NCLEX 2020 - 75 questions...thought I failed but I PASSED!!

After reading post after post on here about the NCLEX I promised myself that after I took the test I would post my experience and help out some other future nurses!!

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NCLEX 2020 - 75 questions...thought I failed but I PASSED!!

So here it is...

I graduated nursing school December 1st 2019 and took my test February 24th 2020. I didn't really start studying until January 27th after I got back from visiting my sister in BC. I used you-world and did about 1700 of the questions averaging 50's-60's on most of the tests and scored 66% on my assessment test (meaning very high change of passing the NCLEX).

In addition, I read the Saunder's book front to back and took notes on every chapter (in total about 200 pages of notes!!) and then studied from the notes and referenced the book when needed. you-world was very helpful in understanding how to answer the questions but I would say that the questions on the NCLEX were more vague and there was definitely no one obvious answer like in you-world. One big tip I'd say about you-world is to not only understand the disease processes etc. but to use it as a tool to identify how the test makers like their questions answered and the rationale they used behind picking answers. There is NO possible way to know everything so the MOST important thing is to trust yourself and build up a knowledge base on how to answer the questions! I took you-world questions until I instinctively knew the answers and could trust myself.

Another tip for studying is to watch videos online. Every time I couldn't understand something like acute respiratory failure or Kawasaki's disease I would watch a quick video (or a long one like RegisteredNurseRN - bless her!) and it would really cement the information. It's also important to note that though the NCLEX doesn't directly ask questions about pathophysiology, understanding it is pertinent to being able to answer in depth questions and remembering signs and symptoms!

I studied maybe 3-4 hours a day for 4 weeks and did 200-300 you-world questions whenever I had time.

OK now for the test...

Even going into the test I was like...yeah I might fail this. I'm not a confident test taker and I wasn't sure if I'd studied enough but I needed to take it then because I could possibly start working March 2nd. My test was at 8am and I had a horrible headache all night from stress but I just told myself to get it over with and it would be done soon.

I got to the test centre and all I felt was dread that I was possibly making a mistake. I had been reading posts online for days about smart students who had failed in 75 questions and I was terrified and totally in my head. 30 minutes later and I was sitting at the computer shaking and almost having a panic attack. I was able to calm myself enough to get through the tutorial and then the test started and...even the first question threw me! The whole test threw me! I felt as if the instinct and trust in myself I had garnered while taking the you-world tests had just blown away! Half-way through the test I thought I had failed and I was ready for it to shut off at 75 because I had bombed it...and it did! Everyone else from my time slot (about 12 people) where still there (I finished in an hour and a half). I got maybe 7 SATA questions, no delegation, 2 math questions, 2 sorting questions and three medication questions on the SAME med which of course I didn't know! The worst was that I felt like I should've know the answers because the questions weren't that hard but I didn't.

I was in a daze leaving the test centre. I drove to a nearby church parking lot and immediately looked up "less than 10 SATA questions, 75 questions, pass or fail?". After reading that it was possible to pass I drove home and couldn't believe what had just happened. As soon as my boyfriend got home it just hit me and I couldn't stop sobbing, telling him that I'd let him down and everyone was going to be disappointed in me and they expected better. Fortunately 24 hours (and a lot of crying) later I found out I passed!!

My advice for everyone out there is to not overthink the test because you can not accurately say what a hard or easy question is! To get into nursing you have to be smart and to finish nursing school you have to be smart and motivated so trust yourself! Most people feel that they failed afterwards because they are not used to getting so many questions wrong. It is all perspective and of course we jump to the worst conclusion. It's hard but until you know your result try not to stress. Even if you did fail in 75 or 130 or 265 questions you are smart and capable and you will do this! Everything happens for a reason and failing is only going to teach you valuable lessons about yourself and make you stronger! Reality is the only person that is really going to care if you take it once or a million times is you!

If I can pass the NCLEX then you can too! Remember that passing one test does not make you or break you! Good luck to all the future nurses out there!!

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Lexi101

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Reading this reminds me of how I would / still sometimes react before an exam. Maybe one day I will be more confident in my test taking skills because it really it such a terrible feeling. Although I have a year left in nursing school, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Random fact, my birthday was on 2.24 & I had my first peds exam(didn't do great on it- out of all the exams I have taken so far, that was by far the lowest score). Fast forward to today, it encourage me to read your post & Of course, my test does to compare to an NCLEX exam. Happy for you, celebrating your accomplishment & rooting for you. Best of luck on your future endeavors, and again, congratulations on passing the NCLEX!

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I was the exact same way. ? I did the Hurst live review with our classmates, then did the entire UWorld test bank. I did 100-150 questions a day, and really studied. I did good in school, and most people didn't study, but I felt like my anxiety needed to be tamed with the studying. LOL! Mine stopped at 75, and I had already started crying by the time I walked out. I just knew I failed. I cried at home all night. My poor husband tried to tell me I was fine, but I just kept thinking I failed in 75 questions. The next morning, around 7:30 am...he came leaping into the bed, the biggest smile on his face, and he told me I was an RN. He pulled out his phone, showed me the board of nursing site in VA, and there my name was. I have never been so happy, and emotional... It was the best feeling in the world. Congratulations!!

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