FAILED NCLEX 5 Times please pleasae HELP ME!!!

mudd68 · Apr 5, 2011

Hurst Review was very helpful when I was studying about 3 years ago.

http://www.hurstreview.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Hurst-Reviews-NCLEX-RN-Review-Marlene/dp/0071484310

lizann16 · Apr 5, 2011

I was going to refer Kaplan even before I read your whole post, but since you have asked about it, I am now going to say, Kaplan did help me. I did the 1000 Q's, I even attended the online class, I mean c'mon, it's better than going to a physical class. You're in your pj's and yet, you are learning a lot. It is still your choice on what review strategy you are going to use. But I, too took NCLEX 3 times, first 2 didn't pass, but the 3rd one, I did pass. But I took my exam last May xD But the Kaplan review with online class helped A LOT. that's the only review material I have. :) Hope i made you feel better. :)

DeacJn · Apr 5, 2011

Don't know if this will help, but the advice I got from one of my Nursing School Teachers was NOT EVEN to consider taking the Nclex until you answer at least 5000 questions in preparation. I thought she was crazy and I would never do it. but after school was finished I did have time, and committed to answering 100 questions per day at one time. I was able to use one of the CDs from the Nclex study guides and put the random function on so I did not know from which area the question would come from.

Doing this faithfully for about 6 weeks got me to the 5000 mark. I read each wrong question rational and made myself take note on it too. But what I really got out of doing this was HOW TO READ THE QUESTION. Remember the test has no intent toward you. It is essentially a random question generator. That said there was stuff on my test I never heard of. I heard of people who had concentration in Rx or Labs mine was kind of all over the place. Sorry for the long ramble, but I had a class mate who failed the test x4, I told her about thisway of preparing, she committed to it and passed on her 5th try.

Best to you

futurenurse310 · Apr 5, 2011

For sure get the Exam Cram PN practice questions 2nd edition book. Theres 1000 questions from there and the questions are worded exactly the same as the NCLEX.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2011

I haven't done NCLEX - we don't do that in Australia - but you really need to get a tutor and/or past exams and sit and really look at the questions being asked.

You also need to study WHAT the questions are actually asking you and really focus on that, and try to understand why you are answering a certain way. They probably want to test how critically you can think under exam conditions.

But paying for a tutor is something you should be considering.

SolaireSolstice, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2011

Well, what does the performance report state you need to work on? What areas did you fall below the standard on?

DPSGraduateNurse · Apr 5, 2011

Sounds like you need more than just NCLEX reviews/testing. Can you not go back to your old school and ask for a remedial course or retake a preceptorship? You need to act fast. I really hope you pass this time around. I wish you well.

Batman25 · Apr 5, 2011

How did you do in school? Are you a bad test taker in general? What areas are you having trouble in? You definitely need a review book ASAP. If you are a bad test taker you need to keep testing yourself with a timer again and again until the fear goes away some. I have bad nerves although I really know the material and once I mastered how to test better I aced things.

RockinChick66 · Apr 5, 2011

You also need to study WHAT the questions are actually asking you and really focus on that, and try to understand why you are answering a certain way. They probably want to test how critically you can think under exam conditions.
But paying for a tutor is something you should be considering.

This is exactly what Kaplan does is help the test taker study. " WHAT the questions are asking and focus on that"

definitely take Kaplan and do all the Q bank questions. It helped me!

I was so confident in Kaplan that I was totally relaxed during my exam. 8-)

jdeme115 · Apr 5, 2011

Hello,

I also waited awhile to take the Nclex but way longer than you. I graduated in May of 09 with my BSN and had a baby and I did not take the nclex until November 2010, which I failed of course from not being prepared. Then I joined the NCSBN website and did a 5 week course online and the questions were very similar to Nclex. I passed my boards last month for the second time after studying a lot of the content and doing the questions from the NCSBN 5 week course, using the Kaplan book and exam cram. Just don't give up, Good luck to ya !!! The website to the NCSBN learning extension is www.learningext.com

pitaya · Apr 5, 2011

Don't know if this will help, but the advice I got from one of my Nursing School Teachers was NOT EVEN to consider taking the Nclex until you answer at least 5000 questions in preparation. I thought she was crazy and I would never do it. but after school was finished I did have time, and committed to answering 100 questions per day at one time. I was able to use one of the CDs from the Nclex study guides and put the random function on so I did not know from which area the question would come from.
Doing this faithfully for about 6 weeks got me to the 5000 mark. I read each wrong question rational and made myself take note on it too. But what I really got out of doing this was HOW TO READ THE QUESTION. Remember the test has no intent toward you. It is essentially a random question generator. That said there was stuff on my test I never heard of. I heard of people who had concentration in Rx or Labs mine was kind of all over the place. Sorry for the long ramble, but I had a class mate who failed the test x4, I told her about thisway of preparing, she committed to it and passed on her 5th try.
Best to you

My school does something similar...they make us do at least 1000 questions (it might be more, maybe 3000, but I don't think it's as high as 5000) and we have to show proof that we get at least a certain percentage of questions right. This summer will be my final semester and I think your advice is great! I am going to commit myself to do 50-100 questions every single day of my 12-week summer semester and then take a Kaplan course, so hopefully I will be ready by the time I am done with school. But I don't know how long I have to wait after I'm done with school to take the NCLEX. Hopefully, I don't have to wait a long time!