Passed NCLEX 2nd time (265 questions)

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I knew I wanted to share my NCLEX experience with others when the time was right. (Sorry in advance for the length!)

Once I graduated in May, I was hired at an Emergency Department in a large city and the RN residency program will begin this August. I knew I wanted to take my NCLEX early to have it out of the way and if I didn't pass, I would have enough time to retake it before starting my job.

On June 6th, I took my NCLEX for the first time. At the time, only a few other people in my graduating class had tested and passed theirs. Most of those people had 75 questions and passed. Question 75 came and when I hit Next, there was #76. I was a little shocked thinking that I was doing well since I had several SATA and priority questions. Question 120, 150, 200 rolled around and a little over 4 hours later, I had done all 265 questions. I walked out of the testing center that day knowing I had failed. I did the Pearson Vue trick the next day and I did not get the good pop up. 48 hours after my test, my quick results confirmed my instincts and I failed. I was devastated for a few days after but I knew I couldn't let it get me down for long.

45 days passed and I was able to retake my NCLEX on 7/25. I felt more confident this time since I had studied quite a bit and focused on how to answer NCLEX style questions. I arrived early to the testing center, sat down to begin and was doing the best I could. Same thing happened as the first time, I went past 75 questions. When I got to question 150, I knew I would be there for the full 265 again. I had a break coming up so I took that break, went to the bathroom to pull myself together and went back into the testing room. This time on my NCLEX, I noticed something. I had a lot more of a variety than the first time. I had several math questions, a few drag and drops, many ECG questions and very few SATA, but I still had a ton of priority questions. By the end of my NCLEX, I thought to myself that this time around was slightly easier than the first time, but I was still worried in the back of my mind since I had the full 265. 48 hours passed and my quick results were available and I could feel my heart start to pound. I paid the $7.95 and hit submit and there it was… I PASSED! What a huge relief!

What I did to prepare:

First off, I learned from my first NCLEX experience that it would be a good idea to take a snack, a bottle of water and some ibuprofen along with me since I had a pounding headache about halfway into my first NCLEX. Luckily, this did not happen the second time, but I had it on hand just in case. I took both of the breaks during my second NCLEX, so during that time, I had my snack, water and took some extra time to mentally prepare myself to continue to finish the exam.

Second thing that most of you are probably wondering. What did I use to study? I used UWorld and it was absolutely amazing. After failing the first time, I had no idea what to do and did tons of research on it. The majority of the reviews I read were very positive, so I thought I'd give it a shot and I bought the 30 day subscription. It was the best $60 I think I ever spent. I loved that the question bank was set up just like the NCLEX format and the questions were worded very similarly to an NCLEX question. Also, I loved that the rationales on each question were very detailed. There were rationales behind every single right and wrong answer choice. I took notes over content I did not know well and I still read over the content I knew. I did around 100 questions almost every day. The only day I really didn't study was my wedding day (July 9). I wish I would have known about UWorld sooner, so I'm advising ANYONE who is getting ready to take the NCLEX to buy a subscription and use this as their study tool. This was my ONLY study tool and I was able to pass the second time with the help of UWorld. You can do it!!! Good luck! :)

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First off, congrats!!

your second test experience sounds a lot like what I just went through on Saturday 9/24 with the 265 and question styles. Hopeful that I passed!

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