failed nclex-rn

[nurseguy74]

maybe i was too confident, maybe i didn't study enough, maybe i rushed things a bit. i took the lpn boards last year and passed at 85 questions, this year i went well into the 200's on the rn and got my failing results today. i didn't feel like the material covered on the exam reflected what i had learned in school. the thing is, i'm not too devastated. i'm still an lpn. i attribute my failure to lack of preparation/review. so what i'm asking of you is some tips or pointers to prepare me for my next nclex in september. i'm willing to do whatever it takes at this point. i've heard there are some excellent resources out there and would appreciate some input as to how good they are. thank you......chris

[nurseguy74]

thanks to all for your input. i have decided that i will not take it a third time, in other words second time is going to be a charm. i feel i do know the material, but on test day i wasn't able to access it or think critically. i figure there's no use in pointing fingers as to who is to blame. it rests on my ability to analyze and interpret what is before me. i'll be purchasing a book or two for the next exam to touch on some problem areas. i will join you all in the RN ranks shortly. chris

[Nitengale326]

Best of luck on your 2nd attempt. I was in the AAS program and we graduated May 12, I sat for my test May 30th... the first open slot. I wanted to do it and get it over with. One of my instructors sat us all down for a 1 to 1 conversation. She advised us on what to expect. She said first, throw out any notion of a diet. Eat a high carb breakfast at least one hour before your test. Add sugar and cream to your coffee or better yet, drink hot chocolate. Take 1 or 2 immodium... don't want to lose those carbs too quickly. And do a good review. Buy 1 or 2 books no more than that and go thru the questions before doing any reading. Figure out your weak areas. Then go back and do some reading. Buy a set of flash cards for road trips, potty breaks, for when you are waiting for your meal, while standing in the grocery line, for your vacation. Even if you just do one question at a time... its one more tid bit of knowledge. She also advised us to get in there and take the test soon after graduation. Some chickened out and waited months. It turned out they were not the best test takers anyway and they were the ones that had the most problems. I passed mine with 75 questions. (I am an LPN from long ago with the pencil and paper and the patroling buzzard-like proctors). One more piece of advice she gave us. Do NO studying 48 hrs before the exam... take a break, start a new book, whatever but put it all away. Those that followed her advice did very well.

Just remember the test is checking your critical thinking skills. It may have 4 right answers but you have to pick THE MOST CORRECT one. I know it sucks but thats the way they wrote it. Pay attention to careplan and education questions and issues. They WILL BE on there!!! And again, best of luck!