Help! I failed.... now what?

Nursing Students NCLEX

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Hi there. I failed in 75.... sigh.... i know my content is weak. It is where I struggle. I am not here to have a pit party. I want to pick myself up and move forward. Any suggestions for where to restart? Thank you so much in advance.

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Specializes in ED.

How have you been studying? Have you been using any review courses or programs? What did your study habits look like before your test?

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Specializes in Neuro.

Tell us about your study habits when preparing for this. How did you do overall on exams in school?

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Hi. Thank you. I did well in school. I fluctuated between a B+\A- I don’t feel I knewthe content as well as I should have. I took the Kaplan course and the predictor test said I had a 94% chance of passing. I need to have a solid study plan. Thank you.

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Specializes in ED.

If you still have access to Kaplan I would continue to use that. My strategy for kaplan was to do something every day, even if I only had time to do a 30 question qbank. As I was taking a quiz I would keep a notepad near by and I would write down anything that I was not sure about. For example, medications I didn't recognize or was not comfortable with, terms I did not know, or disease processes I was unsure of. After the quiz I would do some quick research on each item I put on my list, nothing crazy, but I would spend a few minutes becoming more familiar with each item. I would also remediate every quiz and look at the rationales for each question even the ones I got right.

Kaplan also offers computer adaptive tests which, they claim, are very similar to the NCLEX. Each of these tests costs money but I thought they were helpful in making me feel more comfortable with the idea that the test can turn off at any time between 75 and 265.

If your state is the same as mine, you probably have 45 days until you can test again. I recommend sitting down and putting together a study plan that covers how many questions you want to do each day or how much time you think you need to spend studying each day, this will help you stay on track and stay accountable to yourself. I cant tell you how much you need to study each day as that is completely variable, some people spend 8 hours a day studying for months, while I averaged maybe 45 minutes every other day for two weeks and was able to pass in 75. It will all depend on your needs and how you feel you're progressing.

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MotoMonkey! Thank you so much for this insightful advice. I'm on it!

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If your issue is content I would suggest UWorld with at least one assessment test (The assessment test that I took on Uworld felt and looked exactly like my NCLEX except the NCLEX questions were more vague). The rationales for both the correct answer and the incorrect answers are very thorough. It's all I used to study. I'd also suggest getting a content refresher overview/book with the basics such lab values, s/s of common disease processes etc (sorry I can't recommend one because I didn't use one). Also please please take notes on every question (right and wrong) when you remediate. Don't just read the rationale and expect it to stick.

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Thank you so much. I will look at UWorld today!

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What Kgs2017 said. The only thing I used to study was Uworld. They have about 2,000 questions in their bank. I reviewed for NCLEX in 1 month. I would wake up, do about 75 questions, remediate, and jot down unfamiliar content. That was my daily morning routine. When I finished all the questions, I would go over the notes I made over unfamiliar content. The questions are very similar to what I took on the NCLEX. Don't over study either and give yourself some days in between studying to clear your mind. The day before the exam you should just wind down and relax. If there's any advice I can give when you take the test, it's to not second guess yourself. Your first choice is usually the correct one. Good luck!

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I used both Kaplan and Uworld. I absolutely disliked Kaplan! I only did one 180 question test with Kaplan. I used Uworld and did 1620 questions and passed in 75 questions on my Nclex. Uworld looks just like the nclex (you will see) and made me relax when I began the official test. Many people said to read the rationales of all the questions but I only read the rationales of the stuff I got wrong. I would 1000% recommend Uworld. Keep your head up I know lots of people who didn’t pass the first time. Some people are *** test takers. Unfortunately you have to pay the $200 again but buy Uworld and you will pass this time. You can do Uworld on your computer, tablet or phone. When I couldn’t sleep at night I would just make a quiz of 25 questions and roll through them and suspend the test if I started to fall asleep. You got this girl!! (Also my Kaplan book says money back guarantee if I didn’t pass?? Maybe look into that if you bought Kaplan stuff??) fingers crossed for you future nurse!!

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I too do not care for Kaplan. I shall try UWorld. Thank you so much

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I used UWorld only to study and I took my NCLEX in Feb and passed in 75 questions and was out of there in a hour and a half confident I failed lol. I saw many questions or closely related questions from Uworld on the NCLEX. I studied for 3 weeks but I dedicated every free moment to studying. I did 100-150 questions a day and repeated them and took notes of the topics I struggled with. I didn’t complete all of the sections on Uworld. I focused on weak areas and general med-surg type of questions as well as critical care. I saved OB questions for the very last. I only had 1 OB question on my NCLEX. Also, by no means was I an A student in nursing school. More B-/B+ Lol. Good luck!

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