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!!
Thank you so much for yor inspiration! i will be taking the test again for the third time in November and i have a kaplan book plus saunders- can't afford the course though. Congrats!
Hey there. Wow I also graduated from nursing school in December 2007 and I havent even taken the board. I have this fear and anxitey. Reading your story gave me hope. With the kapalan review what did u do sis you do it online, or was it a clasroom setting?
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.
I know how you feel... i have the question about mcg/kg/min....and guess what? I didn't even remember how to convert from mcg to mg:banghead: I had two cal questions like that and didn't know how to solve it. it's 1mg=1000mcg darn it...here's the tip...get a good night of sleep...i had only 2 hours of sleep the night before the nclex because of the anxiety i think.
I have been out of school for 4 years and still don't have a license. I have taken the NCLEX RN 2 times and failed. I feel horrible because my dad has always had high expectations for me. I have to pass on the 3rd try!!! Any advice to study so that i can feel I little more sure that I will most likely pass?
fairytell427
17 Posts
Thank you so much for yor inspiration! i will be taking the test again for the third time in November and i have a kaplan book plus saunders- can't afford the course though. Congrats!