NCLEX is crap...

sorry you have not passed. please don't give up! i wish you all the best in your future endeavors... you will be a nurse!!! :heartbeat

and, i think you are correct in saying that the NCLEX content is somewhat based on luck. i had been working in GI and most of my boards was GI related. it was a complete and total blessing to see such familiar content. my fiance on the other hand, got almost all mother/baby questions, which was his least fave area.

I feel your pain (in advance...still gotta take my test) but somehow I just KNOW that my test will be comprised of ALL OB and Meds. LOL---my weak areas! Despite reviewing, some of this stuff just doesn't stick! LOL.

And of course there is luck involved. The test doesn't know YOU, it just decides to pop out certain questions at whim lol. But there are a certain percentage of each questions that they are supposed to pool from.

I am sorry you're having a hard time! I'm sure you have worked hard (who would subject themselves to nursing school if they didn't really want it lol?). What I'm hearing you saying is that you are a very good hands on nurse, but perhaps the academic part isn't where you excel? I'm quite the opposite (probably more like your classmates)...I am good at academics but I flounder with skills. I have come to realize that the best way for me to improve my skills is through muscle memory...the more I do them and get the hand motions down pat, the easier it gets. I realize this sounds simplistic though.

In your case (if it's a matter of not being a "good test taker" or you're having trouble with the academics, that's a harder fix. One thing that has helped me is each time I encounter a question or situation that isn't making sense to me, I look at the material and then the desired outcomes and ask myself "WHY" would this work? This way it isn't just a matter of memorization, it starts to click and comprehension becomes easier. Same thing with patho...WHY do you have X symptoms with X disease? If you get to the point where you understand the symptoms of a disease (or at least have a loose grasp on them), many times you can use logic to rule out the wrong answers.

Ruling out the wrong answers is just as valid as knowing what the right answer is test wise.

Try not to beat yourself up, we are all different. Different talents, different faults, different styles. Failing the NCLEX does NOT mean you are dumb! It simply means that the test didn't go your way that time around. Take it again. And again if needed. (I'll be trying to remember to give myself the same pep talk if I fail the first time).

I don't think the NCLEX is crap, but I imagine it definitely feels like it's crap! LOL. :heartbeat