I Passed NCLEX with 265 Questions First Time!

[I_Am_Blessed]

Hello. I am writing this to give encouragement to anyone who took NCLEX or about to take the NCLEX exam. As a start, I just want everybody to know that I just passed my NCLEX exam first time on February 13, 2016 with 265 questions!

I graduated Dec. 19, 2015, started reviewing using Kaplan on Jan 11, 2016, and took the NCLEX Feb. 11, 2016. I register for Kaplan In-Class, and went to class for 1 week. After that I chose my own "Plan of Study". At first, I chose the 5-week plan of study. But many people advised me that the sooner you take the test after Kaplan review, the better. So I switched from the 5-week plan of study to the 3-week plan of study.

I will say that squeezing your time to a three-week review is no joke! I study extremely hard everyday, averaging 10-12 hours a day. I am both reviewing "content" and "strategies". My Kaplan scores were only 50%-60%. I had a score of 73% on one QBank and 83% on Sample Question 3. I answered almost all QBanks (around 90% of QBanks) and ALL Question Trainers 1-7. My average I will say is only about 55%.

One day before the exam is a Lent season, and I went to an Ash Wednesday mass. During that mass, I prayed soooo hard for God to help me on my board exam which is the following day. I prayed very hard that I noticed myself already crying and tears everywhere on my face. Most people suggest, and even Kaplan suggest not to review or study 24 hours before the NCLEX. But after going to church, I felt that the Holy Spirit was guiding me to review for a few more questions on my weak areas. So I review a night before the exam.

On my exam day, driving to the testing center from my house, I stop by to a Catholic Church that I've never visited before. There I gave my heartfelt, solemn prayer for God's help and guidance during my exam. I arrived at the testing center 30 minutes before my scheduled exam.

I was prepared to stay there for 6 hours and to answer all 265 questions just in case that is my destiny (lol). I judged my own ability by my Kaplan scores and I said that my scores were not high so there is a big chance that I can take up to 265 questions. I brought 2 sandwiches, light snack, and 2 bottles of coffee! I was like... "I'm ready for 6 hours!"

I took 5-10 minutes break every hour, sometimes I went to bathroom, sometimes I stretch, sometimes I ate, sometimes I drink coffee. All throughout exam when I started to feel anxious, I will take a deep breath five times and will tell to myself "I study hard, I pray hard, God is helping me, I can do this!" So yes... not to my surprise... I answered all 265 questions, and I had only 13 minutes left before the 6-hour mark expires.

I was the second to the last student to leave the room. I was not surprised... because I was prepared for it! Also, I study/review Kaplan 10-12 hours a day so taking the NCLEX for 6 hours is nothing to me. Haha!

I was praying while I was driving home. I was not very sure if I passed it because I thought the exam was very tricky! They threw many questions there that you thought were easy, or the answer was obvious... but it was not! I just keep on praying and staying positive.

The 48-hour wait was one of the most anticipating wait of my life! I tried to distract myself by volunteering to babysit my super cute 18-month old niece. I went to movies with my mom, I hang out with my sisters, I called my dad. By the way, nobody knows that I took the NCLEX, not even my family. So when I was babysitting my niece and hanging out with my family, they thought I was just loving them and cherishing their presence lol.

Then here it comes. The Pearson Vue website notified that I can already view my result. I paid the quick results with my credit card... and I felt my heartbeat is like 150 beats/min. Then I saw the "PASS" result! Whew!!! The best feeling ever!!! I jumped, and then cried, and cried, and cried. It was the night of Feb. 13, 2016

Valentines Day of 2016, I planned to surprise my family with this lovely news. We all went to church that day. After that, I told them that I made a reservation in a Chinese restaurant and I want all of us to eat all together as a family on Valentines Day and it was my treat. They were all delighted. We all ate together, laugh together, and after eating, there I announced the great news! They were all surprise and ecstatic! My sisters cried and hugged me. My mom was crying, and I saw my dad looking at me and that proud look was such a great feeling!

So I just want to share this to let all of you who will take the NCLEX to not be afraid if it takes you all the way to 265 questions. Answering up to 265 questions does not mean you are failing. It means that the computer is being very nice to you, giving you the chance to pass, instead of shutting down on you and say "you failed". Answering up to 265 questions means... "Keep on going girl, you are doing just fine, just keep it up." So yeah, don't give up, just keep on praying and just keep on rocking!

Again, I study extremely hard for this board exam. I prayed very hard too. And the combination of these is what leads me to where I am now. A registered nurse! I am very proud of myself and I give credit to God whenever I will write a BSN, RN at the end of my name! My own formula of success in life is: PRAYER + ACTION = SUCCESS!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to message me or leave comment to ask. I will be very glad to be of help. God bless everyone! xoxo