failed nclex 4 times.

[sickofnclex]

hi,

im writing because i've taken the nclex 4 times and failed. i graduated in may of 2014, and it seems like my nursing career is on a downward sprial since then.

i took the nclex in august of 2014, november 2014, march 2015, and then last time in august of 2015. the first two times i got 75 questions, the second time i got 123, and the last time i got 265. i was sure i had passed the last time, but clearly i didnt. it's so frustrating to see all your peers move on 1.5 years into their careers while you are still struggling to pass the licensing exam. i always excelled in nursing school, but for some reason i can't defeat the nclex. my family is very supportive, but i get so discouraged after each failure. it is so much harder to pick myself back up after constantly being unsuccessful and feeling like a failure. it's the worst feeling in the world. i feel like i've done almost everything out there to prepare for the nclex.

i've done kaplan, hurst, saunders, LaCharity's PDA, pearson book (questions weren't as hard as nclex), lippincott (very diccfficult questions, i felt that they helped me, but clearly not enough), ncsbn, a local review class, exam cram, flash cards,

specifically for my last test i did:

ncsbn, kaplan, and hurst notes. i felt that the hurst review helped me understand, and NCSBN & kaplan was a good way to do questions.

i have used all these materials, but i feel like i'm doing something wrong. i also don't have any money for expensive review courses either. they are so pricey. every time i study, i try to stay as positive as possible, and take frequent breaks. i eat well, and make sure i have snacks. i study for a good 6-7 hours a day, and focus on actually learning the material and understanding my mistakes with questions.

i registered for my next exam on december 22 because i really want to be a RN before the year is over. i'm currently still in my funk stage because i feel like total and complete crap for failing. i just need some advice on what has worked for other people. every time i fail, i lose more and more faith in myself and sometimes think i wasn't meant to do this. i just dont know what to do at this point. i know i have to be studying rigorously but i don't know how to go about it without repeating the mistakes. every time i fail, i feel like i wasted my time studying because i don't see the results i want to see. it's very hard going fro excelling academically in nursing school to failing the nclex 4 times. the worst is facing my family and friends who are always hoping to hear good news from me, or just want to grill me on my life. unless you've taken a licensure exam, its really hard to explain how difficult it actually is. it is so hard to explain to people who are not in the field.

if someone has some advice, i would greatly appreciate it. thank you.

[AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I am sorry this is happening. Remember NCLEX is a test of common sense, and then knowledge to a smaller degree!

If the answer has to do with the airway, breathing, or circulation in that order pick that one. They will ask you about whacky medications and everyone panics because they have no idea what the medication does, the test doesn't want to know what that mediation does, it wants to know that you can prioritize your interventions if the patient has side effects or a reaction.

Don't read into the questions, just used the information they give you without any assumptions.

Good luck.

Annie

[sayers3]

I suggest getting UWorld NCLEX - pay for a month of service (it's fairly affordable). Do ALL the questions (> 1,400), read ALL the rationales (and go back, in-depth, for things you weren't familiar with) & you should be ready to pass come late December.

Questions: what did your Kaplan and Hurst scores look like?

have you reviewed the NCLEX fail reports? What are you struggling with most?

is this a testing anxiety issue, a content knowledge issue, or a critical thinking issue?

what kind of grades did you get in nursing school?

God speed,

Stephen

[St.Louis.RN]

I 100% agree with Stephen! I've taken NCLEX more than once, and passed this last time with UWorld! I bought 2 months for $80 and did all 1300+ questions. I reviewed all of the rationales whether I got them right or wrong, and the ones I got wrong or knew I needed to review/remember I wrote in a notebook that I would go over everyday. I ended up redoing all of my wrong questions and then looked up whatever it seemed I was really missing out on. (I've been out of school a year, so I know that I needed to brush up on content, and UWorld really gave me the info I needed! I passed with 84 questions.)

Have faith, and just pray everyday. That was a major part of my success.

You will pass!!

[hm1987]

I am in the same board.. if your not lack of contents! Do questions from davis mobile app you can buy it has good prioritization or SATA; also u world is good because its divided into systems.

I will be reading saunders then do questions I hope I can do my board within a month too!

Good luck and stay positive.

[FunkyRN2b]

Heyyy guys I'm in the same situation, does anyone know any tutoring sessions I can sign up for or what can really help with content? I'm loosing hope but something in me is saying just do it another time.