NCLEX/NCSBN Vent

Nursing Students NCLEX

Published

I'm very frustrated right now, and I need to vent before I explode!

I took my NCLEX last Thursday (February 4th) in Michigan. I'd been studying and studying Kaplan, Saunders, anything I could get my hands on for a solid month post-graduation. I hardly slept the night of the test, and arrived at the test center WAY too early (neurotic about timeliness!).

I started taking the test, and knew I was doing well - I had a boatload of higher level question types, and was always confident down to 2 answers. I'm a fast test taker - always have been, I do this out of anxiety as well as to prevent second guessing myself. That said, I finished the test in approximately 45-50 minutes.

I left the building actually feeling like 'I passed'! I was so excited, I called my mom (RN of 30 years) and told her I really feel like I did it, she was so happy she started to cry. Saturday couldn't come fast enough. In the mean time, I figured i'd try this Pearson Vue trick i'd heard about.

So I read on the forums here, followed the steps, and was surprised to get the popup stating, "test results on hold, new registration cannot be made at this time" - wait, there were only supposed to be 2 popups... Doing a quick forum search I found not many, but a few other posts with the same problem all with one item in common: test completed in less than 60 minutes.

Monday I call Pearson, only to be told 2 business days haven't passed, that Thursday, my test day didn't count. I was fuming, I knew better, I knew you could get your results on a weekend from the website. I decided to agonize through yet ANOTHER day of waiting to get to today.

Called Pearson Vue "we have no idea why your results are on hold, contact your BON" - I knew BON had nothing to do with it, but called them anyways, "I checked but we really don't have any information on a hold, nor do we really have anything to do with the exam short of giving you your liscense." Told to call Pearson Vue again, after a good 15 more minutes explaining that YES I looked online, and YES I called my BON, and NO I will not call the BON back again I was told to call the NCSBN.

And herein lies the root of my problems, the NCSBN. I was very polite, however the lady on the other end of the phone could care less if I was the Sultan of Arabia - she wanted to get off the phone asap. I was told, "It's on hold for random quality checks - for up to 3 business days" RANDOM?!?! Really? Seriously? It was random? At that moment I felt Pinocchio tap me on the shoulder and say, "You know she's full of you-know-what right?"

Why am I being punished for taking the test too fast? I operate well in a stressful environment, obviously a draw to this career field!!

I'm just physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted and needed to tell someone else. I want anyone who is NCLEX'ing soon to know that you should probably take at least 1 minute per question even if you're on a roll, even if you know your material, just wait it out so you don't have to suffer like I do :(

Wishing you good luck on your test results.

Specializes in critical care, PACU.

I completed it in less than 60 minutes and my test wasnt on hold. I have heard a similar story a few months back though about a girl who completed it fast and had her results held.

Good luck to you. Im sure you did well :)

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