I passed NCLEX-RN 5 years later out of school!

[Shudson0030]

I took my boards Wednesday June 22. I got about 80 questions. The next day, I was called and personally congratulated by the testing specialist with whom I had been working during the application and information submitting stage because of some trouble getting my application processed. I'm now a RN :)

I graduated nursing school 5 years ago at age 22. I failed my boards once the same year I graduated (I didn't study at all, literally), and then things went downhill from there for a few years and I did not look at anything nursing related the whole time. I was even deemed disabled by the government and told I would never make it to being a nurse and should find something more practical. It took me a few years to get back on my feet and take care of my health before I got into a better place. I started studying again last year in November. I used Hurst Review online, a Lippincott question bank app for my phone, the Kaplan question bank, and mostly Quizlet. I converted all my material from Hurst review to Quizlet flash cards which I could view on my phone anywhere and everywhere, regardless of Internet or wifi accessibility. Throw away Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, etc, and open up that Quizlet app every single time you wait in line, use the toilet, sit down to watch tv, etc. I had no social life for a while but I don't regret it a bit, and my friends were understanding. I only bought Kaplan in March and reviewed it for a month, and I took my 6 Hurst tests. My scores weren't great (76, 77, 78, 78, 82, 86), my Kaplan scores were pretty good however. If I had to guess how many NCLEX-style questions I did, it would easily be in the 3500-4000 range.

NCLEX was really pretty easy for me, compared to all the intensive studying I had been doing. I breezed through all the subjects, except with some room precaution stuff and prioritization which I had not studied as well.

Good luck, everyone, and I hope this helps someone. If someone like me who had been out of nursing school for so long (and wasn't a great student back then to begin with) could burn through the NCLEX, I know the rest of you can too. As for me, I can't wait to get back to work, take care of others, and be a productive member of society once again. Never ever EVER give up or let someone else tell you what your limitations are :)