**Feeling Blue About NCLEX: Need Advice Please**

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hi everyone. i've taken the nclex recently and it's my 4th time not to have passed! :crying2: today i went to church with my fam and guess who i saw? i saw some of my classmates from the same nursing school that i graduated with that are rns already and i also saw friends' of my parents who also knew that i was supposed to take my nclex soon. they've been asking if i'm a rn already and where i'm working. whenever they ask me these questions or similar to these i feel disappointed and discouraged. my reply to them is that i didn't take it yet. they wonder how come it takes me a long time to take the nclex since i graduated in summer of 2007. i'm just speechless...

my question is should i tell people the truth that i have taken the nclex but haven't passed yet even though i'm afraid they'll respond by putting me down and i'll just be embarrassed or should i just keep silent because i don't really think it's anyone else's business but mine to know if i passed or not? i'll share if i want to and with whom. when someone i know keeps asking me these same questions my confidence level just goes down. :down:

can u please give me your opinions and advice about this matter. i'd really appreciate it. thanks!

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Oh my I am really sorry to hear this my heart goes out to you. I don't think you need to tell them just start preparing in a different manner from what you have done maybe you could try Suzanne's plan. Best of luck to you

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It might be good not to tell anyone that you're going to take the exams because it may add pressure on you. I feel that you are pressured already.:nuke:

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Hum.....I would say you dont have to tell them you have tested and failed but I would try to avoid lying by saying you havent tested. Just simply say you are still studying for the test so that when you test you can be sure to pass. That is the truth without having to lie about not having taken it previously.

I myself didnt pass the first time and just simply didnt tell anyone I tested. I simply said to those that asked that I was planning on testing in a few months once I felt totally prepared. This was the truth...regardless of the fact that I had already tested once in June.

Hope this helps.

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i also failed my 1st attempt for nclex-rn exam. I immediately announced to everybody that i did not pass...why? so that they will not approach me one by one and ask me. that will only make me feel uncomfortable and sad. I also know that eventually they will ask and it is better if i tell them before they do. Being genuine to people is nice and admirable.

If you did not pass just tell them. one should never lie or make up stories for other people will eventually find out the truth. It is best to keep quiet when you are scheduling your next exam. Just try and try secretly. That is what my sister did. She took the boards several times without telling us until she announced that she has passed her board after several tries. :p i will be taking my 2nd attempt. i hope that i pass this time. :lol2:

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I understand how you feel! I just got back from homecoming weekend back at my university and I saw a lot of people I haven't seen since I graduated college and they ALL asked me where I was working, what I was doing, am I a nurse yet?? I just told them the truth because I don't like to lie about this stuff but I did feel bad while telling them! Just keep your head up and continue on with life...you have a new day everyday! You aren't alone!!

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

Study as though you have not tested before. Consider trying Suzanne's Plan. I like what some of the other posters have been saying though about just not telling them. It is none of their business. Although I am sure they are asking to make conversation. I really liked what short1978 wrote. Good luck as you prepare for your test. ((( HUGS ))) Hang in there, you can do this. You will be successful.

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Specializes in med-surg,icu,geriatrics.

hi there! you know i feel you..i have that experience even today, i took twice but i wasn't successful. i know its difficult, embarrassing at times, and worst sometimes you feel hopeless...u know i even cry to sleep thinking about that exam...as for the matter about people asking you, just smile even if its hard..u dont have to say anything if you don't want to..:) cheers!

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hi everyone. i've taken the nclex recently and it's my 4th time not to have passed! :crying2: today i went to church with my fam and guess who i saw? i saw some of my classmates from the same nursing school that i graduated with that are rns already and i also saw friends' of my parents who also knew that i was supposed to take my nclex soon. they've been asking if i'm a rn already and where i'm working. whenever they ask me these questions or similar to these i feel disappointed and discouraged. my reply to them is that i didn't take it yet. they wonder how come it takes me a long time to take the nclex since i graduated in summer of 2007. i'm just speechless...

my question is should i tell people the truth that i have taken the nclex but haven't passed yet even though i'm afraid they'll respond by putting me down and i'll just be embarrassed or should i just keep silent because i don't really think it's anyone else's business but mine to know if i passed or not? i'll share if i want to and with whom. when someone i know keeps asking me these same questions my confidence level just goes down. :down:

can u please give me your opinions and advice about this matter. i'd really appreciate it. thanks!

i'm real sorry to hear what you are going through right now :o. as one who taken the nclex exam several times without passing, i can really sympathize with you. i know from experience that it is quite hard and embarrassing to acknowledge to others the fact that you have yet to pass the nclex. i can't count the number of times that i've been approached by family, friends, and acquaitences who inquire about my test status. for those who i've told before, i just let them know that i'll be taking it soon (nov. 11th to be exact), and for those that are out of the loop, i usually end up telling them the truth (that i've taken it several times), despite my embarrassment. i know that some of my friends who prepped for the nclex only told people that they "hadn't taken it yet", or that they were "taking it soon" without giving any specifics. it's perfectly fine to do so, but i feel that people tend to become more suspicious the more often those lines are used, not to mention that they tend to remain inquisitive until they can get a definite answer. by telling them the truth, at least they will have something to go by and hopefully will stop being so "curious". btw, this is from self-experience. it's ok to be curious, but it can get quite annoying when you are constantly asked "when" and if you had "taken the test or not".

