Failed, nclex rn 5 times! Help?!?!

Nursing Students NCLEX

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EVERYONE I need all the advice, suggestion, and help as much as possible! So I am completely bum-out and am starting to feel maybe I'm just not meant for a RN (as I am told by some people). I have just taken the NCLEX-RN and it's been more than 24 hours and am pretty confident that I FAILED it. I am trying to gather all my strength but it is so tough to get all that courage again. Starting to feel really discouraged! Has anyone taken their NCLEX-RN recently that FAILED 5 TIMES LIKE ME? Or, am I the only one?! I will tell you that I have taken the NCSBN 15 week course (didn't exactly finish all the practice questions), but reviewed all the contents in there as well as questions in both the Saunder and Lipprocotts booklet that relate to those contents reviewed both right and wrong rationales and even jotted down notes to review before the exam. With a part-time job, mother, and wife I put about 3 months into this whole reviewing/studying contents etc. to make sure I went in with confident to pass this exam but in the end, I still didn't. I feel like I'm running out of choices here. The exam I took had about 3 SATA, no math, 2-3 really long paragraph (about 3-4 sentences long, which I thought I was in the passing level, perhaps?) and the rest was just about 1-2 sentence long. I didn't even make it pass 75 questions. That's terrible!!!! For those that have passed the nclex rn did you rec'd a lot of questions in paragraph form like 3-4 sentences long? Or perhaps 2-3? I'm sure 1-2 was just below or near the passing level. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... I need the help all I can get what I can do differently, review differently etc. Anything will be GREATLY appreciated! Sounds really desperate but I am determine to pass this next time and if I don't I have no idea how to move on...

Specializes in Medsrg/pedi/HH.

Thank you so much! This was definitely helpful about to take a shot at it again :( not giving up though !!!

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Specializes in Critical care.
There's a reason for a test to determine minimum competency has been met- we deal with people's lives, and the BON that requires the licensure is charged with protecting patients.

I agree, there is a reason we have this test. Even teachers have to take and pass the Praxis in order to get their teaching license (and they don't make life or death decisions). Just because some people have trouble passing the NCLEX doesn't mean it is a bad exam.

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I failed 4x and passed on the 5th try. Don't give up! What I did on my last try was not to study too much. I used to study 8-10 hrs a day or until my brain can't take it anymore. Huge mistake! So I decided to do my own study guide, I exercise in the morning, eat a healthy breakfast, take 100 test questions then take a break before reviewing the rationales. I spent 3-4 hrs of studying plus I was working 40 hrs a week.

I passed my NCLEX on my 5th try and I got promoted as a nurse supervisor at Mayo Clinic. So don't ever give up. You can do this!

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Lystacy, you will pass this test, just keep pushing. Just because you failed 5 times doesn't mean that you should rethink your career, there are nurses out there that has passed the nclex on the first try that shouldn't be a nurse because they don't now how to treat people. Everyone is different when testing, I passed my exit Hesi the first try but when it came to taking the Nclex -PN that was another story I've failed 3 times and I will not let know one tell me that I should rethink my career. I will test again in december. Good luck Lystacy you can do it.

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I didn't pass on my first attempt Wed. 10/28/2015 but I am not sad either. I know that I need to take more time to study and continue to do as many questions as possible. I have been an LPN for the past several years and tried very hard to think and look at the questions as the book would say. I was a little shocked that I didn't pass but that's why God made me to be the type of person to pick up and keep going. I will be using Uworld and LaCharty to study and maybe some Kaplan materials that I got from other friends. I will also print off the test blue print and see what it has to say. I will pray that everyone continues to pass.

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JaxRNBSN- i sent u pm

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I failed 4x and passed on the 5th try. Don't give up! What I did on my last try was not to study too much. I used to study 8-10 hrs a day or until my brain can't take it anymore. Huge mistake! So I decided to do my own study guide, I exercise in the morning, eat a healthy breakfast, take 100 test questions then take a break before reviewing the rationales. I spent 3-4 hrs of studying plus I was working 40 hrs a week.

