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to be processed and my application was no different then my initial application (I had a pending job offer and would be rescinded if I did not have a testing date).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.
whywait, BSN, RN
41 Posts
You'll do great!
You'll need to move fast, I am not sure when the Nclex testing is due for an update. I don't remember exactly how many years the nclex is updated but I think it will be soon.
So in my initial post, I said I did Uworld twice. Therefore, I did over 4000+ questions and used the delegation prioritization book.
You know the content, just have to know how to apply it towards those Nclex questions. I believe the higher level questions are prioritization, delegation and leadership.
My focus on the exam was actually not to get all the questions right but to make the bigger points count.
For example, SATA is pretty hard I would try my absolute best to get those questions right. When it came to lower level questions compared to SATA, I would spend more time to make sure I get them right such as prioritization questions.
Try finding some books on higher level questions so you can can practice critical thinking and application.
The nclex knows you know the content, you know the content but it takes practice to apply the knowledge.