Hey all, I FINALLY passed my Nclex RNon my third try. It's been a REALLY long journey that involved tons of sweat and tears.. but I finally found out I passed today and it's SO surreal given that I've failed twice!
I graduated from a well known school in May 2013. after graduation, I decided to ignore Nclex for about 5 months because I was so exhausted from Nursing School, and I had a job at the time to focus on (a totally different field). It was the worst decision of my life to not immediately get a headstart on nclex rn prep immediately after graduation like all of my peers did. when I failed my first nclex after merely studying.. I learned my lesson. I failed my first nclex with 75 questions, and kind of breezed through it. I received my CPR report and saw that I was way below the passing mark for almost all categories. That is when I realized that I need to pick up on my slack for the 2nd test. I studied really hard for the 2nd test. I used Lippincott Q&A, I used Exam Cram.. and I had Saunders. I studied religiously for about 10 hours every day. When I took the test, and found out I failed after I did the PVT trick.. I was crying like crazy in a public scene. Luckily my BF was there to hold me and told me everything is going to be okay. But the feeling of failure after giving it your ALL SUCKS! I received my report and it said I was near passing for almost all categories.
I took 3 weeks off of studying or about a month, and slowly started back on studying again. This time I used a different approach. I ordered the 97 page Study Guide from youtube (50.00), and started reading it bit by bit every day. I knew I had to change my study habit. So I modified it to about 3-4 hours a day. I figured I burned myself out the last time. Also, what helped tremendously was HURST ONLINE REVIEW!!! I think Hurst was basically the reason I passed. AND I also looked at the Kaplan Strategies book, and its strategies really worked! I also used NCSBN questions to help me. Its content is actually very useful. Its tips and abbreviations. I know it could be boring, but it really is beneficial.
After another 2-3 months of studying for this examination, I finally passed with 100 questions. I was a bit psyched out during the test because I received an EASY level question . I almost cried. But somehow I got back up. I had 1 Math question, about 6 Meds questions (most of which I didnt know of), No EKG, about 10 priority questions, maybe about 20-30 SATAs, a TON of teaching questions (maybe about 30) , and also a TON of Conference questions. I walked out of the room thinking I failed. It also took me about 4 hours to complete 100 questions because I was taking my time.
I think the key to passing is to be determined during the test. Do not feel intimidated by the questions, read every question carefully and be smart about your answer. I realized the answer that you expect is NEVER there. They word the answers in a way to hide the real answer.. if you know what I mean. In my opinion, it was a difficult test. You need to know your content really well, and sharpen your judgement skills when it comes to picking an answer.
I hope this has helped someone. Please ask me any questions if needed.
