please help

wintergreen · Mar 14, 2004

Hi everyone. I am glad I found this website. I am taking the nclex again for the 3rd time in April. I am soooo fustrated and I feel like giving up. What I don't understand is how I am failing. I was one of the top ten in my graduating class and I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and made the deans list every semester. Then there were people that barely got thru college and passed the first time. I think I have read and studied everything. Is there a limit of times I can take this? Does anyone have any pointers?

I am a new grad, and haven't taken the nclex yet, but I had the same problem with the nursing tests. I would study so much, put all I had into it, and still not be able to pass the tests. It was very frustrating and discouraging. I finally went to the college's counseling center, where they evaluated my test taking anxiety. It was great. They helped me realize my anxiety porblem and worked with me until I overcame it. I am not saying this is what is stopping you from passing, but maybe look into it. You may be

psychologically ruining your chances before you even take the test! Best of luck!

WalkingInTheRain · Mar 15, 2004

Have you talked to your Instructor maybe one of them can help you? Identify what is going on. Good luck on your boards :) hang in there :)

amanda44 · Mar 15, 2004

yes..I did talk to my professors, and they didn't seem to want to be bothered. They said practice questions, and I have been.....I am determined to pass this time, and thank you for your feedback.....

angel337, MSN, RN · Mar 15, 2004

yes..I did talk to my professors, and they didn't seem to want to be bothered. They said practice questions, and I have been.....I am determined to pass this time, and thank you for your feedback.....

you can do it amanda. you must first believe that you have the knowledge base to pass this test. even though you were an excellent student, keep in mind that the NCLEX is about application and some knowledge. you don't need to know EVERYTHING there is to know about nursing. i believe you may have severe anxiety related to this test. all through nursing school we are told how hard the test is and i think that really affects how students perceive the test. don't read into the questions. the answers are usually the most simple one. rule out the ones that are way off or that don't really relate to the question. i took the test jan 30th and got a lot of priority and leadership. alot of those questions give you a set of people that the nurse has to pick from to see first such as:

1.a man who is c/o cool feet and pain from the cast

2.a man who is a post abd. surgery and soked 3 abd pads w/ serosanguinous fluid in 12 hours

3.a copd patient who is 90% saturation on room air

4.a patient c/o headache and vertigo after lumbar puncture

r/o 3 and 4. these are expected findings. copd patients are co2 retainers so they will always have low o2 saturations. most patients c/o headache after a spinal tap because any change in ICP balance may produce headache.

i chose number one because this is a circulation issue (remember ABC's and maslows hierarchy) a patient that has soked three pads post op from abd surgery is not a big deal (unless the blood is continuously bright red). this was an actual question that i had. your basic knowledge would have easily led you to the right answer. you can do it. i'm rooting for you!! :) :)

orrnlori, RN · Mar 15, 2004

Perhaps you are overstudying and reading too much into the questions. Have you thought about taking a Kaplan seminar? If you were one of the top in your class then I would bet you are over-reaching and also have huge test anxiety. I thought the NCLEX's questions were very dissimilar to the test questions from my program, extremely dissimilar, but my program gave me enough knowledge to pick through the answers. I also had a lot of prioritizing questions (this is from 1998 so I don't know what it's like now). I recommend you stop studying and take a new approach, take a seminar, they will help you learn how to pick the right answer rather than cram more info into your tired brain. Hope you'll let us know how it turns out. Best wishes.