Why PVT is UNRELIABLE. Please read.

There was a time when you could just about bet on the results of the PVT being as close to accurate as could be for an unofficial "glitch". It was a fortune-telling kink in the software that allowed someone to determine, based on a the pop up message they got after putting in their credit card info, whether they had passed or failed. Nursing Students NCLEX Article

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Why PVT is UNRELIABLE. Please read.

People, this is NOT THE CASE ANYMORE.

Over the last few months, increasing numbers of people are finding that they get a pop up that indicates their card was attempted to be charged, and this has always indicated a 'fail'. Whether you use incorrect dates is IRRELEVANT; the software program is designed to attempt to charge your card because you AUTHORIZED it. There is a notification telling you it's a non-refundable charge prior to you submitting payment....and by golly, they are going to try.

If you put in invalid info, and get a message telling you that you should contact your bank, etc etc, it MIGHT mean you failed (because a second registration was now needed for another exam). It ALSO might mean you passed, but there you were, offering the money anyway.

If you put in valid info and it charges you, it won't matter if you passed, the money is completely non-refundable.

If you are unable to register again, no charge attempt is made, it's certainly a good indication of "pass". BUT....here's where it gets icky.....people seem absolutely unable to control themselves, and insist on doing the PVT over--and over--and over again.

What's wrong with that? Well, with increasing frequency, subsequent submissions of card info result in a charge attempt...so once again, you have NO CLUE as to whether you passed or failed. Maybe you passed on the first scoring....failed on the QA review? Maybe. Maybe you passed the review, but now you are flipping out over the newly-found "I FAILED" possibility. Seriously, is this at all worth the back-and-forth cluelessness that only results in MORE anxiety?

I can't see it, sorry, no way---no how.

PLEASE don't post "hey it works!" because if you got a message that matched your results, at this point I'd go with 'coincidence'. Enough people have put in valid info and gotten charged for tests they don't need to make me shake my head. But hey, if you want to keep donating your hard-earned money to Pearson Vue, well they sure are going to be happy you--and others like you--did! ;)

If you INSIST on doing the PVT in spite of all this, I'll leave you with this one nugget of reality, and you can go with it where you want: WAIT AT LEAST 24 hours ANYWAY, as you really do need to wait until the QA review is done (two sets of scores/reviews to your exam are done, sometime over a 24 hour period). If you can't stop yourself from "just seeing what happens", please remember this message if you find that your Happy Dance because you passed turns into an UNhappy cry because you didn't. Or, conversely, you are a mess because you failed....and it turns out you passed.

Some believe they are very smart in using a credit card with invalid info. It's true that this way you don't risk a $200 charge, but honestly....WHAT is the point when it tells you....nothing?

Please, people....you are supposed to be rational human beings ready to be granted a professional nursing license....don't lose your minds now, okay? ?

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

I just imagine some low-level IT guy whose job is to review how the program runs and make list of all possible glitches and bugs coming to his boss's office with very long printout and saying "gee, look here - all these people offer to pay money, $200 each... and they charge so few of them, why? Wanna fix it?"

- go man, get it done... good idea. Just make it under high protection files, and don'the tell that new girl of yours if she's really in nursing school.

Specializes in Telemetry.

I also really wish admin would close/lock some of the old PVT threads that are largely regarding the "old way".

BTW, I'm glad I didn't even realize there was a "trick" back when I tested.

Nurse Leigh said:
I also really wish admin would close/lock some of the old PVT threads that are largely regarding the "old way".

Indeed. People will oftentimes do a search for keywords, but pull up a very old thread that has obsolete information. I'd say it averages to about three or four times a week someone will post about the need to see a "Delivery Successful" message.....or about how they reached the credit card screen and stopped because that meant they failed.

Info on my own articles/threads is still spot-on regarding NCLEX (that hasn't changed!) but PVT certainly has.

Although I did not attempt the PVT myself, a few friends of mine did, but they were never prompted for CC info. PV would not allow them to go through with the first page of the registration. All of them ended up passing. I would certainly be leery about using any CC info. Doesn't sound right from the get go, which is why I just waited and paid a measly $7.95 for my Quick Results.

