I told myself I would join allnurses to post my NCLEX story once I finally passed! Well, on 7FEB2015 I did just that. On my 5th attempt (yes, you read that right, 5th attemp) I PASSED. I can't even explain the feeling of seeing the 'good pop up' that everyone talked about. The Pearson Vue trick still works (they have changed it slightly that you actually have to go all they way through the payment screen with an active credit card and hit submit, it's then that you'll receive the pop up.) After getting the bad pop up several times it was heart stopping to finally see the good one. Then to see your name on the BON is just the icing on the cake. Making becoming an RN 100% real!
Sooo, I wanted to write this to give those that didn't pass the 1st time or 2nd, ect hope that you CAN and WILL pass. There was times that I wanted to throw in the towel but I didnt. When I came close my friends, co-workers, and amazing husband pushed me through and I'm so glad they did bc I'm now an RN!!! I had experience, I was a CNA for 6yrs then an LPN for 3yrs; both of which I passed 1st time taking with minimum questions. So why after being validictorian of my RN program was it so difficult for me to pass this one life altering test?!
Let's start with my school, it was an LPN to RN bridge program and it was in its 1st year. So yes, we were the trial run class. Only one just ONE classmate passed his NCLEX 1st try. Since we graduated in 2013 3 more have come to pass (2 others plus me). Those 2 and I passed by taking ATI. I say this bc attempts 1-4 I used HURST review ($400), Saunders, Kaplan,and LaCharity books. I felt all of those were helpful but they didn't help me enough to pass. So I give the credit of passing to ATI (I know some schools use it in their nursing program but I payed the $475 for the online Tudor version) I don't know what it was exactly but it taught me what ever it was I was missing from my bridge program. *side note* since our class they have revised the program so everyone is passing no problem.
With all that being said, YOU can and WILL pass. You just need to want it bad enough. I had to put in 2yrs of studying on my own after graduation to pass and let me tell you it was SOOOOO worth it. I'm a wife, I have 3 young kids, and a full time LPN job, so it's not like I had all the time in the world to keep studying but I knew my final goal of becoming an RN would be worth it.
Hopefully this will help anyone needing that extra push to attempt the NCLEX again. Keep studying and keep praying, you will be an RN :)
