Anyone take NCLEX before graduating?

RazorbackRN, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2006

Did anyone take the NCLEX before they had completely finished with school? I took mine this week and still have about a week of preceptorship remaining. I was just wondering what most people do?

Never heard of anyone doing that. In my state that is not legal. You have to have graduated from your program before you are even eligible to apply for boards.

kamaylaundra · Jun 7, 2006

We couldn't take boards before we graduated. We finished all of our precepting before graduating. We had to wait for our nursing director to send our letter of graduation to the state before we could take boards. I ended up taking my boards yesterday and passed! I'm happy!

Angela

lisamc1RN, LPN · Jun 7, 2006

How does that work? I thought that the school has to send the Board of Nursing verification that you have completed your nursing program in order to test?

mariedoreen · Jun 7, 2006

The school sends in a list of expected graduates. They are allowed to do this up to six weeks prior to graduation. You apply and pay and get your ATT and can test, BUT the state will not issue your license until they receive final transcripts from your school saying that you did indeed graduate. So even though I passed this week, I won't receive my RN from the state for about 2-3 (until they get my final transcripts). So anyway I guess testing in the final weeks of school is not all that common...

1rn2b · Jun 9, 2006

In Tennessee I am pretty sure we have to wait until Nashville makes us eligble which wouldn't be until our school sent our transcripts with our degree listed. I have never heard of that before. Did you pass?

smilin_gp · Jun 9, 2006

I also received my ATT before graduating, though didn't test until afterwards.

mitchsmom · Jun 9, 2006

I don't know anyone who tested before grad here in FL... not sure what the official state rule is but our program didn't send anything to the state until the university verified graduation status. As a matter of fact, it took like a month!

mariedoreen · Jun 14, 2006

In Tennessee I am pretty sure we have to wait until Nashville makes us eligble which wouldn't be until our school sent our transcripts with our degree listed. I have never heard of that before. Did you pass?

I did pass. I'd been studying for it since September answering about 50 NCLEX questions a day and then had done an on-line NCLEX review class, so I felt like I was ready to take it.

We were already done with all the lecture portion of our class, including all exams and the HESI. All I had left were 5 shifts with my preceptor.