NCLEX Fail in 75 questions

jglover4168 · Jun 26, 2014

Did you do anything else to study?

iamnieva · Jun 26, 2014

hi emmich. You are not the only one who failed with 75 questions. The first time I took my NCLEX I also failed with 75 q's. I know for sure I bombed it. I cried for one day and I rest for a week before studying again. I used Saunders 6th ed. After 2 months I took the test for the second time, computer shut off at 75 q's again. After 48 hours I found out I passed. You can do it too. :)

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jun 26, 2014

Can't answer what kind of review course is best for you without knowing what your weaknesses are. Is there a knowledge deficit, so actual teaching....? Strategizing difficult for you....? Prioritizing? What?

Every review course is great, every one is awful. People pass with all of them, and fail with all of them. They are, however, differing in structure and content. What do YOU need help with?

As far as the SATA goes, they are NOT "higher level" questions. They are questions, a different format than the multiple choice and drag/drop. They mean NOTHING in terms of deciding how you are doing. You could have lots or none. Can't say this enough, as students love to read far too much into the format of the questions. That misses the point.

Unfortunately, having 75 questions and failing means you really weren't doing well at all. At any point. I'm not saying that to hurt your feelings, but I am being truthful: you were never near passing that exam.

So why am I saying it? Because you desperately need to figure out what went wrong, if you were misreading questions or not understanding content or WHAT, because without knowing that, no review course is going to help you. You need to understand what you need from the next round of studying.

Make sense?

emmich · Jun 26, 2014

thanks for the feedback!

I should have mentioned that to study I also used Saunders (book and cd) as well as NCLEX 4000 for questions. I would study one to two Hurst sections per day and then do 100 practice questions on either Sauders or NCLEX 4000 with reading/making sure I understood the rationales.

I do keep replaying over in my head what went wrong on the test day? Did I go too fast, did I not read the questions well enough, yada yada. I am eager to get the CPR in the mail with a further breakdown of areas that I did poorly in and then can better base my studying off those results.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jun 27, 2014

thanks for the feedback!
I should have mentioned that to study I also used Saunders (book and cd) as well as NCLEX 4000 for questions. I would study one to two Hurst sections per day and then do 100 practice questions on either Sauders or NCLEX 4000 with reading/making sure I understood the rationales.
I do keep replaying over in my head what went wrong on the test day? Did I go too fast, did I not read the questions well enough, yada yada. I am eager to get the CPR in the mail with a further breakdown of areas that I did poorly in and then can better base my studying off those results.

The bolded portions are what I'm trying to get at for you: it was not something that went wrong "on test day". It was something that went wrong during your studying process. You keep going back to what you used to study.....I'm trying to get you to see it doesn't matter.

Once you get the report that explains your weak areas, THAT will give you what you need to know to bone up before the re-take. ALL your future studying will come off of those results....not whether it's this program or that one, or even how many questions you did (although, I tend to believe more practice=more positive outcomes).

If you really just read things too fast, well, that's something you can fix pretty easily. If your test report shows you were below standard in areas you didn't expect....that's something you can get your teeth into and fix, too! :)

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Jun 27, 2014

Sorry to hear that you failed at 75. Like the PP above, that just means that you were consistently below standard enough that it didn't need to go further. Wait for the CPR so that you can better tailor the studying to what you need and make sure that you breathe and slow down and ask yourself exactly what the question is asking you. The NCLEX isn't easy, and it's not meant to be... it was easily the most difficult exam I've ever taken because it found my limits, just as it found yours.

You're not the first person to fail at 75 and you won't be the last... what you do from here on out can definitely affect whether you pass next time or not! As long as you got through Nursing School, you have the the knowledge within you somewhere to do it! Take in the CPR, learn from it, and pass it next time!

Good luck!

hanoi98 · Jun 27, 2014

Please get the Priority book from LACHARITY, and understand the questions in and out. I just took mine today, shut off at 80 and good pop up. Anxiously waiting for the official result. Study that book and you will pass.

ebowie · Jun 27, 2014

I agree with the above post. I purchased PDA by Lacharity and passed the first time with 75 questions . This book is awesome , you have prepped for NCLEX all through school, the concept doesn't change diabetes is diabetes however it's the test structured that have changed. Please don't allow yourself to get caught up with multiple resources choose min of three and utilize each differently ex: I primary used Saunders for test taking strategies , PDA to learn how to prioritize and delegate and who is appropriate for assignments. I used ATI for concept review only by doing questions reading all rationales and taking notes on content that I felt weak. I made sure I knew all core labs. I hope this helps I find that most of the resources are providing you with same information it's just what you like best. Good Luck on you Future as a RN you can do it!! Believe and stay positive write your name with Rn , think of nice place when feeling anxious. You got this!

rainbowl · Jun 27, 2014

hi emmich. You are not the only one who failed with 75 questions. The first time I took my NCLEX I also failed with 75 q's. I know for sure I bombed it. I cried for one day and I rest for a week before studying again. I used Saunders 6th ed. After 2 months I took the test for the second time, computer shut off at 75 q's again. After 48 hours I found out I passed. You can do it too. :)

Hi. What are your review materials? I failed at 75 qs for the first time last May 8.. now im going to take my exama gain on July 18. Pls pray for me..

gonerunning88 · Jun 27, 2014

Take some time off studying. Then you are at a clear mind, start looking at your weak spots. Anyone can memorize content from Hurst, Kaplan, Saunders, etc. if you spend hours reviewing the material. However for NCLEX you gotta be able to use the content the computer throws at you and know how to prioritize it. I sat through all 265 questions all I remember is that I kept getting "priority" "most important" "attend first" type of questions.

Good Luck and don't give up!

CCRN14 · Jun 27, 2014

As already stated, it really dosent matter what publisher you chose to go with to study if you don't know the why behind why you failed. Did you misread questions. Did you not understand content to apply the questions. Do you not know how to apply well enough.

You can read books all day long but it won't matter if you can't pick out the topic and decide what the question wants. It might be a priority or a first. Big difference in the answer.

Look up the Kaplan decision tree and how to use it. That might help you tackle test questions and how to apply the rational behind how to answer them.

Goodluck!