Passed NCLEX on 2nd try! My Story

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I took and passed the NCELX on my second try this week and just wanted to share what I did/didn't do both times and what i feel helped me the most!

1st time-

  • Took Kaplan class at my school. 4 days for about 8 hours a day.
  • Did probably 75% of the Qbank questions and all of the question trainers.
  • Watched a few content videos

-- Overall, i did not feel like Kaplan really prepared me that well for the test. Just doing questions and looking back at your answers i did not feel was sufficent enough becasue there was still lots of material that was not covered in just the questions they were asking. Got all 265 questions and did not pass

2nd time-

  • Read Saunders Comprehensive review book. Everything but the Mental Health section and took notes on what I thought was important from every section. Also did the review questions at the end of the chapters
  • Did the Kaplan specific review of 30 questions each broken down in specific sections like endocrine, maternity, peds, cardiac. (not sure if it is in the nclex section on the website or not, but it is in the tab called "Focused Review")
  • Did the PDA book by Lacharity. Everything but the case studies.

--I felt better prepared going into the test the second time becasue i knew i had gone over and atleast read material of pretty much anything that could be asked on the test. I stayed calm going into the test, felt confident and prepared and passed with 75 questions. I waited the 45 days you have to wait and took it the next possible day.

Do not feel discouraged if you do not pass the first time. Just approach the test and your studying different the first time and you can do it!!

Feel free to message me with any questions regarding studying or advice! :)

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Specializes in Maternal Newborn.

Congrats!!

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Congrats !! I too failed the first time with 265. I used NCSBN and did questions from every resource I could find. This time I am doing the Kaplan on demand, nclex RN mastery app, Lacharity , and if time allows going through the NCSBN again. Can you give some insight on how you would compare the first exam to the second ? I am more nervous about this time than the first.

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265 questions was ALOT to go through to not even pass wasn't it?! I was more nervous during the preparing process the second time but once I was finished with everything, i felt that there was nothing more i could do to prepare. They say not to study the day befoer and relax but the beginning of the day i did look over all of the notes that I took from the Saunders book and then relaxed the last part of the day. The 2nd test compared to the first one I felt was easier for me, but i really only say that becasue i was SOOOO nervous going into the first test that i think my nerves got the best of me and I didnt remember much of how the test was after i took it, haha. But going into it the second time, I kind of knew what to expect, like get there early and bring a hoodie to stay warm in the room. I stayed calm, said a little prayer before the test began, read through each question and figured out what they were really asking and answered i each question to the best of my ability and felt good about it. When my computer cut off at 75 it felt amazing! So you CAN do this!! just stay focused, put as much time into studying and preparing as possible and stay calm during the whole process! I hope this helped and if you have any more questions i would be more than happy to help any way i can!!

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im also taking mines for the second time soon. So far Ive read thru each chapter of saunders, did the lacharity book and trying to finish the kaplan q banks. Which source helped you the most in your opinion? do you think the saunder topics were similar to the examination? did the Lacharity book help???

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Thanks for replying & sharing your experience !! It's nurses as yourself that keep future nurses as myself encouraged and motivated to conquer that nclex. Thank you so very much !!

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xaldin4life:

What you are doing sounds similar to what I did. I felt like both the Saunders book, Lacharity and the Kaplan focused review quizes all helped me alot! I liked Saunders because it reviewd everything you had ever learned in nursing school. It was a great refresher of everything and i liked the way it was layed out. I really liked the beginning chapters of the book that went over the basics because without that, its hard to get the other stuff. The Lacharity book i felt helped me alot because it helped me figure out what exactly they wanted with delegating and who to see first type questions. I see you have kaplan also, and i would highly reccomend doing the focused review on maybe not everything but just your weak areas, and other broad sections that cover alot like management, pharm, nursing basics(or something like that). I was weak in maternity and peds and they have several different quizes for those that really helped me out alot. So overall, i think that they all helped me out in a different way so i would say to keep doing what you are doing and you will be just fine!!!! Let me know if i can help anymore! :) Good luck!!!

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Tanyasands:

No problem at all!! I read alot of the posts on here when during my whole journey and just wanted to share what I did the second go round because I feel like it really did help me pass! And thank you!! I am so glad i can help!! Just beleive in yourself and you can do this!!! Let me know how you do!!

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Thanks again !! I will keep you updated :)

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thanks Alaska!!! also how did you study for the medications??? i feel like i can never remember everything despite how much i study. I also didnt recognize any meds from the first time i took the test. I know the keywords for beta blockers, anitbiotics, MAOI, but the test doesnt make the meds as straigthforward as that...

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Specializes in OR Nurse.

What edition of saunders? I feel nervous and feels like I still didnt know much at all. My quizzes scores varies 55-59%. I feel horrible. My exam will be soon. Thanks

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Kathrene, RN:

I used the Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX_RN Exam 6th edition. It is a big book, so you really have to pace yourself going through it. Here is the ISBN if you want to look it up: 978-1455727551

Are you using Kaplan online? If so, I would suggest doing the focused review quizzes. What quizes are you doing?

If you stay focused and determined then you will be able to beat this test!!

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