failed nclex need advice for taking it 2nd time around

[PearlRN7]

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!

[NormaSaline]

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.

That's the evil of NCLEX for you, walking out feeling like you failed. That's what it's almost designed to do! You must have gone to a great school!

[NormaSaline]

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.

And yet, online guides, in-classroom programs and books on how to pass the NCLEX is, at least, a multimillion dollar business. Schools themselves are actually gearing their curriculum around those programs, not the other way around. NCLEX rules the world, at least it did in my education. Unfortunately.

[NormaSaline]

I kind of enjoyed studying for the exam as nerve-wracking as it was. At school, we did the Kaplan course, and I must say, it was very helpful. My motivation was making sure I got the key concepts down, something I have written about a lot in this forum and other places. If schools could just teach those, make sure students have those mastered, the knowledge blocks following those concepts are sitting that much more securely.

But anyway, my advice is to make the content your own. Make sure you [insert name here], understand it. And, make it fun. Do whatever you have to do to make it fun and to make it your own. Nothing more I can say that that.

I wish you the best.

[NurseJamillah, MSN, NP]

I would say make sure you know the basics. Take your time, study the heck out of fundamentals. Be able to recognize basic symptoms of major illnesses. Memorize your lab values. The test is to see if you make good, safe decisions. Sometimes, even if you don't know exactly what the question is asking about, you can make a good decision based on the options available to you.

A general example of a question I had: I had no idea what the medicine was or what it was treating, but something in the question suggested to me that the illness made the patient have a sympathetic response. So, I assumed that the medication would be from a class that did the opposite, and calm the patient. The question was regarding what signs would indicate that the dosage was too high, or something along those lines. So, I figured, the right answer would be from a class that brought the patient down too much. 2 of the answers had "up" effects (high bp, high hr, high respiratory rate, diaphoresis), one had a combination of "up" and "down" effects, and the 4th answer included something like low heart rate, somnolence, decreased resp rate, bradycardia. I later looked up the drug and found out that although I guessed completely wrong on the class of meds, the effects were spot on.

Like everyone else, I felt like I failed when I walked out, because half of the time, I had no idea what the disease, med, whatever was. Apparently, I was able to guess safely enough that I passed. That's where you need to get to. Knowing enough to make safe decisions. That, and don't let your anxiety get the best of you.

P.S. There were times when I was doing my practice questions and I got the answers right, but for the wrong reasons. That's why the rationales are important. Even if you get a question right, ask yourself why you chose that answer and compare it to the rationale. That will assure there is no fundamental knowledge you are missing.

[clumsymoo]

Hi! Do not be discouraged. It's ok if you didn't pass you first time! Its very likely you will pass the second time if you apply yourself and study the questions you got wrong. Make it a goal to thoroughly understand rationales you didn't know before. You know you know a subject if you're able to teach another person about it without hesitation! This study guide helped me SO much. I used UWorld and the study guide attached and passed the NCLEX in 75 questions on my first try. Believe in yourself! Best of luck.

https://allnurses.com/nclex-discussion-forum/nclex-study-guide-622449.html

[Deepan]

I tried preparing for NCLEX using traditional methods but in the end got exhausted and eventually failed too. Determination to clear the exam led me to Google and only to find the pharm professor. Went out on a limb and bought the course. And I passed with great score.