How hard was the NCLEX-pn?

swee2000 · Nov 15, 2007

On my exam, the questions mainly consisted of: many, many, many "select-all-that-apply" with most asking about meds; several prioritizing/time-management types; and I think 1 math. When the computer turned off after #85, I remember feeling both elation that it was over and disbelief that I couldn't answer any more questions. All while still staring at the screen with a "deer-caught-in-the-headlights" look.

When I finally left the testing center and returned to life, there were a mix of emotions going through me. For the most part, I felt confident & knew that I passed. And it's not because I'm cocky, not by any means. It was just my way of staying positive. Also, I don't know if I had a guardian angel on my shoulder that day or just a stroke of luck, but several of the topics(that the questions were based around) dealt with diseases & pathophys which I had really studied & focused on the last week before my exam. On the flip side, there was also a little, nagging voice inside my head that doubted I had a chance in he** of passing.

Guess I proved it wrong!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 15, 2007

NCLEX-PN was fairly easy for me.

Most test-takers do not realize that you only need to answer about 50 percent of the questions correctly, just as long as you get enough of the "higher level" questions correct.

kat7ap · Nov 15, 2007

I thought it was easy. My school prepared me well, especially for the type of questions they ask. My test shut off at 85 questions, and I was in and out of the testing facility in under 1 hour. I was 99.9% sure I passed and was able to see early results the next day. It was a breeze!

scallywags · Nov 15, 2007

Leaving the exam, I was bewildered. I was overwhelmed by the final 15 questions. Many which were select all that apply in relation to pharm. Looking back at the first 60 or so questions, they were not terribly difficult. I did stop at 85 and finished within an hour. I felt prepared for the test, but had to wait almost four weeks to find out the results. The waiting was the most difficult part of the test!

Each test is so different and the exam will be as individual for you as it was for me. It is hard to say what will be on the test. Remember, is this a safe choice for the patient; patient before equipment; and you will always need to have the patient vitals and status before you can report to the RN or MD.

Good practice would be to jot down your lab values and any calculation equations when you sit down at the exam. They will give you a white board for use during the exam. You can refer back to these values during your test.

Good luck and study smart.

SarasotaRN2b · Nov 15, 2007

swee2000 said:
On my exam, the questions mainly consisted of: many, many, many "select-all-that-apply" with most asking about meds; several prioritizing/time-management types; and I think 1 math. When the computer turned off after #85, I remember feeling both elation that it was over and disbelief that I couldn't answer any more questions. All while still staring at the screen with a "deer-caught-in-the-headlights" look.
When I finally left the testing center and returned to life, there were a mix of emotions going through me. For the most part, I felt confident & knew that I passed. And it's not because I'm cocky, not by any means. It was just my way of staying positive. Also, I don't know if I had a guardian angel on my shoulder that day or just a stroke of luck, but several of the topics(that the questions were based around) dealt with diseases & pathophys which I had really studied & focused on the last week before my exam. On the flip side, there was also a little, nagging voice inside my head that doubted I had a chance in he** of passing.
Guess I proved it wrong!

I don't know why some people think that it is wrong or cocky to feel confident. God meant for us to succeed, not fail. All of those nagging, negative messages are not from Him.

Congratulations!

Kris

Jules A, MSN · Nov 17, 2007

SarasotaRN2b said:
I don't know why some people think that it is wrong or cocky to feel confident.
Kris

I agree. I test pretty good and was well prepared but also felt the exam wasn't that hard. I was sure that I had passed because I got the minimum questions and knew I couldn't have done so poorly that they didn't even give me a chance to answer more.

iloveskye · Nov 19, 2007

I took the nclex-pn 3 times before I passed it. The 1st time I got the maximum of questions, the 2nd time it shut off at 85 questions and the 3rd time it shut off at 85 questions. I must say, the 1st 2 times I took it--I had barely studied. I skimmed through some books for a few days before I took it and just took a stab at it. I found the test the 1st 2 times to be very difficult because I didn't study enough. The 3rd time I studied thoroughly for 2 months straight...lol. The content was a breeze! Mostly got lab value questions and priority questions.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Nov 19, 2007

I found NCLEX-PN to have been difficult, once I got to question #60 and beyond. The computer shut down at 85, and I wasn't sure that I passed. I still remember a great deal of the questions to this day, and I tested in 2006. In retrospect, I was more prepared than I thought I was, and I was able to think through the questions that were difficult. Had only one math question (the first one). I did have several pick all that apply in a row, and that flipped me out.

Hindsight is 20/20. I remember reading a post 6 months later where a person said to look at the select all that apply as true/false questions, and not to look at all of the selections as a whole. Look at each choice and say to yourself "Is this true in relation to the question or is it false?" If it is true, select it, if not, do not choose that one. I passed, anyway, but it would have made my life easier had I actually saw it that way, then. I wish I remembered who posted that, this person gave pearls of wisdom, and I would have thanked that person perfusely. Good luck and as someone else said "study smart".

RNDreamer · Nov 19, 2007

WOW!! I like this!...I hope I remember this piece of advice when my time comes. Thanks for posting it.

pagandeva2000 said:
Hindsight is 20/20. I remember reading a post 6 months later where a person said to look at the select all that apply as true/false questions, and not to look at all of the selections as a whole. Look at each choice and say to yourself "Is this true in relation to the question or is it false?" If it is true, select it, if not, do not choose that one. I passed, anyway, but it would have made my life easier had I actually saw it that way, then. I wish I remembered who posted that, this person gave pearls of wisdom, and I would have thanked that person perfusely. Good luck and as someone else said "study smart".

natbug1 · Nov 21, 2007

I took the NCLEX-pn exam on the 13th and I had 206 questions. I was sure I had failed but I passed. The exam was difficult to me but not as tough as I was expecting. I was more fustrated by the number of questions I got rather than the questions themselves. Most of my other classmates had already taken the test and their test shut off at 85. So just do your best no matter how many questions you get.

mlpb · Sep 13, 2010

I don't know if this reply would matter anymore but I know that it would matter for those who needs idea about the LPN exam. I honestly had a hard time taking the exam but don't mind me saying this because it depends upon you. All I can say is for you to start visualizing yourself passing the exam and be the nurse that you want to be. The most important thing is for you to pray and have faith in GOD, ask him for guidance.

With the Lord's mercy and grace everything went well with me I am now a new nurse of the healthcare community.(tHANK gOD).♥

Just do a lot of Q&A'S. I used Kaplan and Saunders. Remember to rest, exercise, eat well before the exam.

You can do it!!