Is it really THAT bad?

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I just graduated nursing school and I just have to ask is the NCLEX THAT bad!? I think my first mistake was reading various post on this forum about people who have failed the NCLEX several times and the questions are unlike anything you have seen in nursing school. My program has a very high passing rate and what I thought to be just like NCLEX question according to the instructors. Are there schools who do not ask hard critical thinking NCLEX style questions for EVERY single question on a test?

I have been preparing since May 15th for my boards and took ATI throughout the course of my program.I have scheduled my test for June 7th. I have spent 5-8 hours a day preparing. I have focused on Kaplan Q trainers & book, Lacharity, & NCSBN.org study materials. I have done well over 4000 questions. When I came across a disease process I didnt know I would look it up and type notes to review at the end of the day. Kaplan & Lacharity are more like the questions I had in college; though honestly the ones in college were a bit tougher at times! I cant be alone when I say the more I study the less I know. I feel like its impossible to be totally prepared for this. My anxiety is SKY HIGH right now from all the talk Ive heard about this test! Im a horrible test taker in general, but having my dream job and livelihood of my family on the line I am freaking out.

Someone pleaseee throw at me some positive comments. Is the NCLEX really THAT different that school? Are you ever truly PREPARED for this? What study material is most like NCLEX? Any tips for a gal who can get it down to two choices and one is always right, its just sometimes I dont pick the right one? I just need some positive feedback and just curious what others taking KAPLAN and ATI scored on their testing and still passed the 1st go round. Thanks in advance guys! Im not usually a wreck like this but I worked SO hard raising 3 young kids pretty much alone because my husband worked 4 jobs all during nursing school, and Im just ready for this chapter to CLOSE! :nurse:

*Excuse any spelling mistakes Im too tired to go back and reread my rant! :)

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Specializes in "Wound care - geriatric care.
I just graduated nursing school and I just have to ask is the NCLEX THAT bad!? I think my first mistake was reading various post on this forum about people who have failed the NCLEX several times and the questions are unlike anything you have seen in nursing school. My program has a very high passing rate and what I thought to be just like NCLEX question according to the instructors. Are there schools who do not ask hard critical thinking NCLEX style questions for EVERY single question on a test?

I have been preparing since May 15th for my boards and took ATI throughout the course of my program.I have scheduled my test for June 7th. I have spent 5-8 hours a day preparing. I have focused on Kaplan Q trainers & book, Lacharity, & NCSBN.org study materials. I have done well over 4000 questions. When I came across a disease process I didnt know I would look it up and type notes to review at the end of the day. Kaplan & Lacharity are more like the questions I had in college; though honestly the ones in college were a bit tougher at times! I cant be alone when I say the more I study the less I know. I feel like its impossible to be totally prepared for this. My anxiety is SKY HIGH right now from all the talk Ive heard about this test! Im a horrible test taker in general, but having my dream job and livelihood of my family on the line I am freaking out.

Someone pleaseee throw at me some positive comments. Is the NCLEX really THAT different that school? Are you ever truly PREPARED for this? What study material is most like NCLEX? Any tips for a gal who can get it down to two choices and one is always right, its just sometimes I dont pick the right one? I just need some positive feedback and just curious what others taking KAPLAN and ATI scored on their testing and still passed the 1st go round. Thanks in advance guys! Im not usually a wreck like this but I worked SO hard raising 3 young kids pretty much alone because my husband worked 4 jobs all during nursing school, and Im just ready for this chapter to CLOSE! :nurse:

*Excuse any spelling mistakes Im too tired to go back and reread my rant! :)

This post is for those who are struggling and have taken the test more than twice but not a bad idea for those taking the test for the first time. I am passing on what I learned about this test and the changes I did to pass. The NCLEX is a passable test and perhaps not even as hard as most people think. I like to point out aspects which are not well explained or easy to miss. Many people are so smart and have studied so hard but have failed, so there must be something else they are missing, so read this post very carefully and you might find the key to set yourself free. In the NCLEX world there are two huge components: knowledge and how you apply that knowledge quickly. Another major component is how to take the test. I think that for those who are struggling is very important to start re-thinking the test in a brand new way; to understand what is being asked of you and realize that what you have been trained to do during your school years with traditional tests are basically useless. There are a few items I like to go in detail and it might be helpful to understand them well. It might set you free from the deceptions and traps of the NCLEX. If you are trying really hard and still not passing, it's time to do a whole evaluation and change the way you think about the test.

