failed nclex need advice for taking it 2nd time around

Nursing Students NCLEX

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sorry for the long post!

I took the nclex recently and had failed it. Walking out of that exam I knew that I had failed it. It was the hardest exam I have ever taken in my life. I cried for days and days feeling so depressed and felt like the biggest failure. I did not want to go anywhere or talk to anyone. I feel like I let everyone down. I studied for about 3 weeks using uworld. All of my friends were using uworld and were passing and I was thinking to myself, "why wasn't I passing?" Looking back i know what mistakes I had made. I rushed when using uworld. I was in such a rush to finish the test bank on uworld that I would read the rationales but not fully understand them and did not know how to apply it to questions. I would be doing 75-150 questions a day a week before the exam and I got so burnt out on it. When i was taking my nclex I got so many prioritization questions that I did not know how to distinguish who was more sick and I had so many topics I had no idea about. I received my report and I got Near passing on all the subjects. I watched so many youtube videos and I am going to use uworld again but really read and understand the rationales because I read that uworld is the best. I also have the Saunders nclex book but it is so big that i dont even know where to start in that book. I also bought the Lacharity prioritization book and I will finish it. I took a week off to get myself back on my feet. Has anyone gone through this? I want to take my nclex as soon as the 45 days is up because I know I can do it. Any advice, words of encouragement, study schedules that were used like how many questions did you do a day and how long did you study for and if you guys have similar stories you want to share will be highly appreciated! Thank you so much!

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

If you only studied for three weeks, I think you already know the problem. Don't be in a rush this time. Take the time to thoroughly prepare, use multiple resources and spend quality time understanding the rationales.

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Hey, curious how many questions did you get? I've heard that a lot of people walk out of the exam feeling like they failed as well.

As for when you take it in the future, I recommend using U world again but really understanding why you are getting the question wrong and what you can do to change it up in the future.

What really helped me was eliminating two wrong answers right away and when you get down to the last 2 really compare the answers to the stem of the question and see which one fits more. Another thing is to go with your intuition. Many times on practice exams I would change up my answer when my gut told me to choose another answer.

When it comes to the NCLEX all of the topics are completely random so I dont even think intensive studying can help. Try and get to a place where you are going with your gut between 2 answers and getting the questions right

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265... Yes I will continue to use uworld! the questions are great! Thank you for the advice

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I am using nrsng they have simclex that is almost the same as nclex. I would suggest to use that to practice sitting down and taking the Nclex. I am in the same boat too and gotten 265 and got near all and one above. also practice taking breaks! hope this helps and good luck.

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I am using nrsng they have simclex that is almost the same as nclex. I would suggest to use that to practice sitting down and taking the Nclex. I am in the same boat too and gotten 265 and got near all and one above. also practice taking breaks! hope this helps and good luck.

what is simclex???

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I'm in the same boat as you. I retake my nclex pn August 22nd. I got near passing on all of mine also. /:

But I feel more confident about it this time around.

Confidence is key!!!

I'm using Uworld and Remar this time. I highly recommend Quick facts for Nclex Remar Review. Its straight to the point and is easy to study. Its helping me out a lot.

Have to know your content first before you can critically think about questions.

Good luck!!! 2nd time is a charm. (:

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I'm not at that point yet, but I have taken licensing and certification exams in the past for an old career that I'm retired from. One thing that makes this insanely hard is stress, it's the fear of failing. You got through the classes and you graduated, you know what you need to pass this. Take the time to study, but do what helps you with stress to keep you in a clear mind. You gotta shake the fear of failing. California gives you unlimited attempts as long as they're 45 days apart. Right now, you're going through literally the worst possible thing that can happen if you fail this next attempt: You have to study more and then just go retake it. In reality, there's really not that much to worry about. You're not in school anymore, you can have a bad test and fail without it coming with huge consequences.

Relax, just study between now and when you test again, and trust yourself, be confident. Also, have a good breakfast the morning of the next test, go in feeling good and happy.

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I would be doing 75-150 questions a day a week before the exam and I got so burnt out on it.

Your anxiety level is too high, which sabotages your attempts to pass the NCLEX. I would suggest taking a break and relaxing your mind. Don't stress yourself with review questions. If you attended an accredited nursing school you do not need a review course. Expensive review courses rip you off and cause increased stress. Did you take good notes in class? Study your notes. Rely on your clinical skills. NCLEX is a real world test of your nursing skills, not your test-taking ability.

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Specializes in Psych, Substance Abuse.

Classroom lectures and clinicals were more effective than all the study tools I used. I read the Saunders book from start to finish, twice. I also did Mosby flash cards and I downloaded an app that had practice questions. I passed the first time with 75 questions, but I walked out feeling like I failed.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I studied for about a little over a month. I used both Uworld and ATI. I was introduced to ATI during my nursing program, it was a BIG part of my curriculum. Honestly, I feel as if ATI better prepared me for the NCLEX than Uworld, although there was one question on the NCLEX that I did on Uworld that was not covered in ATI. As for how I studied, I did not do 100 questions a day as was suggested. I would just study the topics I felt as if I was weak on in ATI, then go to Uworld and create a test in the area I had just studied. I only did about 30-35 questions/day, because I would also write down the rationales so that I could read those again later. Another thing, I found that studying 30 min on, 15-20 min off helped retain information more than studying for a straight 4-5 hours. I also passed the first time with 75 questions, and was for certain that I had failed.

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its like a practice test of nclex. it cuts off when you are passing or failing. has three levels of question difficulty. i use it to see what to study and sitting down for long periods of time.

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