i got numbed all over when i learned that I did pass... and I'm telling you, awesome, great, wonderful and all the superlatives are an understatement!
the first three times that I tried to take the test, I knew that I was gonna fail. I wasn't at all motivated to be a nurse. it wasn't my choice. i didn't want to join the crowd of RNs and wanted to be something else. at the same time, a lot of things happened which may have also contributed to my lack of preparation.
time came when i finally bumped my head on the wall and realized that I studied 4 years, blood sweat and tears, to finish BSN, and all I have to do to get started is to get a license. one of my motivations probably is the financial reward (i'm broke! haha), but more than that is the fact that I have finally decided to be a nurse, to work with patients and to join the crowd of life-savers.
So on friday the 13th (lucky day i guess hehe) i took the test with confidence and waited for the results with the kind of feeling that I didn't have the past three times, and 4 days later (that was quick, as compared to 2 weeks of waiting for the dreaded 'failed' results), i couldnt believe what i saw on the board of nursing website.. my name with an RN attached to it. the next day, i got my license. what a sigh of relief!
had i used suzanne's plan religiously the first 3 times that i tried, i'm guessing i may have passed :wink2:. but i didn't. i didn't stick to annswering this number of questions before the test. so on my final try, i told myself maybe that's what's lacking. i realized that when i got so bored and i decided to pick up my saunders q&a book. after answering a few questions and it dawned on me that i was indeed learning a lot, i say i got my momentum back, and never let go of it again. and since i've been telling myself that it's "now or never again" -- yes, i was that close to giving up (besides, i have another bachelor's degree that makes much more money than nursing, i just have to get started somewhere.. i can be a scientist after all! haha) back to my review, i enrolled at the soonest kaplan review class i could get into, and after 4 days of classroom lecture, i helped myself by answering as much q's from the qbank, while i tried to finish my saunders. i didn't stick to one plan (but props to suzanne, i know her plan is one big hit! ) just because i had to take advantage of the online resources i paid for. in the end, i finished the q&a book (didnt have time to use the cd), i answered the last 4 question trainers from kaplan, and i did only about 30% of the total qbank. in short, i wasnt able to take full advantage of it, but hey, it worked, didn't it?
if there's anything different from my previous attempts, it was my will to pass. i didn't push myself to review because i had to and because people were expecting me to. when i was close to finishing 2500 q's total, i scheduled my test (i took it feb 13th, and it was a friday :chuckle), used my time to answer a few hundreds more. i'd say i did a total of around 3200. that said, i still had much time to watch movies, enjoy some sushi and experiemnt in the kitchen.
and here's something unique... i went to the test center by myself (maybe my significant other isnt my lucky charm when it comes to testing hahaha), put on my best self, and since i found my lucky coin, i wore it inside my socks (i've done that in all my competitions back then, and guess it's indeed a lucky gesture )
if there's one tip i can give future test-takers, especially those who have experienced the nclex "monster" at its worst, get your momentum going, stop when needed, and never attempt to do things that have contributed to ur failures in the past. believe in yourselves and when it's the right time, you'll be much like me too ... always have wonderful success stories to tell
) just because i had to take advantage of the online resources i paid for. in the end, i finished the q&a book (didnt have time to use the cd), i answered the last 4 question trainers from kaplan, and i did only about 30% of the total qbank. in short, i wasnt able to take full advantage of it, but hey, it worked, didn't it? 
)
... always have wonderful success stories to tell 
USRN2Be
248 Posts
:ancong!: Im jealous!