My NCLEX Story

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I read this forum a lot during nursing school and while studying for the NCLEX and I have always wanted to share my story! I finished my ABSN program on March 14, 2014 and immediately started studying for the NCLEX. I got my ATT about 2 weeks after I finished school, my ATT came on a Sunday so it is possible! I had severe anxiety about scheduling my test but finally scheduled it for April 17th at 8am. I wanted to move my date so many times but I never actually did.

I used the virtual ATI program (VATI) for review and found it very helpful! At times it was overwhelming but overall I think it really helped. I would definitely recommend it. I also bought the NCBSN 3 week program and used it mostly for questions. I had purchased a Davis' Q & A book with CD a long time ago and honestly I barely used it because there was so much conflict with the ATI material.

I only had 75 questions on my test and I finished in about 45 minutes total including the tutorial. It is literally the worst feeling when that screen goes blue! I just wanted more questions! I have always taken tests quickly (it was kind of a running joke in school!) but taking such a huge test so fast was terrifying! I had tons of SATA, no dosage calc, 3 ordered response and tons of priority and delegation! After I left, I checked the PVT and got the good pop up but I was still a ball of stress waiting for the official results!

I officially found out that I passed on Saturday 4/19! I didn't pay for quick results because in Oklahoma they post your license pretty quick so i just logged on and searched my name! It is seriously the best feeling to see your license number pop up!

The best advice I can give to those studying or about to take the test is to be confident in what you know and thoroughly read the questions to determine exactly what it is asking! I tend to get in a hurry and pick an answer before I am completely sure what its asking and that can really hurt you on NCLEX. I worked really hard at reading questions and picking the best answer. I also really struggled with SATA but honestly the ones I had on my test were not nearly as bad the ones I had been answering! The NCLEX is a difficult exam but it is really not meant to fail you! If you read the questions and answers you can usually pick the right answer with little problem! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!

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Thank you so much for your story! I'll be taking my NCLEX in a little over a week. I have been using VATI for the past month. What were your scores? I'm taking my predictor very soon, probably tonight and I just want some input. My scores are as follows:

Initial Comprehensive: 82%

Fundamentals: 68.3%

Pharm: 73.3%

Med Surg: 66.7%

Maternal/Newborn: 70%

Care of Children: 60%

Mental Health: 75%

Leadership: 66.7%

Practice Predictor: 74%

Any advice would be appreciated! Congratulations on becoming an RN!!

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Thank you! I think your scores are really good! Here are mine:

Initial Comprehensive: 72.7%(95% chance of passing NCLEX)

Fundamentals: 60%

Pharm: 66.7%

Med Surg: 76.7%

Maternal/Newborn: 71.7%

Care of Children: 68.3%

Mental Health: 68.3%

Leadership: 63.3%

Practice Predictor: 75%

Predictor: 80% (99% chance of passing NCLEX)

Hopefully this helps someone! I felt like there wasn't a whole lot of discussion on here about VATI so I'll be more than happy to answer any questions! Good luck on your predictor!

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I know, and thank you so much! I've been searching for other people who has used VATI to no avail. Your scores make me feel so much better! If you had to compare questions from VATI and Nclex, would you say they are similar? I graduated my ADN program March 16th so I've been working on VATI for a while. I have my NCLEX scheduled on the 30th of this month, I didn't want to wait too long!

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Honestly I thought nclex questions (especially SATA) were way easier than ATI! We used ati all through school and I really feel like it prepared me well!

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Thank goodness because SATA on ATI is ridiculous! My school was different and used Hesi instead of ATI. My school offered the VATI free for those who wanted to use it after graduation. I thought having a review wouldn't hurt, so I decided to do it after I saw their pass rates. I think I've learned more from VATI than I have from any Hesi I had through school.

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I really picked ATI because I was familiar with their program and knew I wouldn't have to relearn a new set up...at times I was frustrated with waiting to hear from my coach but overall I really liked it! I was really horrible at ATI SATA but I honestly didn't feel like the NCLEX SATA were bad at all!

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My coach gets back to me at least once a day, but there have been days that she's sent me 3 or 4 messages throughout the day. I had to relearn formatting like you said going from Hesi to ATI, but I was prepared for that! I still can't believe you finished in 45 minutes! That's crazy!

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I definitely don't recommend it! ? I mean it worked for me but I can easily see how it would go south easily! It wasn't really surprising though I took the VATI 180 question predictor in about 1.5 hours! Haha!

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I can't take a test too fast or I totally don't read the whole question and I manage to miss a key word. I read the question twice, form an answer in my head (or at least try) and then look at the answers. Whatever one jumps out at me first is usually the one I end up picking. I took the practice predictor and it almost took me almost 3 hours. I'm guessing the real predictor will take about 4 hours for me. I'm always the last person to get done when it comes to testing, but I want to make sure I don't miss anything! Did you use PDA by LaCharity? I've been doing that as well.

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I think everyone tests completely different! I used to be really concerned that I took tests so fast but then I realized it worked for me and taking longer on tests doesn't! It doesn't really matter how fast or slow you take it as long as the end result is the same! I didn't use the PDA book but I've heard good things about it!

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PDA has done well for me, but at least I know you can pass without it! I know people who can test extremely fast like yourself and do really well. I just try to pace myself. I just want to thank you for sharing your story! I feel much more confident about NCLEX. I can't wait to be able to put RN next to my name! I'm sure it'll be an adjustment after years of hard work and determination. I'll be sure to write a story for others here on Allnurses to help others when I pass! Congrats again RN! :nurse:

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