Nclex-rn retaker:-( help i need advice

caliotter3 · May 23, 2010

Since you have only a short time left, you should be about ready by now. Best wishes for success.

Sharmi RN-BSN, BSN · May 23, 2010

hi there,

I also failed twice and planning to give at the end of June.I am reviewing Saunders,Priotization delegation book, Kaplan latest edition with CD and the Hurst review.I keep on saying to myself that "do Ur best and god will do the rest"Just analyze yourself and try to find out Ur weakness.I failed 1st time because i wasn't that serious but i did try my best the second time by practicing 4000 questions from Saunders but i didn't knew the content that well.Now i came to know that one should know the content then strategy in order to pass this exam.

My best wishes to you

labdad1234RN · May 24, 2010

Good luck on your upcoming exam. I think you will pass this time. Just remember to learn to relax before the test. Do not "overtrain". You know the material very well. Do not second guess your answers.

On the day before, do an activity or non-activity that relaxes and calms you.

Get enough sleep.

On the day of the test have the "Bring it on!" attitude and pass that test. I look forward be seeing an "RN" next to your username here next couple of days. :up: Yes I am a cheerleader...

advocated · May 24, 2010

I used Kaplan (awaiting nclex results still). I felt that picking up their tips was very helpful in answering questions such as "dont pass the buck". I also feel parts of their decision tree is good too esp when wondering if the situation needs delegation or implementation. I focused mostly on disease process, pharm, infection control, and delegation type questions. I hear ppl don't get much ob and peds on their exams

NowPedsRN · May 25, 2010

Good luck on your upcoming exam. I think you will pass this time. Just remember to learn to relax before the test. Do not "overtrain". You know the material very well. Do not second guess your answers.
On the day before, do an activity or non-activity that relaxes and calms you.
Get enough sleep.
On the day of the test have the "Bring it on!" attitude and pass that test. I look forward be seeing an "RN" next to your username here next couple of days. Yes I am a cheerleader...

@labdad1234RN Thanks you so much for your encouragement! I am trying my best to stay calm and be confident. I have a hugh problem with second guessing myself. With pray and much studying I know the Lord will be with me. I plan on take the test the last week of June. Very nervous and June isnt even here yet.

NowPedsRN · May 25, 2010

I used Kaplan (awaiting nclex results still). I felt that picking up their tips was very helpful in answering questions such as "dont pass the buck". I also feel parts of their decision tree is good too esp when wondering if the situation needs delegation or implementation. I focused mostly on disease process, pharm, infection control, and delegation type questions. I hear ppl don't get much ob and peds on their exams

I start the Kaplan online live in a couple of days, I was going through the kaplan rn course book and reading about the decision tree. Do you think the decision tree helped you with application and analysis questions?

Leonardo Del Toro, RN · May 25, 2010

I have failed the nclex twice already and I am preparing to take the exam again in June. I am using Kaplan review and saunders 4th edition. I have not lost hope and I am a firm believer in Jesus and I know in due time I will pass the nclex. Any advice or suggestions on how I should be studying?

This might help:

This post is for those who are struggling and have taken the test more than twice but not a bad idea for those taking the test for the first time. I am passing on what I learned about this test and the changes I did to pass. The NCLEX is a passable test and perhaps not even as hard as most people think. I like to point out aspects which are not well explained or easy to miss. Many people are so smart and have studied so hard but have failed, so there must be something else they are missing, so read this post very carefully and you might find the key to set yourself free. In the NCLEX world there are two huge components: knowledge and how you apply that knowledge quickly. Another major component is how to take the test. I think that for those who are struggling is very important to start re-thinking the test in a brand new way; to understand what is being asked of you and realize that what you have been trained to do during your school years with traditional tests are basically useless. There are a few items I like to go in detail and it might be helpful to understand them well. It might set you free from the deceptions and traps of the NCLEX. If you are trying really hard and still not passing, it's time to do a whole evaluation and change the way you think about the test.