1)TIMING: as they say, timing is everything. This might be one of the most misunderstood components of the NCLEX. The bottom line is: you only have one minute or so to answer each question. All the knowledge you acquire for this test is useless unless you can answer the questions that fast. I am not sure about this but I now believe there is an algorithm which measures the time you use for each question crediting or discrediting you. The NCLEX really likes when you go fast. And that makes sense for nursing where emergency situations come up and you know little about them and only have a minute or so to make a decision. So when they say "don't over think", is more like you don't have the time to - "over think". Have you ever noticed how some questions keep coming back? Even though you might have answered them correctly but took too long, they (the NCLEX brain) are not sure that you really know it well or just guessed. So if the questions keep coming back two things can happen: you get too tired which is not good because your performance suffers or, run out of time which is another problem that can cause you to fail. They want you to look at the question, read it carefully, make a decision select, and move on. You must have the ability to answer the questions like you playing ping-pong game and be able to play a long game and not get tired. I know it sound a little fuzzy and crazy but you have nothing to lose at this point do you? Another timing issue is how long you delay to re take the test. Don't. You are never ready for it; put that in your mind. If you take too long between the tests you get cold, so use your failure as a practicing match and go take it again while you still hot. So go to PearsonVue website and schedule that test right now and go face the beast!

2)YOUR KNOWLEDGE: of course the more you know about nursing the better, but not really. All you have to have is "NCLEX type knowledge" and that you can get by using the so many books available and listed by other posts in this site, Kaplan book/course, is a good source of that as well. Here's an example of NCLEX type knowledge: when they ask about chest tube, they might want to know a, b, or c (about chest tubes) and usually it does not stray too far from a certain number of options: know these options by heart. These are the building blocks NCLEX is made of and you must know it well enough to retrieve it from you mind on a heart-beat. The more you have these building blocks in your mind the better because it will help you to answer fast and correctly without thinking too much. So the way to look at knowledge is not in the traditional way of really knowing it but using your NCLEX knowledge to play the NCLEX game.

3)STUDY TIME: don't drive yourself crazy. I would practice 60 questions in one hour. Buy a timer and keep the pace, don't ever take more than one hour. If you are getting above 65% in one hour you looking good but try to get higher. One day per week go all the way to 265 (ouch!) because most likely this is what your test will be like! So in essence you are building up endurance within that kind of knowledge rather than becoming a nursing genius. Have fun with it, if you drive yourself to pain you will also learn pain so when you get to the test that's what you will remember.

4)THE TEST: it's important to know about this test and its components. One fact I think is interesting is that the NCLEX will test everyone differently. The NCLEX has two ways to make a decision about you: (1) you will pass or fail with an "X" number of questions, so if you are really good you can pass as little as 75 questions and if you are doing really bad you will fail with 75 questions. (2) but at a certain the computer makes a decision, it can't figure you out, you have missed a bunch of questions but you've also hit some important ones, so it decides that you need to be tested in the whole gamut of questions, so you are going all the way to 265 baby (ouch again). However remember, if you are not consistent and begin to do poorly because you are tired you can fail too and not go all the way, or go all the way and fail too. So you must stay in the game and perform consistently. If you are struggling forget about that magical "oh a passed with 75 questions", be prepared to go all the way and most importantly be consistent throughout the entire range and that's why is so important to train yourself to endure long periods of time answering these type questions. The NCLEX will be really impressed with your consistency and you will be credited for that. Remember, the NCLEX is not about getting questions right and building up points like in regular tests, the NCLEX is testing how you perform under stressful situations and in certain ways your ability to improvise. I believe the algorithm of the computer program is very sophisticated and can measure everything you do.

5)TAKING THE TEST: you must understand what is critical thinking. Some people are there already, but if you are not for whatever reason you should begin to pay close attention to "what is to critically think". You must focus on that question in a way you never did before, you must zero in to that question only and not stray one bit from it. I developed this way of thinking in which I would imagine myself there, at the hospital with a real situation at hand and then think "what would I do here...for real" and make that decision in terms of what would I do in order to be the safest. When you take the test you must be confident in your intuition. Another way to interpret when people say: "don't over-think" is that your mind goes into this overdrive mode where decisions are made quickly and without thinking but they are the correct ones. It's like playing a video game where you only have a split second to make decisions but as the rhythm speeds up your mind speeds up and you actually make better decisions than if you think it over. This is the kind of mind set you have to have when you take this test. In my opinion this is exactly what they are trying to test: your ability to quickly decide emergency situations. How many of those did you get right?

6)PLAY TETRIS: and here's why, Tetris is one of the first video games made for computers and in my opinion it simulates several of the brain functions required in for the NCLEX. It will help you with the brain stamina you need to endure all the 265 questions without lowering your performance. You have to make quick decisions in shorter and shorter amounts of time. It forces your brain to critically think faster and faster as the geometrical shapes fall down and you have to figure out where they fit. I was amazed to find out how much I improved as I started to play. If you don't believe this is helpful, just play for fun and it will your mind from the study.

7)PRAY FOR ST. JUDE THE PATRON OF THE IMPOSSIBLE CAUSES AND THE BEST LUCK TO YOU.

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Some people breeze through it, but they are in the minority to hear people talk about it. Definitely an experience you want behind you and one you don't want to repeat.

