Failed NCLEX 11 times.

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Hi all.

Just want to share my experince. I graduated in 2011 and have taken NCLEX for 11 times since then and still failed. I've tried Saunders, hogan, and also took Kaplan course but still failed. I feel like a failure. This is all I want to do is to become a nurse that's why I keep trying. I want to retake it again but then this time application process required school transcript and the school want me to take another Kaplan course. I'm devastated. I can't afford the money for another course and the exam. I don't know what to do. I got all the resources from books to cd from previous courses. I'm tired of lying to people that I work in the hospital and feel ashamed of myself of where I am today. Still struggling to pass the NCLEX.

Specializes in LTC, HH, and Case Mangement.

I agree with the last poster. I am a repeat tester myself but it didn't take me 10+ times to pass. I passed on my 4th try. Had I not passed this last time I probably would've stayed an LPN. Hopefully you can find another career, but I don't think this is it. Good luck!

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HI, I just wanna let you know that you are not a failure bec you keep trying and never give up if thats what you want. I would suggest using Uworld the rationales and test format are really good. I am a foreign grad who is struggling on how NCLEX way type questions. my classmates who are also foreign grads passed the first time. after using Uworld. you can read strategies on Kaplan and prioritization book by LA charity after Using Uworld. Please DONT GIVE UP YOU CAN DO THIS! there is always a reason behind every experience or failure. but don't this stop you from reaching your dreams. AND PRAY! ask GOD for him to be with you while you're studying and during your exam.

Good luck!

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I don't get the mentality of never give up. It's actually pretty thoughtless to the candidate. The candidate tried ten times, what in god's name makes you think the 11th time would work?? Suggesting uworld is honestly ridiculous at this point. Oh well he or she took 10 times but just doing uworld will fix everything!! And also pray!!

No. This is getting ridiculous. Praying won't help pass and neither will one single review. 5 different reviews won't help. You can't review what you are lacking. If you're on a plane would you want a pilot who failed his exam 10 times? If you were getting brain surgery would you want a surgeon who failed her exam 10 times? Even if you were using an uber would you want a driver who took 10 times? So why is nursing any different?

I'm sorry for sounding so harsh but nursing is not easy. It's not an entitlement just because we want it; it's earned. And not grasping the basic concepts of safety is why the nclex weeds people out. I just want the profession to stay safe.

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Like to talk to you please email me at [email protected]

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Specializes in NICU.
rainydaysoo said:
Good luck to all, everything is possible with God!

Unless God doesn't want you to be a nurse and you fail to listen to Him and repeat the NCLEX 14 times.

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Specializes in NICU.
fustudent610 said:
I don't get the mentality of never give up. It's actually pretty thoughtless to the candidate. The candidate tried ten times, what in god's name makes you think the 11th time would work?? Suggesting uworld is honestly ridiculous at this point. Oh well he or she took 10 times but just doing uworld will fix everything!! And also pray!!

No. This is getting ridiculous. Praying won't help pass and neither will one single review. 5 different reviews won't help. You can't review what you are lacking. If you're on a plane would you want a pilot who failed his exam 10 times? If you were getting brain surgery would you want a surgeon who failed her exam 10 times? Even if you were using an uber would you want a driver who took 10 times? So why is nursing any different?

I'm sorry for sounding so harsh but nursing is not easy. It's not an entitlement just because we want it; it's earned. And not grasping the basic concepts of safety is why the nclex weeds people out. I just want the profession to stay safe.

I believe that some people have the misconception that all nursing schools are created equal. The "you graduated nursing school, so you can pass NCLEX" doesn't hold water. We just went through the closure of many for-profit schools whose agenda was to generate money and not educate students. You can't put a school with a 30% NCLEX pass rate on the same level as a school with a 100% pass rate. Many, many, many of these people that have 5-8-10 NCLEX failures have received degrees from poor quality schools and regardless of the number or type of review they try, they will continue to fail because a review course will not teach you everything you should have learned in 2 yrs of nursing school.

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Guy in Babyland said:
Unless God doesn't want you to be a nurse and you fail to listen to Him and repeat the NCLEX 14 times.

Giving a little thought to theology at the moment and thinking that if someone does the same thing over and over and continues to fail, would they blame the Almighty for failing? Or would passing on the 15th attempt mean that He is NOW listening? What would it take to accept that maybe His answer to your wanting to be a nurse is "No"? Saying that all things are possible assumes that what you want you will get if you only Believe. Maybe the answer really is "Not Going to Happen"?

Philosophical Thoughts of the Day, I get introspective when tired ?

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Guy in Babyland said:
I believe that some people have the misconception that all nursing schools are created equal. The "you graduated nursing school, so you can pass NCLEX" doesn't hold water. We just went through the closure of many for-profit schools whose agenda was to generate money and not educate students. You can't put a school with a 30% NCLEX pass rate on the same level as a school with a 100% pass rate. Many, many, many of these people that have 5-8-10 NCLEX failures have received degrees from poor quality schools and regardless of the number or type of review they try, they will continue to fail because a review course will not teach you everything you should have learned in 2 yrs of nursing school.

Instead of those people spending all the money in the world on review courses, they should just go back to school. This is why I believe the NCLEX should be limited to 3 tries in every state.

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Specializes in NICU.
OrganizedChaos said:
Instead of those people spending all the money in the world on review courses, they should just go back to school. This is why I believe the NCLEX should be limited to 3 tries in every state.

Or at the maximum 4 tries. 3 tries and you need a comprehensive study plan submitted to the BON for approval of your 4th and final attempt.

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Guy in Babyland said:
Or at the maximum 4 tries. 3 tries and you need a comprehensive study plan submitted to the BON for approval of your 4th and final attempt.

I seem to remember someone here talking about that very thing, needing to submit a study plan or something similar to the BON so that they could be considered for a 4th attempt. Don't remember the details.

Topic comes and goes about what a federal standard should be yet it always comes down to the fact that individual states have the right to set their own practice standards and as such there IS no standard of practice that the profession can rely on as a baseline. One state limits to 3 attempts, another 4, another as many attempts as can be completed within 4 years of graduation and on and on.

Then again doesn't the Bar Association allow umpty-five tests if someone wants to practice as an attorney? Or is it individual states that all allow those umpty-five tests? Maybe they think the same as the states that allow unlimited attempts at the NCLEX, that as long as the revenue comes in from all those application fees they don't care.

Best advice I can give to people who fail the first time, the second time, is to go for a totally different approach on the third time but so many seem to be stuck on the same process but just use a different review book. That's not enough of a change to get the problem fixed, just changing from Kaplan to UWorld to Saunders. I'm ok with people who take a couple, few times to pass but something has got to change somewhere so that whatever the hangup was that was failing them they FIX and then learn what they need to learn to pass. It's really very simple sounding but it seems to trip up so many.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Guy in Babyland said:
Or at the maximum 4 tries. 3 tries and you need a comprehensive study plan submitted to the BON for approval of your 4th and final attempt.

I like that approach. Too bad so many of the BONs are too concerned with $$$ to change anything.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
sianee said:
The liability is too much to be a bedside care nurse.

You've failed the NCLEX 11 times and you don't want to be a bedside nurse because the liability is too much? Time to come up with a Plan B, because I don't think nursing is for you.

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