Failed the NCLEX 5 times. Please Help!

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I have taken the NCLEX 5 times now and will pass it this time. I am taking the Hurst Review in the middle of October with the plan of taking the actual NCLEX-RN in the beginning of December. I have previously taken the KAPLAN course and found it to not be very helpful, for me that is anyways. I finally began to overcome my severe test anxiety, which I had accommodations for during college, after taking the NCLEX for the 3rd time. This last time I took it, almost a year ago, I was so close to passing. Currently I am at a loss of what to do and how to set up an appropriate study program for myself. PLEASE HELP!!! If you have any thoughts, tips or recommendations please, please, please feel free to contact me.

Please & Thank You

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Hello alliperkins889, BSN,

I want to first commend you for not giving up, this test is not easy, I too am a repeat test taker and for the most part test anxiety has interfered. I also reviewed with Hurst as it gave me the content knowledge that I was lacking and due to these programs costing so much I utilized multiple free online reviews such as registeredrn.com, allnursesnotes.com, khanacademy, brillantnurse, rnmastery and saunders. I made it a point to do questions everyday in multiple of 20's(doing too much does not allow you to retain the information). Most importantly PRAY and believe in yourself and know that God has great plans for your life !! Good Luck!

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

If you have failed 5 times you really need to ask yourself if nursing is really for you. You are going to have people's lives in your hands & the NCLEX is the minimum competency exam.

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Specializes in Case Management.

Don't let this define you and don't listen to people who says you should give up....only you could make that call. You went and passed nursing school so you have what it takes to pass this exam!

I've failed twice before and passed on my third try being out of school for three years. I'm looking into taking a refresher course before I actually go into nursing practice since I've been out of school for so long.

I used Feuer review as well as Kaplan qbank and u world. I found that I needed help with critically thinking and to work through my test anxiety because all I would think how important passing this test is and that would throw me off. So when those thoughts came up I would close my eyes and breath for a few seconds and bring my mind back to the question to work it out as best I could and 75 questions later I passed!

You can do it just believe in yourself that you could. Also this test is not a regular nursing exam you take in school but a test of critical thinking so remember that! Good luck to you!

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Don't let this define you and don't listen to people who says you should give up....only you could make that call. You went and passed nursing school so you have what it takes to pass this exam!

I've failed twice before and passed on my third try being out of school for three years. I'm looking into taking a refresher course before I actually go into nursing practice since I've been out of school for so long.

I used Feuer review as well as Kaplan qbank and u world. I found that I needed help with critically thinking and to work through my test anxiety because all I would think how important passing this test is and that would throw me off. So when those thoughts came up I would close my eyes and breath for a few seconds and bring my mind back to the question to work it out as best I could and 75 questions later I passed!

You can do it just believe in yourself that you could. Also this test is not a regular nursing exam you take in school but a test of critical thinking so remember that! Good luck to you!

There is a MASSIVE difference between failing TWICE and failing FIVE times! Would you honestly let someone who failed the NCLEX 4+ times work on you or your loved ones? That means they have been out of school for awhile & have forgotten all the skills they might have learned.

I wouldn't let someone who couldn't pass the minimum competency exam to become a nurse be a nurse on my loved ones or myself. Trust me, you can tell.

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There is a MASSIVE difference between failing TWICE and failing FIVE times! Would you honestly let someone who failed the NCLEX 4+ times work on you or your loved ones? That means they have been out of school for awhile & have forgotten all the skills they might have learned.

I wouldn't let someone who couldn't pass the minimum competency exam to become a nurse be a nurse on my loved ones or myself. Trust me, you can tell.

Please enlighten us on how you can tell?
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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Please enlighten us on how you can tell?

Us, you mean YOU, since every other experienced nurse knows.

It doesn't take that long to take the NCLEX 1, 2 or 3 times. But the more you take it, the longer out of school the person is. That means the experience from clinicals is washed away. If you fail the NCLEX, you can't turn right around & take it the next day. There is usually a waiting period, on top of that, the person testing usually wants to take time to study & recover.

So all that time away from school & no direct healthcare experience, what will happen when they finally do get a job? It won't be good. I wouldn't want that person who has been out of school for a year or more trying to pass the NCLEX as my or my family's nurse.

There's a big difference between an experience nurse who takes a hiatus versus a new grad who can't pass the NCLEX. The experienced nurse has the skills & knowledge down pat, the new grad doesn't & will forget everything. The likelihood is the new grad will be considered an "old" new grad & won't qualify for residency programs. So the person who took so long to pass the NCLEX will have to apply for regular jobs. Do you really think they will get the orientation necessary after being out of school for so long?

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

OP: My advice is to take the test immediately after the review course. For first and second time test-takers, this results in higher pass rates. I don't know that you can extrapolate it to sixth time- but that lengthy delay is NOT a good thing.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
OP: My advice is to take the test immediately after the review course. For first and second time test-takers, this results in higher pass rates. I don't know that you can extrapolate it to sixth time- but that lengthy delay is NOT a good thing.

You can't. Studies show that the more you take the NCLEX the higher your chances are you will fail.

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Specializes in Case Management.

I'm not here to argue I'm here to only help to OP in a situation I was in which only if you were in their shoes could understand. I'm here to uplift not place doubt in their mind. The op probably already have doubt and contemplating on giving up, and probably came on here to get some encouragement and guidance to carry on. Yes this is a minimum competency test but guess what...when they pass that's when they will be able to practice as a nurse and I will feel confident they will do a great job on myself or a loved one. I feel those that do fail this test multiple times does not take away from what kind of nurse they will be because maybe they are a bad test taker not a bad nurse. So you can ask every nurse you encounter to tell you how many times they taken the NCLEX and judge if they can care for you or loved ones correctly. I will continue to uplift and empower those until they make the decision to not continue.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I'm not here to argue I'm here to only help to OP in a situation I was in which only if you were in their shoes could understand. I'm here to uplift not place doubt in their mind. The op probably already have doubt and contemplating on giving up, and probably came on here to get some encouragement and guidance to carry on. Yes this is a minimum competency test but guess what...when they pass that's when they will be able to practice as a nurse and I will feel confident they will do a great job on myself or a loved one. I feel those that do fail this test multiple times does not take away from what kind of nurse they will be because maybe they are a bad test taker not a bad nurse. So you can ask every nurse you encounter to tell you how many times they taken the NCLEX and judge if they can care for you or loved ones correctly. I will continue to uplift and empower those until they make the decision to not continue.

If they were a bad test taker, they should've remedied that in nursing school NOT during the NCLEX. This is not a driving test, it's the NCLEX! The test that lets us PRACTICE ON PEOPLE'S LIVES! Being able to retake the test more than 3 times is absolutely mind boggling & scary!!! Yes I judge the nurses my family members or I get! I judge the provider too! They are taking care of my life!!!! If my family members or I are not getting good care then why would I not request a different provider or nurse???

I just don't understand the thinking that it's ok to take the NCLEX as many times as necessary. Someone please explain it to me. I'm not old or crusty but maybe one of those nurses can chime in, because I don't think when they took the test on paper they were allowed to retake it as many times as they liked. So why is now any different?

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Specializes in Pediatric, NICU.

Well said.

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