Passed Nclex RN (4 times)August 2015

guysgirl1512 · Sep 8, 2015

I am glad to see so many good posts about uworld! I'm glad you all are posting about it or I would have never came across it, and would still be relying on Saunders and Kaplan to test again. I am using 30 day uworld and then will be doing some LaCharity. Congrats on your passing!

NvrGiveUpRN2b · Sep 16, 2015

Hey AprilNursey

Do you mind if I email you personally? I just took my NCLEX last Friday. I went to all 265 questions. Im so annoyed with the studying, because I feel like I have put so much $ and time into only finding out that I am failing. When I read your thread, I sat there and was like this is TOTALLY ME!!! :yes:

You did the exact same material I did, and then a friend told me about World. I tried the 10 practice questions (tonight, September 16) that they give on the website and I love it, and the rationales. I just wanted to know how much time you waited in between taking your 3rd-4th exam.

I will also be taking my NCLEX for the 4th time. :banghead: I am still in school (we are in a masters entry level program so I have to stay in school), so between studying for NCLEX and my school exams, I wanted to know if you had any advice. I don't want to wait around and not take NCLEX again. I wanna take it ASAP (I will send my money in after my 45 days is up so I can get my ATT #).

Side note: The teachers that helped me really stressed me out with using Kaplan. So as a 4th time test taker I need any and all advice. I bought the Q&A green Sauders book, and Im starting to do questions from there 25 in the morning....and I am thinking about buying the UWorld and NCLEX 3000. Hopefully I can talk with you :) Thank you. Arrian, CA.

aprilnursey · Sep 16, 2015

Hey AprilNursey
Do you mind if I email you personally? I just took my NCLEX last Friday. I went to all 265 questions. Im so annoyed with the studying, because I feel like I have put so much $ and time into only finding out that I am failing. When I read your thread, I sat there and was like this is TOTALLY ME!!!
You did the exact same material I did, and then a friend told me about World. I tried the 10 practice questions (tonight, September 16) that they give on the website and I love it, and the rationales. I just wanted to know how much time you waited in between taking your 3rd-4th exam.
I will also be taking my NCLEX for the 4th time. I am still in school (we are in a masters entry level program so I have to stay in school), so between studying for NCLEX and my school exams, I wanted to know if you had any advice. I don't want to wait around and not take NCLEX again. I wanna take it ASAP (I will send my money in after my 45 days is up so I can get my ATT #).
Side note: The teachers that helped me really stressed me out with using Kaplan. So as a 4th time test taker I need any and all advice. I bought the Q&A green Sauders book, and Im starting to do questions from there 25 in the morning....and I am thinking about buying the UWorld and NCLEX 3000. Hopefully I can talk with you :) Thank you. Arrian, CA.

I am so sorry to hear you are going through this. I understand the struggle and frustration all too well. You may send me a private message through this website. Just click on my name and hit 'SEND PM'.

NvrGiveUpRN2b · Sep 16, 2015

Hey I guess it won't let me SEND PM to you. I clicked on your name but there was no button for a SEND PM. I was just wondering how long you took to do the UWorld and if you paid any attention to what the NCLEX people sent to you in regards to the assessment of the different categories (below passing level, near passing level, or above passing level). I had "near the passing level" on my 2nd attempt with going to all 265 questions. So I decided to do HURST content videos, and used Kaplan for a second time. Maybe I wasn't reading the questions correctly, but Uworld seems to asks the questions more like NCLEX would. Kaplan had a strategy I believed worked for Kaplan style questions. So when I go use my Saunders Q&A and try to use Kaplans strategy it doesn't work as well.

I have classes I still have to study for (being it is Fall Semester now). I decided to do 20 questions this morning. I dont really want to take a break as I need to pass the 4th time around. What other sources did you use for the 4th time around? Did you even both using your Kaplan Book or Kaplan Qbank/Test Trainers? Or did you just use Uworld and Saunders?

The struggle is def horrifying and I find myself getting down and frustrated. I try to stay positive and calm and everyone keeps telling me I was so close. So I am trying to reach out to people on here who have had or maybe gone through the same resources, and still failed.

Thanks for sharing I do appreciate it a ton! :)

aprilnursey · Sep 17, 2015

Hey I guess it won't let me SEND PM to you. I clicked on your name but there was no button for a SEND PM. I was just wondering how long you took to do the UWorld and if you paid any attention to what the NCLEX people sent to you in regards to the assessment of the different categories (below passing level, near passing level, or above passing level). I had "near the passing level" on my 2nd attempt with going to all 265 questions. So I decided to do HURST content videos, and used Kaplan for a second time. Maybe I wasn't reading the questions correctly, but Uworld seems to asks the questions more like NCLEX would. Kaplan had a strategy I believed worked for Kaplan style questions. So when I go use my Saunders Q&A and try to use Kaplans strategy it doesn't work as well.
I have classes I still have to study for (being it is Fall Semester now). I decided to do 20 questions this morning. I dont really want to take a break as I need to pass the 4th time around. What other sources did you use for the 4th time around? Did you even both using your Kaplan Book or Kaplan Qbank/Test Trainers? Or did you just use Uworld and Saunders?
The struggle is def horrifying and I find myself getting down and frustrated. I try to stay positive and calm and everyone keeps telling me I was so close. So I am trying to reach out to people on here who have had or maybe gone through the same resources, and still failed.
Thanks for sharing I do appreciate it a ton! :)

I did not waste any time inbetween testing dates. I waited maybe about two months before i tested again for the 4th time. You can never feel absolutely ready to take NCLEX, you just have to trust yourself, surround yourself with positive people and be confident in your answers. When i got my results after my 3rd attempt, all categories were "NEAR PASSING", which i find did not help me at all. I knew i was down to two things: 1) study content all over again OR 2) study strategies. BUT in order to know strategies, now must know content.

