NCLEX-RN Failed at 76, passed at 100

[whywait]

Hello All,

I just wanted to share my journey with the NCLEX and possibly provide some tips that may help others.

PVT

The PVT trick does work. At the end of both tests I ran out to the car and tried the PVT, I did not wait 1 hour to try it nor for the confirmation email. For the first test my card was declined which meant I failed. The second test I got the good popup.

Wait Period after Failing

What I have learned is if you need to retake your test, you have to be proactive in getting the board to move your application along after the 45 day wait period in between tests.

If you do not be proactive your retake application will be processed based on when you filed it. Which could be 10-12 weeks in California from the date of your retake application.

BRN Contact

Mind you before I took the steps below, I have been in contact with the BRN from the day I failed the test all the way up till the 45th day. In each of my contact with the BRN I was told I will have to wait 10-12 weeks before my application can be reviewed. The 45 day waiting period is NCSBN rule.

If there is absolute certainty you have failed the NCLEX then I suggest you resubmit your application ASAP in case none of these tips below help you.

There is a few things you can do be proactive in your application. (I have found these tips on this forum on various blogs, this is my attempt at compiling these tips to one blog)

1. Email your State Assembly Member

-They can help you find out what is going on with your application and help possibly get a better response from the BRN

2. Email your Governor

-They can help forward your concern to the Department of Consumer Affairs to reach the Board of Registered Nursing.

3. File complaint to Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)

-The CA-BRN is under the DCA. Therefore, when you file a complaint to the DCA against the BRN they will address the issue.

I may have went over board; however, my job offer was on the line. The first to contact me was the DCA and got my application approved on the 48th day. The second was the Governors office stating my concern was forwarded to the DCA. The assembly man was able to provide me the same information the BRN gave me over the phone. In all my letters I gave them a reason as to why I needed my application to be processed and my application was no different then my initial application (I had a pending job offer and would be rescinded if I did not have a testing date).

I truly believe if I was not proactive I would have been waiting for examination in May.

NCLEX Failed

I only used UWORLD for the first test. I believed I failed because I did not review the concepts I was weak in and studied in tutor mode for 90% of the test. I tried to use nontutor towards the end of UWORLD and I felt anxious about not seeing the answers right after each question; which, I believe had an impact on increasing anxiety during test because it was a habit that I could not access. I also did not turn on the timer and sometimes I would not finish a 75 question exam in one sitting. I did not sleep well the night before only 3 hours at most. The exam was at 8 a.m

Prep for Second NCLEX

One of the biggest hurdle to prepare for the second test was accepting my failure and getting back on my feet (took about 2-3 weeks).

I renewed my subscription to UWORLD, used Priority, Delegation and Assignment by LaCharity (recommended by many others), reviewed areas I was weak on with my initial subscription to UWORLD. I turned on timer and tutor mode off to best simulate the NCLEX (I truly believed this was one of the biggest factor in reducing anxiety because you won't be surprised mentally during the NCLEX exam about format). I did all 2050 questions, 75 questions and one chapter of Lacharity per day. I reviewed each question and answer choices, I did not write down any additional notes except for lab values. Took me between 4-5 hours to answer questions and review per day for 4-6 days per week for about 4 weeks. I also learned to slow down my reading and reread each question 2-3 times before answering.

Exam Day Prep

Scheduled exam for 2 pm. Get a good nights rest (for me I was so anxious I had to go to the store to buy melatonin to help me sleep). I did test questions the day before the exam and up until the start of the test. Reviewed lab values and pharmacology.

During Exam

Used ear plugs. Reread each questions 4 to 5 times. If the question seemed confusing I would cover the answer choices with the laminated paper they give you to focus on the question structure until I understood it (I believe my eyes like to jump straight to the answers before I am done reading because I am trying to match before I am done). Took a break at 30th question, used restroom and deep breathe for 5 minutes. I also tallied the number of SATA, this helped boost my moral during the test.

Results

Tested at 1:30pm 04/04/17

Finished at 4:30pm

BRN-CA post 11:55 pm 04/05/17

About 32 hours after my test I got the results

I hope some of these tips will become useful.

Thank you for your time.

[julsca]

Hi,

So I took the test March 29th and I am certain I didn't pass (PVT trick, DCA search, breeze check of license). For the wait period do we wait 45 days from the date of the previous nclex?

What state are you in?

Thank you for all the information.

[Bentolbeng]

I took it here at CA. Same question here

[whywait, BSN, RN]

I took my NCLEX RN March 3, did the PVT and received a bad pop up. I also checked my breeze account after 2 days and the pending on my application disappeared. So i was convinced that i failed. Received the letter after a week. Sent my retake application on March 11. On March 28, pending appeared on my breeze account. My 45 days was yesterday. Is it too early too contact BON?

Hi Bentolbeng,

If you contact the board they will say your application will take 10-12 weeks, currently they are processing Feb 1-15 for the retake application based on the BRN processing website. After that they will say you will have to wait those 10-12 weeks and there is nothing else they can do about it. Don't waste your time being on hold on the phone for 1+ hr to hear that.

You should do what I suggested above, you can write a complaint to the DCA against the BRN or you can email and file a complaint with them against the BRN

However, if you do so I suggest you give them a reason to move your application forward.

[whywait, BSN, RN]

Hi,

So I took the test March 29th and I am certain I didn't pass (PVT trick, DCA search, breeze check of license). For the wait period do we wait 45 days from the date of the previous nclex?

What state are you in?

Thank you for all the information.

Hi Julsca,

The 45 day is based on when you took the test. So 45 days from March 29th is May 13th.

