My NCLEX story

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Hello everyone! I wanted to give a congrats to everyone that has passed the NCLEX and for the future first time test takers and retesters that will also pass the test! That is no easy feat and you deserve a pat on the back! ??

So what's my deal? I took my NCLEX RN for the first time this morning (September, 3rd) bright and early at 8am. My last day of school was August 12th so I am roughly 3 weeks out. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a morning person and I rather not be talked to until 9am so it's a wonder I managed to get through it. I stopped at 75 questions which let me just say: getting to question 75 is very daunting. It either means I did sooooo poorly that there is no way for me to redeem myself in the next 190 questions or they grilled me just well enough to let me pass. And why I say grill me, I mean hit me with every bit of material I didn't look at in my years of nursing school and weeks of studying. I swear there's a little NCLEX camera up there in the sky that had been following me around and knew that. ?. Anyways I finished in about 80 minutes and got in my car, blasted some music and wept softly to myself.

A few hours later a tried the trick. Now I know a few people are annoyed with the posts and honestly I was at one point but I feel like I have to tell you so we can at some point get a consensus on whether or not the new one works. I know it's impatient I get that but as along as people know the risks they are taking, then they should be able to sign the consent form. I HIGHLY recommend that if you do try the new trick, you should use a prepaid card with a few dollars on it or an old non expired card. I used an old non expired card, closed my eyes and got the good pop up. Even if it's wrong, I can go about the next few days with a decreased amount of anxiety. My BON in Maryland does participate in quick results so that's fantastic. However they do not post licenses any quicker than quick results and they will post your name regardless if you pass or fail, there just isn't a number next to it until a week later if you indeed pass.

So here's my magically elixir to pass or at least allegedly pass:

I took a deep breath in and out about every 20 questions to gather my thoughts and get some much needed oxygen to my brain. I prayed all throughout my exam and did a lot of internal self talk (sounds like nursing Dx interventions). It helped me keep control of my situation and rebelieve in myself. I did not do a review course simply because I was tight on money but if I had to recommend one, I would say take one that focuses on strategy then find a book or app to do a bunch of questions. I ran into a lot of content I didn't even know so this is very much a strategy test. Being able to eliminate answers and use the context of the question will allow you to pass the test. I used the Saunders Comprehensive, NCLEX 3500 RN which is free btw, I joined a Facebook group that every minute of the day people post questions and answers with rationales which btw also free and a very expensive iPhone app called the NCLEX Mastery (30 bucks!) that was by far worth the investment. I did about 100 questions a day and did not study the night before. I'm not going to learn anything new hours before the test.

My advice since I know everyone is just on the edge of their seats dying to know? Do a ton of SATA. I had at least 30. I feel like the more you do them, the more comfortable you feel going into an already increased anxiety ridden test. Even if you don't know the content, at least you are less likely to freak out when you see your 1000th SATA. I also recommend looking at rationales while you are studying and not just the content part of the rationales but the strategy part of the rationales. For example in the Saunders book they talk a pig eliminating answers not just because they are wrong but there are key words that make an answer wrong like ALL NEVER ANY and so on. Balancing content and strategy will go a long way on this test. Also KNOW YOUR GENERIC DRUGS. My school told me they were fading away to oblivion but I didn't think so soon and completely. None of my drug questions were obvious ones either like -lol or -sone.

In conclusion, I wanted to give my experience to help put some stuff in perspective because the rumors about this test are numerous and are enough to drive a future test taker mad. There is a great post that I think is 2 parts that break down the FACTS of the NCLEX to correlate to the official makers of the NCLEX. READ THAT! Even if the pop up is wrong and I don't end up passing at least you guys know what to look forward to and that it proves whether or not the new PVT is effective or a bunch of bologna.

Thanks for reading and I hope this helps even if it's just one person! I will update with my unofficial results the moment I get them and I stop sobbing in the corner or dancing in the streets!

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Thank you for your post! I wish you the best! I am retaker. I took my exam for the first time on july and I ran out of time on question 224. I am getting ready for my second try next week and I am so upset that we do not know for sure now if the new trick works. Please keep us post it! Try to relax and keep yourself distracted with some other activities after studying for all this time you deserve it!

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Specializes in Maternal Newborn.

Thank you for your post. My fingers are crossed for you, and hope you passed. I took NCLEX last week (and passed) and know how distressing it is to wait for your final result. Keep us posted!!

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Just an update....I passed! Good Luck to everyone testing!

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Congrats chilli1121! I just took mine and I am getting the good pop up :)

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I passed! i am so happy!!!

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