My NCLEX Experiences: 2 exams and new PVT

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Greetings AN family,

I want to let you all know of my process and timeline during my NCLEX examinations to give whoever an idea what they might experience or expect. I graduated December 2013 from Southern CA.

Examination One:

Mailed application: December 1st, 2013

Cash cleared: December 26th, 2013

Received ATT: March 17, 2014

Test date: May 14, 2014

PVT: Went to credit card page...Yes, failed. :dead:

I solely used HURST review for my first time. I studied when I can up to 5 days a week, around 8 hours a day for 6 weeks. They are good for content. They simplified everything. They covered a lot but not everything. I went up to 235 questions. A few SATAs, pictures, drag and drop, math, meds...everything. I ran out of time. I rushed it thinking I needed to finish it. I didn't know that you can let the time run out and can still pass. That was my fault. So...read the NCSBN candidate bulletin so you can know what to expect. I needed to brush up on neurological disease/condition because HURST didn't cover that.

Examination Two:

Mailed re-application: May 27th, 2014

Cash cleared: June 30th, 2014

Received ATT: August 15th, 2014

Test date: September 16th, 2014

New PVT: Here's what I did regarding PVT. An hour after my exam, I entered a bunch of random numbers as my cc number and yes, it came back as invalid (obviously). :down: Later that evening, I used an expired card and changed the expiration date. It says my test was on hold and I can't register. It wasn't til the following day in the afternoon where I used that same card when I got the so called "good pop-up." "Our records indicate that you have recently scheduled this exam. Another registration cannot be made at this time." It is still saying that. Did I pass? NO IDEA.... Doubt it. PV is just that...a trick. I don't want to get my hopes up.

I used NCSBN, La Charity PDA, HURST contents for simplification, and the 35-page study guide floating around here. NCBSN covered more than HURST did but it's so tedious. I totally skipped the meds part. I only studied them as I read the rationals. A lot of the questions and rationals were helpful. I followed their study plan and typed out each rational for all the questions. After their review ended, I studied their rationals. I averaged anywhere around the 60s on the questions. They helped a lot with prioritization. La Charity was helpful with that also. I really suggest that book. However, it sometimes conflict with NCSBN. I'd go with NCSBN since they make the test, lol.

I stopped at 76 questions. It took me 2 hours. It asked for a break at the 75 mark but I just said nah... So after the 76th question, it turned blue. I'm like man... Really? I need more questions to pass!! Out of the 76 questions, 31 were SATA!!! :banghead: I was sooooo mad and upset cuz no nursing student like those questions. I knew it then that I failed since it shut off on me. There were also 7 drag and drops, 1 EKG, and the rest just multiple choices. No math. Those two tests were not same. They did say that. However this time, I got a lot of conference questions, all in SATA format. Really?? I wouldn't know what to pick for a conference!! What does that have to do with nursing care. I just winged that.

So, I'm just waiting for my results. Apparently, it's taking some CA applicants up to 3 weeks to receive their results. Preparing for the worse, praying for the best. I'll let you know if I passed or fail. :unsure:

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Specializes in ICU/CCU.

Congrats rn! What's conference question ?

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No congrats here yet... Simply put, a conference question would ask you (the nurse) what you would include for a conference regarding a disease/condition/intervention... All the options seemed right to me.

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Specializes in Maternal Newborn.

Congrats - it sounds to me like you passed! I had a few conference questions too, while most q's on NCLEX were easy-fair; then there were a few handful of q's that were "random" or "obscure". I left the test wondering if I passed because of the randomness of some q's... Overall, so glad I passed as NCLEX as I studied my tooshie off with 5-6 resources...

Keep us posted on your news. Go relax and chill a bit. :)

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Im pretty sure you passed so congrats! You received the new good pop-up plus it looks like you got above passing level questions. Keep us posted!

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@dandan4o9 and @yedwards42, I'll keep you posted. We might not know for another 3 weeks tho!:sour: But I would rather wait for good news instead of receiving immediate bad news. I don't want to tell anyone I passed yet until it's official. People asked me and I just told them that it was a tough one. I don't know what to expect. They wouldn't understand PVT, lol so I'll just wait.

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Do you feel the questions on NCLEX resemble NCSBN questions

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@2013rn2BScorpio, Honestly, NCSBN showed me why I shouldn't pick certain answers so I used that concept as I was selecting my answers for NCLEX. I don't think they mirror each other though. I walked out of there thinking, NCSBN taught me nothing! Lol... But since they helped me to select the right/important answers, it helped me with NCLEX.

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Hi What are the topics on your SATA questions?

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congrats! can i have some of tips to pass my nclex too, thank you very much!

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@cslusrn2014, my SATA topics included conferences (a handful), psych assessments, cardiac assessments/interventions, teaching, meds, IV therapy, different tubes and devices, I had a bit of everything, lol. Everything became a blur after the 20th SATA. I did change my answers a few times :notworthy:. Always know your labs! Mine were all within normal limits, I picked the one related to the question and that can kill the patient. A handful of infection control was on there and it wasn't simple. They were very particular with that. I had only one delegation question. Those are simple if you use LaCharity PDA. With SATA, using the T/F method is correct and I also asked myself if any of those answers were really important to apply. Take your time. Your mind can play tricks on you. Don't rush trying to finish, try to pass.

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Thank you soo much!!!!! It helped me a lot! & I'll take your advice :)

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