i'll be honest with you (and to others who choose to read this reply), i haven't returned to work ever since i failed my second attempt of the nclex-rn. thats been over 5 months now. i have never been away for this long from my job since my last semester in nursing school (and that was only a 4 month "break"). the main reason being: i'm am embarrassed to face my co-workers at the hospital. most would say, "it's ok, they'll understand" or "they won't say anything about it", but yet that isn't what's concerning me. my pride is what was getting the best of me. it was easy the first time i returned to work after failing the exam the first time because i shrugged it off, telling myself i would get it the next time. i ended up doing worst the second time around and i had lost most of my confidence at that point. low self-esteem + high self conscious = no appearance at work for me. i just couldn't face those that had put their hopes and faith in me in passing. to let them know that i failed a second time would be devastating to me. in the back of my mind, i would start to think that they would then soon begin to lose confidence in me and think "low" of my capabilities as an rn-to-be.

after numerous reschedulings, i've laid it down to take the test in a couple more weeks. no matter the outcome, i've decided to swallow much of my pride and return to work. the student loans have already started to come in and the bills are starting to pile up, so i need to take care of those things. not to mention, christmas is coming around the bend! my advice to you is to have a good review book (saunders 4th, prentice hall review & rationales), a good question book/program (saunders, exam cram), and utilize this very website :D. where else can you get information/advice/encouragement/inspiration all in one place, and from people that usually do not know a single thing about you! knowing that there are others out there that have shared a similar experience can be quite comforting, but knowing that these same are willing to help you out despite not knowing you personally is a blessing. i guess you can consider allnurses.com a free version of the book " chicken soup for the nurse's soul" with all the inspiring stories you hear. better yet, it should be titled instead as "chicken soup for the aspiring-nurse's soul" :lol2:

i feel confident that you will do fine on your next exam. the "hard" part is over with already (nursing school). you already have the knowledge needed within you; it's just a matter of applying that knowledge to certain situations in the best way a nurse possibly can. remember, be confident in yourself and your own abilities. never give up......you, i, and countless others who have yet to pass this nclex exam have come this far already. why give up now? keep us posted!

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I'm real sorry to hear what you are going through right now :o. As one who taken the NCLEX exam several times without passing, I can really sympathize with you. I know from experience that it is quite hard and embarrassing to acknowledge to others the fact that you have yet to pass the NCLEX. I can't count the number of times that I've been approached by family, friends, and acquaitences who inquire about my test status. For those who I've told before, I just let them know that I'll be taking it soon (Nov. 11th to be exact), and for those that are out of the loop, I usually end up telling them the truth (that I've taken it several times), despite my embarrassment. I know that some of my friends who prepped for the NCLEX only told people that they "hadn't taken it yet", or that they were "taking it soon" without giving any specifics. It's perfectly fine to do so, but I feel that people tend to become more suspicious the more often those lines are used, not to mention that they tend to remain Inquisitive until they can get a definite answer. By telling them the truth, at least they will have something to go by and hopefully will stop being so "curious". Btw, this is from self-experience. It's ok to be curious, but it can get quite annoying when you are constantly asked "when" and if you had "taken the test or not".

I'll be honest with you (and to others who choose to read this reply), I haven't returned to work ever since I failed my second attempt of the NCLEX-RN. Thats been over 5 months now. I have never been away for this long from my job since my last semester in nursing school (and that was only a 4 month "break"). The main reason being: I'm am embarrassed to face my co-workers at the hospital. Most would say, "It's ok, they'll understand" or "They won't say anything about it", but yet that isn't what's concerning me. My pride is what was getting the best of me. It was easy the first time I returned to work after failing the exam the first time because I shrugged it off, telling myself I would get it the next time. I ended up doing worst the second time around and I had lost most of my confidence at that point. Low self-esteem + high self conscious = no appearance at work for me. I just couldn't face those that had put their hopes and faith in me in passing. To let them know that I failed a second time would be devastating to me. In the back of my mind, I would start to think that they would then soon begin to lose confidence in me and think "low" of my capabilities as an RN-to-be.

After numerous reschedulings, I've laid it down to take the test in a couple more weeks. No matter the outcome, I've decided to swallow much of my pride and return to work. The student loans have already started to come in and the bills are starting to pile up, so I need to take care of those things. Not to mention, Christmas is coming around the bend! My advice to you is to have a good review book (Saunders 4th, Prentice Hall Review & Rationales), a good question book/program (Saunders, Exam Cram), and utilize this very website :D. Where else can you get information/advice/encouragement/inspiration all in one place, and from people that usually do not know a single thing about you! Knowing that there are others out there that have shared a similar experience can be quite comforting, but knowing that these same are willing to help you out despite not knowing you personally is a blessing. I guess you can consider Allnurses.com a free version of the book " Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul" with all the inspiring stories you hear. Better yet, it should be titled instead as "Chicken Soup for the Aspiring-Nurse's Soul" :lol2:

I feel confident that you will do fine on your next exam. The "hard" part is over with already (Nursing school). You already have the knowledge needed within you; it's just a matter of applying that knowledge to certain situations in the best way a nurse possibly can. Remember, be confident in yourself and your own abilities. Never give up......You, I, and countless others who have yet to pass this NCLEX Exam have come this far already. Why give up now? Keep us posted!

Wow this was so inspiring for me!! Thank you for what you said...because I totally agree with EVERYTHING you said -- I have tested twice and have yet to pass. You hit it right on the head!! :bowingpur

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I No The Feeling. I Tell So People I've Failded And Others I'm Still Studying. I Will Be Taking It Again In Dec And I Get Sick To My Stomach When I Have To Study. I Am So Tired Of Studying And Can Not Understand Why I Can Not Pass This Test. My Bigest Fear Is Sata And Dosage. I Dont Even No How To Study Any More. So With That Being Said We Will Pass And Never Give Up.

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Thanks J-SWIFT808 for telling what u went through. Truly inspirational! God bless!

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