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Hi. Welcome to the site. I would suggest that you schedule the test far enough out to give yourself enough time. Prepare as if you have never tested before. Cover every subject, don't let your brain tell you that you already know an area. Do as many questions as possible and study the rationales. Keep at it and do not give up. Good luck.
I know it is upsetting but try not to dwell on the past. I used many books to prepare but I would recommend getting LaCharity's book on prioritization, Gauwitz for questions with rationales and if you feel weak in any specific area, Hogan's books on whatever area (Maternity, Child Health, Psych, etc). Do lots of questions and pay attention to the rationales for the answers. Is English your first language? It seems like a lot of international nursing students have a hard time with the test. :hug: Good luck.
My school has a very high NCLEX pass rate. Senior year we were required to take 2 semesters of a critical thinking course (which was essentially a course all about how to pass NCLEX). We were told repeatedly, "You should do 5,000-7,000 practice questions before you can sit comfortably for the NCLEX." They required us to submit proof of answering a minimum of 1,000 practice questions per semester. Most people did around 10,000 questions before sitting for the exam. A lot of people used the Lippincott books (I used the one by Silvestri).
Let me tell you, I did NOWHERE NEAR 5,000 questions! I did maybe 500 during my senior year, then 2 weeks before my exam date, I did a few hundred more. I thought the NCLEX was very hard and I was positive I failed, but I passed. (I am a good test-taker, however, and I graduated with honors despite being a horrible studier and procrastinator.) My advice to you is this: QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, and more QUESTIONS. It's not about going back and reading your text books--that would be crazy. Do lots of practice questions, memorize critical lab values (NCLEX loves those!) like H&H, K, ABGs, WBCs, therapeutic serum levels for Digoxin, Dilantin etc..and you're good to go. You may want to review med calculations too, but I didn't have a single calculation question. ALSO, USE TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES like process of elimination, opposite rule, etc. Even if you've never heard of the disease or drug that the question's asking about, you can often find the right answer by using test-taking skills. I think that's what really saved my behind on the boards. My test shut off at 75 questions and I thought I was done for, but I'm an RN now. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Good luck.
Brenda101, I have experience the same thing you are going through. I failed the NCLEX twice. I taken Kaplan prior to the third attempt, I felt it helped me. I went to the live class. I did everything that Kaplan said do. In my opinion Kaplan helped me with no question. If you dont follow directions, you may have problems. Just hang in there. Good luck next time
Brenda101
23 Posts
Hi I'm new to allnurses website. I have attempted my RN NCLEX twice and have failed. I attended the Kaplan course and thought it would be enough. Does anyone have any advice how I can pass the third time.