Failed Nclex Twice, need advice.

[agnostic10]

Hello everyone,

I failed my Nclex exam twice and is now just left with one chance.In my first try I did hurst review and read Saunders book but did not much emphasize on questions and probably failed because of that. In my second try did Kaplan review and did its question bank and failed again. In both tries I did 76 and 75 questions respectively. Please advice me on preparation of NCLEX.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Moved to the NCLEX forum where there is much written on the exam

[ericninetwo]

If you haven't heard of Uworld, I would highly recommend it. People that failed the first time but passed later always say Uworld is the difference.

Quick question: for both of your failed NCLEX attempts, did you try to do the PVT ?

[agnostic10]

I did Kaplan question bank second time not the uworld. What do you mean by PVT? I am giving it in Canada.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Pearson Vue is the company that provides the software or the exam. They also have some learning and reviewing resources that have been very helpful to others in improving their scores.

I think you might need a lot more than that though. Given that you failed with only 75-76 questions suggests your knowledge base isn't as good as it could be, or that your English language skills aren't as good as they could be, or both. Computerized adaptive testing is entirely based on your performance. From NCSBN (National Council of State Nursing Boards who designed the content of the exam):

1. Every time you answer an item, the computer re-estimates your ability based on all the previous answers and the difficulty of those items.
   
2. The computer then selects the next item that you should have a 50% chance of answering correctly.
   
   • This way, the next item should not be too easy or too hard
     
   • The computer's goal is to get as much information as possible about your true ability level
     
   • You should find each item challenging as each item is targeted to your ability
     

[*]With each item answered, the computer's estimate of your ability becomes more precise.

What that suggests to me is that by the minimum number of questions required by NCSBN, the algorithm used by the software has determined you cannot pass - or you would continue to be offered questions. And that suggests to me that you need more than a review; you may well need a refresher to bring your knowledge base up to the required level. If that isn't something you're able to achieve, then I'd recommend you write as many practice exams as you can, then read the rationale for the correct responses for EVERY question you chose incorrectly for so you understand why you're struggling. You really don't want to blow your last chance on chance.

[SWimbish, BSN, RN]

Uworld. They have the best questions and BEST rationales. I test this morning at 8am. 75 questions, 1 hour. I have been getting the good pop up ever since.

[agnostic10]

Thanks for your suggestion, actually English is my second language. Probably I can improve on that, thanks though.