:) :) i am so relieved!!! after a long year of school and many struggles... i finished lpn school mid april. i was very confident about the nclex up until my friends started to take it, and what they described was so horrible that i went into a freeze mode. i had scheduled the nclex for may 19 because i needed time to study but i was scared.... then i had a serious talk with myself and i decided that i was not going to be anxious or nervous.. everyone's experience is different so i moved the date for may 5.
i did nothing but study for 2 weeks straight - i did kaplan testing and i was scoring 50% to 55% - so i went to my local library and i got this book... kaplan "strategies to pass nclex pn" edition 2010.... i think that is the name of the book... it was very very helpful. it helped me understand what the question was really asking.
so i did nothing but kaplan and saunders.. questions and more questions and then i went back after each test and reviewed - why i got the question wrong, or why i got it right... to make sure i wasn't guessing. this kaplan book i got at the library helped go from scoring mids 50 or lower sometimes to highs 70% and sometimes higher -
the big day came and i personally made sure to schedule the test for the afternoon.. 1 pm - i didn't want to take it early in the morning because i wanted to sleep in - have a good breakfast ... i went for a walk with the dogs... the kids were off to school so it was just me.
i am big believer... i do believe in prayer and asked god to keep me calmed and give me the strength and knowledge to pass the exam. i went prepare for 205 questions... 5 hrs - to my surprise the computer shut off at 85 ... i was confident... yet a little scared because i found myself starring at the screen a couple of times not knowing what to answer but again... i just took a big deep breath and i kept going.
i live in va and thankfully we have an awesome system so 24 hrs later you can call the board of nursing, an automated system, you put your info, such as social and you are told if you passed, your license is active with all details - i called yesterday at 8 am .... still half asleep and after putting my social.. i hear... licensed active since may 6 2010... bla bla bla.... it was a beautiful wake up call... lol -
sorry for the long boring story but the main reason i wanted to share this is because if i can do it... so can you!!! i was born and raised in south america... came to the states with not a word in english. if anyone in my lpn class had to work a little harder, that was me, because i needed to translate about 1/2 of the material and i had no background whatsoever in nursing... i was not a cna or ma or anything.. i was a sales rep.
for those of you that are getting ready to take the nclex and feel scared or overwhelmed .... stop, breath deep, and tell yourself " i made it this far.. i made it through school... if i wasnt meant to be a nurse then i wouldn't here studying for the nclex" .... believe in yourself and do not let another person's nclex experience scare you....
11 including myself have taken the nclex so far and yet we have all passed the 1st time around .... some with 85 questions, some with 107 or more ....
don't over do it... make sure you know your labs, practice calculations, know your meds... with some many of them, which ones do i study for? simple... focus on meds for htn, tb, dm... review all the categories but i would focus a little more on the meds that are given the most....rewind your mind to clinicals and remember what are the meds that were most used...
and know infection control.... know infection control... know infection control.. (contact precautions, droplet, etc...) - and as you're taking practice test online... if you get a question about a certain disease and you dont remember.... go back to your notes from school or easier.. google it out and refresh you brain.
i hope this loooong note has helped some of you to relax a little bit and set your mind with a positive attitude...
if you have any questions, just reply back or send me a message... i'll be happy to help anyway i can..
lovinglife2009 .... to the fullest!!! :redbeathe:nurse::redbeathe
- have a good breakfast ... i went for a walk with the dogs... the kids were off to school so it was just me. 
.... some with 85 questions, some with 107 or more .... 
simple... focus on meds for htn, tb, dm... review all the categories but i would focus a little more on the meds that are given the most....rewind your mind to clinicals and remember what are the meds that were most used...