I passed my NCLEX on my 5th try and I got promoted as a nurse supervisor at Mayo Clinic. So don't ever give up. You can do this!

Hi! I sent u pm.

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I finished my last nursing class in Dec 2013. I graduated May 2014. I just took my NCLEX RN Nov 2015 and past 1st try.

My personal advice;

Review companies - they only go over the highlights - things you already know - but just as a reminder "remember this". You need more details. It's not enough to know that Ca++ is a sedative - you have to know how it applies in different situations. Hypercalcemia is generally not a disease in itself - its part of another process - that process is what you need to know more about, and how the Ca+ comes into play and what to do etc. Review companies don't completely tie it all in, and they leave LOTS of holes - some things they don't even cover at all. My advice - DON't WASTE YOUR MONEY.

Practice tests and questions - these are valuable tools to help you find out what you don't know- and help remind you of the things you do - you can get just as much info out of these as you can paying for any review so long as you study the rationales.

#1 thing to do with them - go body system by body system. Go back to your old notes for example on "renal" - read everything you have - look it over in your text book - ADPIE it for notes - know what you do from the time they walk in the door to when they leave. When to start an IV, when to remove the IV etc etc

#2 - AFTER you have reviewed the system - then go looking for questions in groups, internet, review books, wherever - that focus on that system. If you run across something you can't answer - go back and review it.

You retain more info if you focus on a subject than if you just jump around and randomly answer questions - like heart, then lungs, then ICP, then CAD - you'll forget the info as fast as you got it.

SATA questions - these are not "harder" questions - they are given the same weight as any other question on NCLEX. They do not have ANY hidden meaning - you didn't get them because you answered the easy questions right - and now they are giving you harder ones - they are just another type of question. Not everyone gets them - some do, some don't . I had 3-4 out of 75.

PRIORITY & DELEGATION - this is patient SAFETY as well - there is a lot of this - and they want to make sure you know what to do. KNOW THIS STUFF.

#1 - the practice tests, and questions you've been doing do not hold a candle to the way NCLEX does it - you will get down to two answers and this is where having taken the time to ADPIE situations will help you. Best advice I got out of all of it before the test is if you get down to two patients -and its not easy to decide - choose the answer that does the least amount of damage. Don't kill anybody.

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Hi! I'm not sure how long it's been now since you've posted this because I see you posted this in May so if you've passed by then, then great! If not then, here's some advice. Have you identified the root problem why you think you are failing? I don't mean answers like the questions are difficult or there's alot of material but questions like, do you have test anxiety? are you weak in understanding pharmacology and priority questions? are you studying the same material that you're getting wrong in your practice exams? have you taken enough practice exams? You need to start by tackling this cause. If you keep taking the exam over and over again without figuring out what the problem is, you're only going to continue to get the same results. I hope this helps!

-Nurse Chioma

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I just took the nclex today and it is the 5th time and I am sure I failed because it shut off at 75 and when I tried the PearsonVue Trick, it does not show me the good pop-up..I am depressed :( I studied a lot and still failed :(( I have had a LOT OF SELECT ALL THAT APPLY questions which probably contributed to me failing it sucks :((

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I just took the nclex today and it is the 5th time and I am sure I failed because it shut off at 75 and when I tried the PearsonVue Trick, it does not show me the good pop-up..I am depressed :( I studied a lot and still failed :(( I have had a LOT OF SELECT ALL THAT APPLY questions which probably contributed to me failing it sucks :((

The PVT is not reliable, especially before 24 hours have passed. As for SATA questions, the number of a certain type of question is not an indicator of pass or fail. If your state participates in Quick Results, wait for them. If not, wait for official results from the BON. If you did indeed fail, be sure to analyze your CPR to guide you for studying for the next attempt.

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Honestly, you should take it when you are ready. I took boards on August 1st and failed with 160 questions. I reevaluated my life, stopped working, and changed my date THREE times before taking it again. I kept doing HURST, I only did QT7 from Kaplan and remediated, NCSBN 5 wk review and I also did UWORLD. I took it 11/28/15 and passed with 100 questions. All things are possible with God. Leave this situation at His feet and make peace. I hope this helps!

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