might have some validity. Regardless, this observation put me on edge while taking the exam as every time I got the glitchy screen I was convinced the answer was wrong, and I was getting the glitchy screen over half the time.

Another thing I noticed was that the test circled back around to the same specific topic on a few of the questions. I got 2-3 questions on one specific condition, and 3-4 questions on a specific procedure (neither topic I can legally mention). It seemed like maybe I got those questions wrong the first time around, so the test came back to that topic again as though to say, "are you sure about this?" to which I second-guessed myself and switched my answer back. The adaptive questioning algorithm really messed with me and made me think that I was answering incorrectly.

I think I may have rushed through the exam too fast and didn't give myself enough time to really think through the questions for fear of getting the whole 265 questions and the test cutting off due to time constrictions. Instead, I answered 75 questions in 1.5 hrs as though I was running a marathon. When it cut off I was like, "is that it?"..... I really wanted a chance to answer more questions than that to prove that I actually DID know the material. I felt like it didn't even give me a chance.

In any case, I will now be spending the next 45 days trying to restructure the way I've been studying and finding a way to study that is more effective than what I've been doing. If you have any tips or suggestions, or if you'd like to share what worked best for you, please let me know. Thanks!

[EaglesRN856, ADN, RN]

I truly understand what you are dealing with because I too failed my NCLEX the 1st time after getting all 265 questions. Allow yourself time and when you are ready to resume studying for your next attempt, use only one source. I know learning styles can vary but find the one source that helps you understand the content. I used uworld exclusively and practice 50-75Qs a day and did not take any practice assessments. I read the rationales for all questions to learn why it was or wrong. Hope this helps.