---who8mycookie, RN, BSN

Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.
who8mycookie said:
Although I did not attempt the PVT myself, a few friends of mine did, but they were never prompted for CC info. PV would not allow them to go through with the first page of the registration. All of them ended up passing. I would certainly be leery about using any CC info. Doesn't sound right from the get go, which is why I just waited and paid a measly $7.95 for my Quick Results.

---who8mycookie, RN, BSN

You are a smart cookie!

In my experience I used an invalid card on the credit card page and it knew it was invalid right there before even pressing submit. I was devastated thinking I had failed. I ended up waiting 24 hours after NCLEX and entered valid cc information and hit submit. I got the good popup and found out I passed paying for quick results the next day. I think their website is programmed to make everyone put in a valid cc before even submitting. It worked for my friend and I and this is as of this Monday, 6/1/15. We both had to enter VALID credit cards and hit submit, we both got the good popup, and we both passed.

Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
xobritney24 said:
In my experience I used an invalid card on the credit card page and it knew it was invalid right there before even pressing submit. I was devastated thinking I had failed. I ended up waiting 24 hours after NCLEX and entered valid cc information and hit submit. I got the good popup and found out I passed paying for quick results the next day. I think their website is programmed to make everyone put in a valid cc before even submitting. It worked for my friend and I and this is as of this Monday, 6/1/15. We both had to enter VALID credit cards and hit submit, we both got the good popup, and we both passed.

But it doesn't always work now. It's a flaw in the system, it's NOT a real trick. The website isn't "programmed" to make people put in valid credit card information to get the right PVT. When you do that you run the risk of paying $200. All it is programmed to is to get you to pay for your appointment to pay for the NCLEX. What would have happened if you tried the PVT again? Would you have gotten the 'good pop up' again? Or would you have gotten the 'bad pop up'? It seems, to me, that the PVT will jump between the two.

OrganizedChaos said:
But it doesn't always work now. It's a flaw in the system, it's NOT a real trick. The website isn't "programmed" to make people put in valid credit card information to get the right PVT. When you do that you run the risk of paying $200. All it is programmed to is to get you to pay for your appointment to pay for the NCLEX. What would have happened if you tried the PVT again? Would you have gotten the 'good pop up' again? Or would you have gotten the 'bad pop up'? It seems, to me, that the PVT will jump between the two.

I agree. It's a glitch. Every person in my cohort that recently tried it, had positive results and all passed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Since it's not an official way to get results, people should proceed with caution.

who8mycookie said:
Although I did not attempt the PVT myself, a few friends of mine did, but they were never prompted for CC info. PV would not allow them to go through with the first page of the registration. All of them ended up passing. I would certainly be leery about using any CC info. Doesn't sound right from the get go, which is why I just waited and paid a measly $7.95 for my Quick Results.

---who8mycookie, RN, BSN

In late August, 2014, PV changed its registration software program so that EVERYONE who attempted to register for another exam reached the credit card page. Prior to 8/14, reaching that page was an indication of 'fail'; NOT reaching that page before being told they couldn't register again indicated 'pass'.

Since that update occurred, everyone is directed to the CC page.....and only if they submit it will they get the 'good' or 'bad' message.

xobritney24 said:
... We both had to enter VALID credit cards and hit submit, we both got the good popup, and we both passed.

It's luck of the draw. When a person willingly submits a credit card payment to PV, they are authorizing the charge. If there is a valid CC number to use, the charge will go through, regardless of passing/failing status. That's my whole point: you cannot know when you put in invalid info if the error message is because a charge was needed (fail) or because it was simply charging you anyway (and you passed).

BAD plan, no matter how you slice it.

RNsRWe said:
In late August, 2014, PV changed its registration software program so that EVERYONE who attempted to register for another exam reached the credit card page. Prior to 8/14, reaching that page was an indication of 'fail'; NOT reaching that page before being told they couldn't register again indicated 'pass'.

Since that update occurred, everyone is directed to the CC page.....and only if they submit it will they get the 'good' or 'bad' message.

Well I can't be sure if the 7 people who told me they were not required to put in CC info were lying to me, but anything is possible? Either way, I didn't attempt it. Too risky for my taste.