Passed NCLEX-RN 3rd time(my tips)

[SoniaFLRN]

I graduated Nursing School in December of 2007. I had a job waiting for me back at home and moved the day of graduation. I began working in early January as a Graduate Nurse in an ICU that I had worked in as a tech for nearly 6 years before nursing school. Everyone knew me and seemed excited that I was finally back as an GN. February comes and orientation is going well. I sign up for the nclex on my birthday, which should have been my first sign things were not going to go so well. I had been studying using a friends password on a popular class/prep course website and had been doing fairly well (60-70%). All of my classmates had passed theirs by this point, most with 75 questions and one with 110. I go in, sit down, take a deep breath, and start the test. Man the questions were a lot harder than I had anticipated!! By question 70, my heart was beating out of my throat, I thought I was going to throw up or pass out. A math question next. A gtt calculation..."how the heck do I do these"... Completely forgot how. Now I thought I was going to really pass out. After I answered 75, I hit next. 76 came up. Oh was I really shaking at this point. Questions kept coming and coming. I didn't wan't a break!! I wanted to get out of there. By mid 200's I was looking for the quit button. At 233, it finally shut off and I raced to my (new) car holding back the tears. I had failed. I knew it. Everyone says, "oh, you passed. Everyone thinks they failed." I knew I had failed and I went into a depressed and I mean depressed mode. I had to tell everyone. I started therapy, began taking an antidepressant, and found out that apparently I had had an anxiety attack during the test. Medications were given to me for that too.

Fast forward 45 days and I had talked myself into taking the test again. Everyone at work was rooting for me and I had been taking more and more of those practice tests doing better and better. This time I had to travel to take the test and went up the night before. I had a good dinner, tried to relax, found the test site the night before, and really felt ready this time. That morning I got up, took a shower and popped in my anti anxiety medications. Off I went. Felt great during the test. 75 questions and it shut off. I passed... well thought I had anyway. I was so excited. I called all of my co-workers and classmates. I went out that night and celebrated with friends. Two days later I found out that I had failed!! Failed at 75 questions?? I couldn't believe it. I couldn't even remember any of my questions. Were they hard? Easy? Not one could I remember.

So back in to depressed mode I went. Luckily this time I was medicated. My family was supportive. I quit my job... too embarrassed to go back and face everyone. And thought this was a sign that nursing maybe wasn't for me.

WHAT WORKED FOR ME!! Third time was a charm for me as I passed with 75 questions. I took a Kaplan course and felt that it really helped me pass. I had been so caught up on learning facts and content based questions like in school and not on how to take this crazy test. I took deep breaths. No medications this time to put me in a daze. And I took my time. I read every question and answer and made sure I knew what they were looking for. I used the board and marker and made slashes for each answer choice. Then instead of looking for the right answer, I got rid of the wrong ones. I remembered Maslow...and ABC's... and Most of the time, I only had one answer left!! When the computer shut off, deep down I knew that I had passed this time. It just felt right.

So to everyone who are re-peat test takers, I felt your pain. I pushed through, and although now I am in the process of looking for a new job, I am excited about a new start in life. My dad told me last night... "This will probably be the last time in a long time, that you will not have to work. Retirement is still a long time away." And he was right. I hate that my life has been on hold for six months, but you know what... I bet I learned more in those few months studying harder and harder, answering thousands of questions, than I probably did in nursing school.

So Good Luck Repeaters and new test takers. You can and will do it!!

[Sunshine97]

Well done.

[Amber07]

Congratulations on slaying this beast of an exam!!!!

:balloons:

I am currently studying for my second attempt so it is always very wonderful and encouraging to hear these type of things! Good luck with the job hunt!!!

[caliotter3]

Congratulations!!!:balloons::balloons::balloons:

[hepinky]

hi sonia,

congratulations!!!! you made it successfully?!!! becos i am undergoing the same situation i took my exam in march i failed for the 2 time...and the whole world is upside for me...planning to take in july end ...preparig with kaplan trainer...is 2 months enough .please give your tips...

[dabmtcuRN]

Congratulations!!! :yeah:

[clark08]

congrats, very inspiring!

[BettyBoo706]

congrats

[hakuna matata]

Congrats to you! Thank you for sharing your story :)

[ganamica]

Congratulations!!

[Lawnabrn]

I took the test aug 7 , and i know exactly what you were feeling.

The nite before the test I could not go to sleep at all. My body and mind just would not wine down. I was scheduled for 0800 testing. During the test i got a mcg/kg/min problem that my tired brain just could not pulled together. I knew that i had failed.

Fell into a depression. Daily i have to pull up out of it, but not with any type of pharmological assistance. I am presently waiting on my att to give it another shot. It is difficult studing because the questions seem simple enough but when i looked at the anwser choices i just wanted to run. I know this too shall pass just as nursing school did.

[bellaluke30]

Congrats! nice to hear of your perseverance with the NCLEX challenges...

I just took the exam this morning & the computer shuts off at 75 questions. It made me feel devastated because i have a feeling I failed plus my husband think it's impossible to pass at 75. What's even worse is I will not know the result until 4 weeks. Is that possible to pass even just answering 75 questions or under? I am really depressed right now & my husband is advising me to do the LVN exam instead next time. I did a lot of practice tests with different materials (Kaplan, Mosby's, Saunders, NCSBN) online, books & flashcards & I am quite exhausted. Thanks for listening & any advice?