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!!!
I found that pacing myself really helped. I made myself re-read each question and all of the answers even when I knew the answer. Just in case. I also found it helpful to turn off the option to see your time and question number. I just sat there and worked everything out. Even the ones I felt were extremely hard, seemed a lot easier by doing this. Oh and congrats! I'm hoping to find my results out tomorrow. Got the good pop up today after I tested.
charnsuka, ADN
214 Posts
Congrats!!! :)