Nclex is making me crazy

read this post: https://allnurses.com/nclex-discussion-forum/dont-get-put-557687.html

Good luck :)

I could NOT relax for the life of me for the whole 2 weeks before I tested...I did tons of Kaplan Q bank questions and scored mostly in the 60's. I am talking straight panic level anxiety and I too graduated in the top of my class. I tested today, ended in 75 questions and got the "good pop up." Keep on doing Kaplan, their stuff is very similar to NCLEX. You can do it, you just have to have confidence and believe in yourself!

Oh, let me add..Yes it is SCARY..You are going to see all kinds of procedures, meds and Dx that you have never heard of but fear not! You have to use your brain! You can critically think your way through anything they throw at you. Do not let it shake you.

thanks for responding!! I just wish there was a way for me to bring my panic level down to a more managable state. haha Cuz right now, I can barely function! Guess I'll just keep doing these questions and press on!

I was a nervous wreck up until the night before the test. My husband took me out on a nice date we came home and I decided not to study any more. The next morning we woke up and headed for the testing site 2 hours away. We got there a few hours before the test was scheduled I was so calm that it scared me how calm my nerves were. (I always woke up at the crack of dawn the morning of test went to starbucks and looked over my notes one more time!) I went and did the test had 75 question when I walked out I was scared because I thought it was hard. I did the pvt and got the good pop up. This Tuesday my name was on the bon! I did a lot of questions (ncsbn, kaplan, and a few nclex books and drug cards!)

first of all, CONGRATS!!!!!!!! when did you graduate? I think one of the reasons i'm so nervous is because I am one of the first people from my class to test. we graduated in May.

I also graduated in May, some of the people in our class tested the following week! My original date was the June 24th but I was freaking out and called to see when cancellation dates went threw and took the next available weekend date! I'm so glad its over now on to find a job :)

I graduated with honors and I had like a panic attack a few days before the test. Everybody gets nervous.... yes, even the people who are at the top of the class. It's NORMAL.

It sounds like you have a good test plan. I did 3,000 questions before I took the NCLEX. But remember, it's not just about doing the questions... it's READING THE RATIONALES (even from the ones you got right) that help make you learn from the questions. I had notebooks full of rationales, and I would look over them. And another thing, KNOW YOUR LAB VALUES.

And yes, you're not going to know everything. You are going to run into things you've never heard of. But remember, you have the critical thinking ability to get through the NCLEX. You can do it.

And actually, 2 weeks before the test, I really wanted to just get it over with. I felt confident (except the 1 panic attack right before the test). And right after I finished the NCLEX, I felt like I conquered it. I had so many hard questions (which means it's a good sign). And I passed. :)

thanks to both of you!! you're truly making me feel better!! I graduated with distinction as well, was number one in my nursing class...I also never had test anxiety in school. This is new to me, to feel this way. lol :) But you both truly made me feel better. I'll just keep doing these questions (and reading rationales---which I agree, that's how I'm learning!). The only actual "reading" that I'm doing is my Mosby drug cards cuz that's my weakest point. We didn't have a pharmacology class through Penn State Nursing school and I'm so weak on these tests in this area. Hopefully I won't get a lot of side effects ?'s!!

good luck and congrats!

what lab values is everyone really focusing on? any specific ones? or all?

I'm only studying the basics, like WBC, RBC, Na, K, platelets, BUN, Creatine,,,you know, just the basic ones. lol :)

Try not to let the test psych you out. If you have been studying hard and did well in school chances are it will be ok. I finished my nursing program near the top of my class in December and didn't graduate (and therefore couldn't take NCLEX -- long story) until May. My advisor kept reminding me of my smaller chances of passing on the first time because I had to wait so long to take it. Her telling me this got in my head and made me feel like I would surely fail. Because of that and a dream job on the line I have never been more nervous for anything!! Maybe it was good because it made me study like crazy. In the end I finished NCLEX with 75 questions and got the good pop up (official results tomorrow!).

Remember that you are going in to take another nursing exam. Maybe you won't know the answer to every question, but the topics will be familiar and answering NCLEX type questions will be familiar. You can do this!! Also, I stopped reading on this forum a couple days before my exam because it made me ever more nervous when I would see someone who was not successful. I think it helped to keep me thinking positive. Good luck and hang in there!