How many tries did it take to get your lisence?

[Anagray]

How many tries did it take you to get your nusing lisence?

Do u think academic grades or clinical grades have any reflections on how people do on board exams?

Thank you in advance.

nursing student

[mattsmom81]

Test anxiety is the reason most nurses fail NCLEX if they did well in school.

I took the old two day written test back in '81 and passed with high scores....even though I was a puking, queasy mess...3 months PG with a tendency to pass out at a moments notice...LOL....even in that state my nursing school experiences STILL got me through the exam thank God! :)

Although I STILL remember that awful anxiety and thinking 'How will I react if I fail?' Also remember worrying what my classmates and teachers would say/think...

[HRHNurse Carol]

Passed both my LPN boards in 1979 and the RN boards in 1991 first try. I was first done with the LPN test. When I went back for the RN there was another student that used to race me to be the first one to finish a test. We were both A/B students. When we took boards (the old-fashioned way) she zipped right through. I was so freaked out that I forced myself to slow down- you know, put the pencil down, stare at the ceiling, do breathing excercises. I passed, she didn't. ( I was still one of the first ones out) It had to be stress. She passed on the second try. Most everyone I have ever known pass on the first. Those that I know who didn't, do pass on the second. And they are all good nurses, so must be the stress. I know of only one person in all the years that I've been around nursing that took more than 2 tries and she got it on the 6th. And she wasn't real bright, or a really good nurse. The general consensus was she finally got lucky. So, I really believe that if you can get through nursing school you can pass NCLEX. Most nursing schools are geared now towards passing NCLEX. But, I don't think that the stress level will ever be less in general. It is just such a drastic change in your life, to become an RN, and we've worked so hard for it. So naturally we freak out at the one test that can prevent us from reaching our dreams. I can remember the general sick feeling that I had...I can remember my classmate breezing out of the room...but I blank out when I try to remember much more about that day. Must be the stress.

[DarK]

I passed the boards on the first try. 85 questions . I went home after the boards and started looking up answers and I must not have remembered the question exactly and I thought I had failed. I took all my nursing books and magazines and threw them in the closet because I didn't to think of all the time I devoted to studying and then have failed,. In NY state where I took my boards you could check your results on the internet. As luck would have it the system was messed up and by thetime my results were posted my license was in the mail!!!

[Sumner]

Thankfully I passed my exam on the first attempt. Since all of the questions were scenarios in which you had to pick the most correct answer ( there may have been more than one correct answer) knowledge and skill were of equal importance. It will be to your advantage to take the exam as soon as possible after graduation while everything is still fresh. Good luck !

[pam156]

What a stressful two days! We had a proctor who kept repeating at the beginning of each testing "We are testing you for minimal competancy". Was sure I flunked, that I'd read too much into the questions...and that I wasn't even minimally ably to set foot onto the floor!! :)

[Suzyy_Q]

I passed the test the first time, was on the computer. Answered 75 questions and was done in 40 minutes. I'm very thankful, I don't think I could have handled the stress of having to take the test more than once.

[tiffanyhrn]

I was a B student all through school and I struggled hard with the boards. It took me 4 times. I was not alone however. There were 13 out of 34 who did not pass the first time. I know my stuff, I am just not a good test taker in those kinds of situations.

Tiffany

[Jamesdotter]

I took the two day test and waited for the results. At that time (in my state, at least) if you passed, the ENVELOPE was addressed to "Miss A. Nurse, RN", so you didn't even have to open it.

[MelRN13]

I passed the LPN on the first try, 85 questions. I about $h!* when the computer shut off, good thing there was a LaSeniorita's right next to Sylvan.......hopefully I have as much luck this year on the NCLEX-RN.

[LadyT_RN]

I graduated in May 24th of 2002, I had started a senior student nurse worker position on June 3, 2002. With this position, they make your schedule almost 6 weeks in advance so while I was waiting for my authorization to test I had a pretty air tight schedule to complete. I got my ATT in July but had to finish out all of July and August of my work schedule before I could request 10 to 15 days off to do some serious studying. I requested from Sept. 14 to Sept.24 off rationalizing a serious study schedule within that period of time as well as thinking I would be able to test on Sept 20. Well, when I called to schedule my test on Sept 9, for Sept 20, there were no more slots in Sept, or Oct, except for Sunday Sept 15. I tentatively took that spot but called all over California to see if there were any other spots that would accomadate my study schedule. --There was none, Sept 15 was the only spot. So there I was unprepared, no study time under my belt and facing the NCLEX in SIX days, (with a full schedule of work for that week, Remember I had requested Sept. 14-24 off) I crindged and buckeled up for the most hectic 6 days of my life. Work from 7am - 3:30 pm, and study from 4:30pm - 10:30 or 11pm all 5 nights. I was absolutely nervous and frazzled. When Sunday morning got there I got up early, had a light breakfast, all the while praying "Lord Help me to Chose the Right answers on this test, Help me to pass" As I was filling out my registration papers at the testing center my first twinge of complete nervousness and butterflies erupted in my stomach as my pulse started quickening. I took a few deep breaths, prayed more furiously, closed my eyes and said to my self "You can do this, and you will do this just calm down, what's all the excitement for?" This slowed my pulse and almost stopped the butterflies. As I sat in front of the computer, I once again prayed to a higher being, took a deep breath, and began testing!! Then all of a sudden even before the computer stopped me for my first break, the darn thing SHUT OFF at 75 questions!! I tried to push a few more buttons to get the darn thing back on, but all it said was "Thank You for testing with us please fill in this assessment form of our testing center" Complete and udder panic came over me, I said Only 75 questions You must be kidding everyone else was still pecking away at the key boards. Well I signed out ran out to the car, threw my hands up and shouted "You are an RN!! Thank you Jesus!" Well I had found out about a website that you could check to see if you had passed your boards even before you got your results by mail. People that were in my graduating class had gotton their results within 4 days. So by day 4, I was at the website typing in my name. NO it's not there, day 5, day 6, day 7, nothing.....by day 11 I was a wreck, my name was not on the internet, nothing in the mail, I was completely heart broken!! Day 12 came and went then on day 13, I was so dispondent that I came home plopped on the couch and cried. I said without even looking on the computer "Oh well girl, there is always a next time, you did your best!!" Well when my 13 year old son came home he asked "Mommy, did you check to see if your name was on the website yet?" I said "no, It's probably not going to be there!" He says " well I'll check it for you" I still was sitting on the couch when he gets to the website and says Nope I don't see your name" (Mind you we had been to this website everyday sometimes more than once a day and we had said that if my name showed up, it would be under this certain other ladys name by the way it was spelled). So he says no It's not here, then all of a sudden he says my last name, my first name, then my middle name very slowly. I continued to sit thinking he was joking with me, and he says "Mommy, your name is here", I say "you're just trying to make me feel better" he says "no, Here it is it's not under that ladys name it is right here because you have a hyphen in your name, so its further down, come and look!!!" Well needless to say I ran over and he pointed it out to me and I screamed for joy!!! All that was explained to say that, "Yes I passed my boards on the first try!!"

________________________

Anything is possible with a little faith!:roll

[beth davis]

Most educated people can pass this exam in one try. The only ones I know who failed had trouble with the English language.

[rowbucks]

i had to take the last written test 11 years ago. took it in august. didn't get results until december. the lingest 4 months of my life!!!!!