So you can be eligible to retake your exam after May 13th if they process your paperwork.

I am in California, our current processing time for retake application, based on the BRN website, is 10-12 weeks and they are barely processing Feb 1-15 applications.

Have you not received any letter from the BRN yet?

[rnjourney19]

Did you submit your BRN application online or through mail?

[rnjourney19]

Hi,

PVT

The PVT trick worked for me and all my classmates. I don't know of anyone who has failed in my class except for me. However, those who did passed and myself tried the PVT before their name was on the board.

Resubmitting

You can resubmit your application if you know absolutely you have failed. I received my official fail letter exactly 1 week after the test.

The reason why I say absolutely is because if you submit the payment to either pearsonvue or BRN you will not get that money back if you find out you passed.

According to the rules you have to wait a minimum of 45 days between tests. However, the BRN is not required to process your application right after 45 days.

The BRN will say they are understaffed and are following the processing time located on the BRN website, which at the time for CA was 10-12 weeks after the submission of the application and not based on the date you failed.

i.e: say you took your test on 04/18 you receive your failed letter one week later which is 04/25 and you file your retake application the same day, 04/25. From 04/18, 45 days later is on June 03. From 04/25 for 10-12 weeks (70-84 days!) is June 27 to July 11.

Pearson vue

If you have 200 to pay for pearson vue you should, if not you can wait or pay it as soon as you know the BRN is processing your application.

The reason I say you should pay if you have the 200 is because it is like a cycle, if the BRN processes your application they will send the confirmation to pearson vue to give you the ATT. However, if you did not pay the 200 then there will be a lag in getting your ATT because pearson vue has no record of you.

By the way, thank you so much for taking your time to reply. I truly do appreciate it! Such detailed info too!

Anyway, did you submit your application to reapply on the breeze website? Or in the mail?

[whywait, BSN, RN]

By the way, thank you so much for taking your time to reply. I truly do appreciate it! Such detailed info too!

Anyway, did you submit your application to reapply on the breeze website? Or in the mail?

Hi RN Journey,

I submit my reapply application online through the breeze website. It is a similar form you used for your initial RN application.

You do not have to redo the fingerprint. Just fill out the form with the a picture and resubmit it online.

If you have any questions feel free to post back here.

[rnjourney19]

Oh ok. Got it. Thanks so much for that. Another question. So as soon as you did your reapply application, how many days did you wait until you started studying again? Or did you study right away?

[rnjourney19]

Also, what did you use as your study resources?

[whywait, BSN, RN]

Oh ok. Got it. Thanks so much for that. Another question. So as soon as you did your reapply application, how many days did you wait until you started studying again? Or did you study right away?

Hi RNJourney19,

Honestly, everyone is different. I waited until I really accepted my failure which was about 1 month after. I would study here and there; however, I was more focused on self improvement and planning my study strategies. I would ask my self everyday what I need to focus on and what I believe I did wrong.

I believe if you try to study right after failing, you will do fail again because you need to give yourself time to recuperate and for your mind to reset.

Talking to people actually helped me move forward and bring my confidence in myself bag.

The resources I used was Uworld and Delegation Prioritization and Leadership book. Prioritization was an area I was very weak in; thus I supplemented with that book.

With that being said, what worked for me may not work for you. You need to sit down and reevaluate yourself. Look at the most common types of questions you missed and see if there is a book full of those types so you can have more practice.

You should ask yourself whether you give yourself enough time to really review questions, were you distracted often, did you make studying a habit, when did you study, when do you think is the best time to take a test morning/noon/nights. Were you nervous, if you were nervous how can you decrease your anxiety.

Did you misread the questions? If so how will you catch yourself from doing it again. Are you lacking in content knowledge? Have you looked at the various types of test taking strategies; do you already know them and use them actively when taking tests?

Take one day at a time to reevaluate yourself and see what you can improve on. Every little change you make can add up to you passing.

[rnjourney19]

This is actually my second time. And I thought I would pass coz I studied my butt off. I'm so devastated coz I have people relying on me. My husband, my kids and my parents. The first time I failed, that really crushed my confidence. And that was the time I really grieved like what you did. I was depressed for a little bit. Then I got myself up and started studying again. I even purchased Hurst! I don't know what I did wrong this time. Maybe I need more practice with answering questions. I think I focused more on styudying the content but didn't do a lot of practice questions. So that's what I'm gonna do differently this time around. I'm not giving up. I know I'm getting closer to passing. I don't need time off. I'm ready to just keep going. I already went through the depression stage before. I can't waste anymore time. But thank you so much for just listening and being able to answer some of my questions. This also helps me get over this 2nd failure. Thank God for forums like these. Gives me a place to vent.

[alraynurse]

Hi,

Thank you so much for posting this. It has helped so much. I am currently writing a complaint to the DCA. I waited 5 months until the approved me to take the second exam and I failed again, unfortunately. Now, the processing times for international students are ridiculous 14-16 weeks just to get approved to the exam again. No other state is like this. My friend failed his exam and got a ATT to test right away as soon as he registered for PearsonVue to take the exam. He lives in Chicago. He's able to take the exam every 45 days, without a long delay.

In my complaint, I have mentioned that I lost my job that I was working at with an interim permit because it took 5 months for me to take my second exam and waiting another 5 months is unrealistic since I am the only one that is able to work. I'm married with a 1 year old. It has been a rough year and a half dealing with the BRN.

My question is, who did you specifically contact for the State Assembly member? Did you send the same complaint to the DCA, Governor and State Assembly Member?