I finally passed the NCLEX-PN on 5th attempt!!

[Dusty065, LVN]

Hi Everyone,

I've seen a lot of people share their experience and also share that they have passed the NCLEX, so I thought I would come and share my great news. The story is a little long, but I really want to share what I have gone through.

I graduated in 2008 and had attempted the NCLEX four times previously. Major life events kept happening every time I was going to take the exam from getting diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis right before my first attempt, to losing my mother to breast cancer about a month before my 3rd attempt. I really thought when I took it the fourth time I was going to pass. Things were a little calmer, but my personal life was still very tough. I also felt like so much time was going by and it was now 2012. At this point I was struggling financially and had paid for some reviews before my 3rd attempt and 4th attempt and I had also invested in more review books. When i found out I failed for the 4th time I felt really dumb and pushed myself to then registered for a 5th time because I thought the sooner I take it again the better. I had kept waiting months between each exam, because unlike some I don't have that type of money just lying around and by the 4th attempt I was on unemployment and struggling to get a another job. Well, I found a job and and that immediately took priority, as the test day neared I hadn't studied enough and was going to postpone for a few months. Unfortunately, I thought it was scheduled for another day and missed the time to reschedule. That was the last time I had tried any attempt at the NCLEX. Then, in June 2013, I got a DUI. The DUI immediately took control of my life and attention and I did not thing twice about taking the NCLEX or dealing wth the board. At that point I wasn't sure if I had given up, all I knew was that life had taken yet another turn. Paying my school loans every month made me hate making the decision to even be a nurse. I became very negative and thought, "Who was I fooling? I really thought I could be a nurse with my unlucky life." People would ask me are you ever gonna try again? And sometimes i'd say, "I don't know maybe one day. The DUI is going to be a problem and I don't how to handle that. Maybe i'm not supposed to be a nurse. Maybe thats why its called a dream, because its just that."

Time went by and things were still a little tough financially , but I was getting by and one day in September of 2017 I woke up and was ready to tackle the NCLEX again. I called the board to ask what I needed to do and I was told I needed some paperwork from my school and a letter about the DUI. I called my school to get a transcript sent to the board and asked if they offered any type of review and to my surprised they did. I was told to buy the latest saunders book which I did and then in mid October they brought in ATI for grads and for current VN students. Our current instructor ended up going to back to teaching first term students and they brought in a new instructor for our reviews in November and another in December (she ended up leaving in may) The two nurses really helped me and I was surprised at how much knowledge I still had and they even told me that I knew more than I thought. For the last year I attended whatever reviews I could because they only had them certain days of the week and either in the more for 3 hours or in evening for three hours on tuesdays and wednesdays. I used whatever resources I was given. I studied on my own and did ATI tests and quizzes and read the focused reviews it would generate. ATI is a great program and they event told all of us to take care of it because it is such an expensive program and were basically getting it for free. Im glad they offered it to us. This really was a blessing. My school even helped me with a lawyer to help get my DUI expunged. After nearly a year of studying while attending the reviews and working hard with my instructor and the struggle to get all my paperwork sent into the board (it was a lot of work with all the court documents and other paperwork i had to find and waiting to see if the court approved the expungment. I recommend to anyone don't get a DUI. it haunts you) I finally got my eligibility to test letter at the end of June. Just as this happened I had to move unexpectedly by July first. I didn't let this stop me. My instructor wanted me to test in July but I told her lets wait until mid August so I can settle in. I immediately got back to studying and taking practice test on ATI after I settled in in July. About three weeks ago my instructor and I scheduled my exam for August 30th. This last week was so stressful and I became more and more nervous. On August 30th I went in and took the NCLEX. This was the hardest one I have ever taken, and I had thought my fourth attempt was hard, but this one didn't compare. I had so many SATA questions, plenty of exhibit questions and 3 ekg/ecg strip questions. I even had an exhibit SATA med question. It stopped me at 85 questions and I thought I had failed. I left the testing center holding back tears. I got to my car and tears rolled down and i texted my instructor and she logged onto my pearson vue account and told me to call her. I called her and we talked a little and she told me I got the good pop up. I cried right there on the phone. All this relief and stress was released. I finally passed on the 5th attempt. I just want to say not give up. Maybe it just wasn't the right time with my chaotic life and I just had to wait for things to settle. I'm not quite sure. What I know now is I have truly been blessed by someone or something with the way the events happened and with what people came in my life this year during this journey. I am truly thankful and now know I can do things i put my mind to. I am finally going to have the L in LVN.

[Davey Do]

Congratulations, Dusty. You are one persevering dude!

Good luck in your endeavors and keep us posted!

[ADN_Is_Complete, ADN]

Congrats Dusty!

[missdeevah, NP]

Congratulations...that's some perseverance!

[ChazzW]

Congrats Dusty.

[HDHRN]

Awesome!

[jtboy29]

Congratulations man. I know how proud you are to finally do it. I passed on my third attempt and it does get tiring because you will wonder "Will I ever do make it?" "Am I ever going to pass the NCLEX?" many questions will come into play but you just have to keep pushing forward. It's normal to feel "terrible" after taking the NCLEX. That's how I felt when I took my third attempt. Definitely didn't compare to the other attempts. Glad you passed man. Congrats fellow LVN!