Help! Failed NCLEX five times, out of school for 9 years

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Hello Everyone,

I am new to allnurses.com. A very long story short: I graduated RN school in May 2001. I have taken the NCLEX five times and was unsuccessful. I had tried everything I knew to do and still couldn't do it. I will admit I did give up. The last time I took it I was eight days from having my first child and she is now six. I thought for some reason I was not supposed to do nursing. I got out of nursing all together a year later. I really want to get my license, otherwise nursing school was a waste. I contacted my old school and they didn't even seem to care. I have searched and searched and the only thing I can find online and otherwise is refreshers that you already needed to have your license at some point in time. I never had trouble in clinicals or any hands on work just that test. I am very frustrated and although I want to figure out what I can do even as I write this I feel like there isn't any help out there. If the only thing I can do is go back to school and do the WHOLE program over NO WAY! I am married with two young kids and work full time repeating two years of that again I don't think I can do it. If any of you out there has any ideas you could send my way I would appreciate it. Thanks for your time:)

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Have you thought about taking a kaplan course? I am taking one now and I know there are people in the class who have failed NCLEX before. Its expensive but it is a good program.

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Take your previous failures and put them in a lockbox, lock it, and hide the key. Get a calendar and a review book and make yourself a schedule to prepare for this. Look at it as a test, nothing more, nothing less. If you have the money to spend on a review course, then sign up for one to jump start yourself. Otherwise, submit your application and set a date three or four months out and get to it. Start with the first chapter in the review book. Once you map out a plan and start working your plan, you will feel better about this. Good luck.

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Hi cpmom

I was in the same boat with you last year. I graduated in 2001 took the test many times and failed. I gave up, started doing other things but I kept thinking about nursing school and what a waste. I finally decided after much prayer to try again. I did questions at first to see what I remembered (not a lot). I then took Kaplan, another review course and worked with a local tutor. I did questions, after questions. thousands of them wherever I could find them. It cost me a whole lot but I was determined to make it happen. I became more motivated after 4months and I took the exam for the 5th and last time in November of 2009 and PASSED.You can and you will. Stay focused and determined and do whatever you feel you have to do to make it happen. Good luck and God bless.

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Please don't give up. Try the Kaplan course, I found the Kaplan ( qbank, Qtrainer) very very similar to the Nclex. Practice 150Q/day only and read all the rationales and you will be find.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

KAPLAN ROCKS !!! very good program

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I recommend Kaplan. See if you can speak with one of the NCLEX teachers, they know what's up and may even share with you some old questions.------

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I would recommend Hurst review. You can listen to lectures anytime you want, and study any time with their online videos. Its great for content review. After reviewing all the content few times, see if you can lecture on that material. If You can lecture on it, you can pass it. And finally, do many questions as possible. I used Vipra med, ncsbn extension, lecharity book, kaplan book, and did many questions as possible. Lecharity book is great and ncsbn is good too, and I would recommend doing thiese few weeks before actual exam. You can do this, You will pass.

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Specializes in pediatric,surgery.

I am in the same boat as you..I am single mom with a child age 4 and really need to get my licensure and become a nurse.. I chose to be a nurse when I was 8 years old..I ve graduated in 1983 with BSN in Brazil.. I would like to find somebody to study with me or a tutor.. I ve failed NCLEX in 2002 and I hadn't try it again..I give up for 8 years.. I ve moved to USA in 2000..so.. Now am determined to study and pass the NCLEX.. Do you wanna study with me? Thanks

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"I am in the same boat as you..I am single mom with a child age 4 and really need to get my licensure and become a nurse.. I chose to be a nurse when I was 8 years old..I ve graduated in 1983 with BSN in Brazil.. I would like to find somebody to study with me or a tutor.. I ve failed NCLEX in 2002 and I hadn't try it again..I give up for 8 years.. I ve moved to USA in 2000..so.. Now am determined to study and pass the NCLEX.. Do you wanna study with me? Thanks "

Hi Nicthy!

I am LPN from singapore. I am going to sit NCLEX LPN exam on november. I am very nervous now. Do you have idea what to foucs? I don't want to fail. I want to pass in first attempt coz I want to stay with my husband together. He lives in USA and i m living in singapore. NCLEX LPN exam is only the biggest hope for us to stay together. I will apply job if I pass the NCLEX LPN exam in november.

If anybody out there have any idea what to focus and how to study to pass the exam in first attempt..pls advise me.

Thanks

kay

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Have you ever been tested for dyslexia? A friend of mine failed the boards several times. She is very smart and it didn't make sense. Finally, she found out she had a mild form of dyslexia that was just enough to confuse her with test questions. Once she learned how to compensate for it, she took the Boards and passed.

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Specializes in Home health was tops, 2nd was L&D.

Best advice I can give is to get review book or beg, borrow as many as you can. Go thru questions and read rationale.. Test is basically what they taught you to do not what actual nurses do!! This is quite important especially if you are in health care already. Real life does not exist on the test! Answer they way your teacher would have wanted you to answer. 2 answers you can usually rule out right off the bat so then it is down to 2 possible answer. do not change answers after you have picked one. I took the test back when it was in a big city, for 2 whole days and tons of questions. You had 4 parts , one each am, one each pm. They let you out for lunch, no one could eat but you could call an RN friend for support or to ask a question as your exam was already in..sometimes certain questions will stick in your mind and they bug you. I do not think exam now is easier but 16 hrs taking something like this that controls your future was very stressful, and we actually got scores not pass/fail, and had to wait over 2 months to get results!

Do refresher class if you can afford it, if not study the books, questions, study with someone who has passed it. Good Luck and if you have test anxiety take a class on test taking at community college.

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