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Thanks everyone! The day is quickly approaching and Im a ball of nerves. I am spending the next two days focusing on Infection Control and Meds. All there is left to do is PRAY PRAY PRAY! God got me this far and provided me with my dream job right out of school in Cardiac Critical Care, he will get me through this! Isnt it amazing how we can put so much faith in others, but when it comes time to trust ourselves we fall short.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own

understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He

shall direct your paths.

- Proverbs 3:5,6

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My school had 100% 1st time pass rate last year. We had a lot of people complete it in the minimum number of questions, too. Was it hard? I say yes...the questions weren't really harder but I would say it was "harder" than nursing school tests is because you have no clue what material could pop up. At least in school, you knew the general topics that would be covered on each test.

It sounds like you have done a great job planning your studying and reviewing material that you missed. I prepared in much the same way and did fine on the NCLEX. Did I walk out feeling confident? Not necessarily, so don't freak out if you don't feel great about it afterward.

Best of luck keeping your nerves under control on your big day and good luck with your new job!!!

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Thanks L8RRN! Our school has had in the high 90s to 100s for the past 10 years. The gals who have passed were struggling students in our program. They said the questions were written close to if not easier than our regular test. Several of them didnt even review, they took NCLEX 1 1/2 weeks after graduating and had 75 questions and it stopped. That is encouraging and I just learned this today. I think the problem with this test is people fill you with fear and believe it or not that does A LOT to the psyche. I think scanning the forums was a BIG mistake. Reading about people that have failed several times made me discouraged. My heart goes out to them and I cant imagine how horrible it must feel. Ive studied and put the time in and God will honor that. I went into nursing because I almost lost my son to a heart condition, and set out wanting nothing more than to be a cardiac nurse. I interviewed in front of a panel of 5 Nurse Managers and was later pursued by a manager that wasn't even part of the interviewing process. I got a call two days later offering me a job in Cardiac Critical Care, and I didnt even apply for it! I cant help but think that was Gods work. After all I was picked out of a pull of 500 plus applicants and only 12 hired for various positions. I keep telling myself God has already laid out my path and this too shall pass! Keep me in your thoughts!! Ill post the final results!:nurse:

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I also wonder if this board (which I'll keep reading, btw) is skewed a little as well. When people pass, they seem to generally say, "I passed!", then move on. When they don't pass, however, they stick around, and post often. So perhaps the population on the board leans more toward not passing for that reason.

I still love it, and I'll stick around, and I'll study my butt off for NCLEX, but perhaps we need to be less pessimistic out of the gate. Just two cents...

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Momof3WannabeRN,

You know in my home state there is close to a 90 percent past rate every year. I keep telling myself that and hope that I will be part of that 90 %. (This year 92 % so far) My heart still hurts for all those who do not do well on this exam! I just know that my program didnt cut us ANY slack and our test were very challenging. I know one things for sure once I past this test I dont even want to discuss NCLEX at all; I wont be back on the NCLEX forum! HAHA Best wishes to you! Stay away from the I failed replys, I AM! :) Positive Vibes until post June 7th! :)

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You school seem to prepare you really well. God is good you will pass. I know that after you pass you probably wont be on this site again,lol but just give us one post letting us know you passed!

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almostPedsNurse...

I love this site, I will always visit it! I just would be content to never here NCLEX again! I hope I never have to take it again!! :) Ill be sure to post!

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I have yet to take mine as well. I graduated May 8th and my school is kinda slow...but we should get our ATT in the next couple of weeks they said. We have a high 90% pass rate except one year it randomly dropped into the 80's...but then bounced back to 97%. A majority of the people who graduated last semester got 75 questions and told me it wasn't bad at all...some made C's, repeated a course, and what not. Only 3 people of the 70 got more than 75 questions, none of them failed. Some say it's easier than school was, some say it wasn't. I asked one girl if she could compare it to our program and she admitted "I don't remember much from school"(AND SHE JUST GRADUATED 6 months ago and took the test in MARCH). Kind of annoying about how some people are...but I think it depends on how your program prepares you. I know some schools don't even teach pharm, some still take paper and pencil tests and have no select all that apply questions on their tests...we would average 7-8 SATA on our 50 question tests on the computer, which might not be a lot to some, or might be a huge number to others.

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I had several friends from school today call me tonight that took the test today and they all passed according to the "pearson trick". They said the test is very straight forward, no tricks. Our program sounds a lot like yours. We had a lot of SATA questions and our questions were always very tricky! You had to really think through most. It will be what it will be. Im starting to feel a lot better about it. Im scoring in the 70s and 80s now in my qtrainer and NCSBN test. I can tell that my studying the actual content has paid off. I would advice you to answer a ton of questions and when you get them wrong really investigate why and learn more about that disease process. I think the disease concept is very important! Best wishes and I will be posting my results when I get them. Monday Ill post the results of the "pearson trick". I hope you get your ATT soon! :)

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