1)TIMING: as they say, timing is everything. This might be one of the most misunderstood components of the NCLEX. The bottom line is: you only have one minute or so to answer each question. All the knowledge you acquire for this test is useless unless you can answer the questions that fast. I am not sure about this but I now believe there is an algorithm which measures the time you use for each question crediting or discrediting you. The NCLEX really likes when you go fast. And that makes sense for nursing where emergency situations come up and you know little about them and only have a minute or so to make a decision. So when they say "don't over think", is more like you don't have the time to - "over think". Have you ever noticed how some questions keep coming back? Even though you might have answered them correctly but took too long, they (the NCLEX brain) are not sure that you really know it well or just guessed. So if the questions keep coming back two things can happen: you get too tired which is not good because your performance suffers or, run out of time which is another problem that can cause you to fail. They want you to look at the question, read it carefully, make a decision select, and move on. You must have the ability to answer the questions like you playing ping-pong game and be able to play a long game and not get tired. I know it sound a little fuzzy and crazy but you have nothing to lose at this point do you? Another timing issue is how long you delay to re take the test. Don't. You are never ready for it; put that in your mind. If you take too long between the tests you get cold, so use your failure as a practicing match and go take it again while you still hot. So go to PearsonVue website and schedule that test right now and go face the beast!

2)YOUR KNOWLEDGE: of course the more you know about nursing the better, but not really. All you have to have is "NCLEX type knowledge" and that you can get by using the so many books available and listed by other posts in this site, Kaplan book/course, is a good source of that as well. Here's an example of NCLEX type knowledge: when they ask about chest tube, they might want to know a, b, or c (about chest tubes) and usually it does not stray too far from a certain number of options: know these options by heart. These are the building blocks NCLEX is made of and you must know it well enough to retrieve it from you mind on a heart-beat. The more you have these building blocks in your mind the better because it will help you to answer fast and correctly without thinking too much. So the way to look at knowledge is not in the traditional way of really knowing it but using your NCLEX knowledge to play the NCLEX game.

3)STUDY TIME: don't drive yourself crazy. I would practice 60 questions in one hour. Buy a timer and keep the pace, don't ever take more than one hour. If you are getting above 65% in one hour you looking good but try to get higher. One day per week go all the way to 265 (ouch!) because most likely this is what your test will be like! So in essence you are building up endurance within that kind of knowledge rather than becoming a nursing genius. Have fun with it, if you drive yourself to pain you will also learn pain so when you get to the test that's what you will remember.

4)THE TEST: it's important to know about this test and its components. One fact I think is interesting is that the NCLEX will test everyone differently. The NCLEX has two ways to make a decision about you: (1) you will pass or fail with an "X" number of questions, so if you are really good you can pass as little as 75 questions and if you are doing really bad you will fail with 75 questions. (2) but at a certain the computer makes a decision, it can't figure you out, you have missed a bunch of questions but you've also hit some important ones, so it decides that you need to be tested in the whole gamut of questions, so you are going all the way to 265 baby (ouch again). However remember, if you are not consistent and begin to do poorly because you are tired you can fail too and not go all the way, or go all the way and fail too. So you must stay in the game and perform consistently. If you are struggling forget about that magical "oh a passed with 75 questions", be prepared to go all the way and most importantly be consistent throughout the entire range and that's why is so important to train yourself to endure long periods of time answering these type questions. The NCLEX will be really impressed with your consistency and you will be credited for that. Remember, the NCLEX is not about getting questions right and building up points like in regular tests, the NCLEX is testing how you perform under stressful situations and in certain ways your ability to improvise. I believe the algorithm of the computer program is very sophisticated and can measure everything you do.

5)TAKING THE TEST: you must understand what is critical thinking. Some people are there already, but if you are not for whatever reason you should begin to pay close attention to "what is to critically think". You must focus on that question in a way you never did before, you must zero in to that question only and not stray one bit from it. I developed this way of thinking in which I would imagine myself there, at the hospital with a real situation at hand and then think "what would I do here...for real" and make that decision in terms of what would I do in order to be the safest. When you take the test you must be confident in your intuition. Another way to interpret when people say: "don't over-think" is that your mind goes into this overdrive mode where decisions are made quickly and without thinking but they are the correct ones. It's like playing a video game where you only have a split second to make decisions but as the rhythm speeds up your mind speeds up and you actually make better decisions than if you think it over. This is the kind of mind set you have to have when you take this test. In my opinion this is exactly what they are trying to test: your ability to quickly decide emergency situations. How many of those did you get right?

6)PLAY TETRIS: and here's why, Tetris is one of the first video games made for computers and in my opinion it simulates several of the brain functions required in for the NCLEX. It will help you with the brain stamina you need to endure all the 265 questions without lowering your performance. You have to make quick decisions in shorter and shorter amounts of time. It forces your brain to critically think faster and faster as the geometrical shapes fall down and you have to figure out where they fit. I was amazed to find out how much I improved as I started to play. If you don't believe this is helpful, just play for fun and it will your mind from the study.

7)PRAY FOR ST. JUDE THE PATRON OF THE IMPOSSIBLE CAUSES AND THE BEST LUCK TO YOU.