NCLEX test discussion/vent advice welcome!!

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Hello all,

I have came across this site multiple times when researching different issues about NCLEX or even other topics and after my latest attempt I decided to become a member and post to get some other people's opinions.

I graduated from nursing school last year and had previously taken the test twice and failed each time at 265 questions (yes, 265 questions both times). It was miserable. Both times I walked out of the test center not feeling very confident at all. I figured that if I had passed, it would have shut off well before 265. Both times I tried the Pearson Vue trick and didn't receive the "good pop-up". Within a week I got a letter in the mail with my results. The first time I had two subcategories "below the pass line". The second attempt I had one category "below the pass line" as well as one category "near the pass line".

After the second attempt I changed my routine up completely. I enrolled into a Kaplan review course. I stuck to their plan. I would wake up each morning and take a 75 question test spanning every subcategory they offered. I would then review and research each question I missed and take notes on it to review later. I would then in the evening take either another 75 question test, or a question trainer every other day, then review the results of each question every night before I went to sleep. At the beginning of the review. My readiness exam score was only a 56%. With each week of studying, my scores were routinely going up. The week before the test, I had retaken each of the trainers and averaged scores in the mid-low 70's. On my Qbank questions I was averaging scores in the mid-high 80's.

I took my test yesterday morning and was extremely excited when the computer shut off at 75 questions. I walked out of the test center unable to contain myself I was so happy. I came home and researched the new method of the PVT and tried it using a card without enough of a balance to actually purchase a new registration. To my surprise, I didn't get the "good pop up". I got the message saying "your card has been declined, please contact your bank." I researched it some more and read that you are supposed to give it 24 hours. Earlier today, I tried it again and still got the same message "your card has been declined. Please contact your bank".

I just don't know how I can go from hovering around the pass line through the whole 265 questions twice. Then do all of the review with my scores increasing consistently throughout and feel so good taking the test to have failed in 75 questions. When I took the test I went through three sheets of the dry erase board to make sure I double and triple checked everything. I felt so confident, just to find out from the trick that I was wrong. I'm stunned that I did bad enough that the computer didn't think I could save my score if I continued taking more questions. Obviously I'll get the report in hand within a week or so and see what categories I failed, I just figured that I would vent on these boards. Thanks for any advice/insight someone may want to share on ways to improve for next time.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

This is only based on what I have seen anecdotally but the chances of failing at the minimum number, although possible, seems to be very small. I'd be cautiously optimistic especially since it didn't sound as if you missed either of the others by a large amount.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to NCLEX forum.

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my situation was kinda the same, I have failed 3 times tho, first time I did Kaplan live review and failed with 265 questions. I retook Kaplan and improved with each qtrainer and failed the second time with 170 questions, so I took the hurst live review this time and did all of the qbank questions from Kaplan and failed at 78 questions. this time I am doing hurst online review, picnomics, and lacharity pda. im taking the nclex on may 26th so we will see.

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rnguy201423 How long did you review before you retake it for the third time?
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I studied for 4 and a half weeks

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my situation was kinda the same, I have failed 3 times tho, first time I did Kaplan live review and failed with 265 questions. I retook Kaplan and improved with each qtrainer and failed the second time with 170 questions, so I took the hurst live review this time and did all of the qbank questions from Kaplan and failed at 78 questions. this time I am doing hurst online review, picnomics, and lacharity pda. im taking the nclex on may 26th so we will see.

Hi. I took the nclex and failed the first time with 75 questions.

rnguy201423 and lrdcn3; lets support each other and pass this test! Sounds like a good idea?

Also, lrdcn3 i scheduled my nclex for may 28th

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Hi. I took the nclex and failed the first time with 75 questions.

rnguy201423 and lrdcn3; lets support each other and pass this test! Sounds like a good idea?

Also, lrdcn3 i scheduled my nclex for may 28th

I am all for it, what are you using as study aids?

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I am all for it, what are you using as study aids?

I believe my problem is having too many study aids and just being overwhelmed. I literally have every resource (saunders, pda, nclex mastery app, hurst, nclex 4000, and kaplan)...

Im going to focus my studying on just a two/three resources max. it is impossible to study all my resources and take the exam in 2 weeks.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Maybe you actually passed this time....

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Maybe you actually passed this time....

no.. im overwhelmed with resources and not actually studying... and my exam is in two weeks:nailbiting:..plus, i failed with 75 questions...

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Hello all,

I just don't know how I can go from hovering around the pass line through the whole 265 questions twice. Then do all of the review with my scores increasing consistently throughout and feel so good taking the test to have failed in 75 questions. When I took the test I went through three sheets of the dry erase board to make sure I double and triple checked everything. I felt so confident, just to find out from the trick that I was wrong.

I don't think confidence or feeling good is a good predictor of how well you did on the test. In fact, as it is a computer adaptive test, I think the opposite is true. The better you do answering the questions, the harder the questions become. The more questions you get wrong, the lower your question level. If you're really struggling, you're more likely to be getting questions above the pass line.

I passed in 75 questions, as did numerous classmates of mine. We pretty much all left the test thinking "WTH was THAT???" I saw so many conditions I didn't recognize. So many drugs I'd never heard of. So many select all that apply questions that hinged on one choice that could have gone either way. I had numerous questions that had me applying information on multiple systems to come up with an answer. It got to the point that when I got a question where I was sure my answer was right, I started to worry that I was getting too many questions wrong, so the difficulty level was dropping. I was so unsure of myself, that I steeled myself for a long test experience, and when the computer shut off at 75, I honestly thought there was a computer glitch before I realized the test was over.

Now, it's only a guess, but maybe the first two times you took the test, you were feeling less confident so you were taking more time with each question. Perhaps the last time, you were feeling so confident that you assumed things about the scenario that weren't in evidence or you didn't consider all the answers thoroughly. I don't know. I only know that in my case, when I was waiting for my quick results to post, my only comfort was in thinking about the ridiculous complexity of my questions because I sure didn't have much confidence in the correctness of my answers.

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