I often hear a lot of people say they are afraid of SATA. Which is normal because yes, its an all or nothing question. BUT i came to realize that the SATA was a little easier due to the fact they were mostly fundamentals or procedures or infection control. Infection control and psych was a huge topic on my exam. Then again, everyone's exam is different so its hard to tell what the computer will throw at you.

Im sorry to say this, but kaplan did nothing for me. Although i do believe in their strategies, it does not work for everyone. I used it religiously for the first 3 attempts and each time came close to passing. It was probably due to the fact that I have already seen and answered all the questions at least twice, watched all their videos and it just came to a point where I was memorizing the answering, but not really understanding the concept.

Out of all the programs, I used and really liked Uworld. I was a little skeptical at first because I had already started using NCSBN (3 week course) and did not want to spend any more money on another program. But i tried their one week free trial (i think its still going on) and instantly loved how much the program is designed. Rationals are awesome, pictures and videos are a big help in enhancing my learning experience. I used saunders 6th edition, if i did not understand a certain topic in UWorld or wanted to do additional questions. I also used the Lippincott Alternate style type questions and LaCharity priority questions.

I understand you must be a busy person especially doing a master's program but i would recommend to put in as much studying into NCLEX as you possibility can. If you can, dedicate a specific time and place where you are free from any distractions and sit to do 75-150 questions/day. It also helps to do this at a time period you plan on taking NCLEX. Make sure to not only answer the questions, UNDERSTAND why the answer is the answer. Sometimes, if you read the stem of the question carefully, its very specific in what it is looking for and you can most likely throw out at least 2 answer choices which will better your chance of getting the question right.

NvrGiveUpRN2b · Sep 17, 2015

Thank you for such an honest response. I am still waiting to get the break down on the categories I scored low near or above in. Hopefully I will get something in the mail next week, or even the week after. I also have done Kaplan twice so I think at this point I will take your advice, use Uworld, Saunders, and some La Charity/Lippincott. Does it matter how many weeks/days you buy from Uworld? Is is the same amount of questions to complete?

Ideally I would love to take my exam again in two months, which I believe I can if I get my ATT in time to hopefully find a spot in SoCal where I can retest again. Your story has been encouraging and I appreciate you taking your time explain what you did the 4th time around.

I am like you in that I was memorizing Kaplan questions or would recognize the answers and not understand what the question was truly asking. For SATA, I use the True/False method for the answers and it seems to do pretty well. I agree that with SATA it feels like you really have to know the CONTENT in order to answer the questions correctly. I will go back over HURST again and make sure my content is still fresh during these next two months, and I will continue to do Uworld.

With Uworld, you said do 75-150 questions a day...so with doing the questions (say mid morning) should I remediate them right after and study the questions I did no get correct? Did you find that helped or did you take a break after you sat through the practice exam? Thank you again for answering my questions. I believe I will purchase the 3 Month Uworld Program, as I believe it will allow me enough time to keep practicing questions and use/formulate a better strategy.

Thanks again April! :)

aprilnursey · Sep 18, 2015

Thank you for such an honest response. I am still waiting to get the break down on the categories I scored low near or above in. Hopefully I will get something in the mail next week, or even the week after. I also have done Kaplan twice so I think at this point I will take your advice, use Uworld, Saunders, and some La Charity/Lippincott. Does it matter how many weeks/days you buy from Uworld? Is is the same amount of questions to complete?
Ideally I would love to take my exam again in two months, which I believe I can if I get my ATT in time to hopefully find a spot in SoCal where I can retest again. Your story has been encouraging and I appreciate you taking your time explain what you did the 4th time around.
I am like you in that I was memorizing Kaplan questions or would recognize the answers and not understand what the question was truly asking. For SATA, I use the True/False method for the answers and it seems to do pretty well. I agree that with SATA it feels like you really have to know the CONTENT in order to answer the questions correctly. I will go back over HURST again and make sure my content is still fresh during these next two months, and I will continue to do Uworld.
With Uworld, you said do 75-150 questions a day...so with doing the questions (say mid morning) should I remediate them right after and study the questions I did no get correct? Did you find that helped or did you take a break after you sat through the practice exam? Thank you again for answering my questions. I believe I will purchase the 3 Month Uworld Program, as I believe it will allow me enough time to keep practicing questions and use/formulate a better strategy.
Thanks again April! :)

UWorld has about 1500 bank questions and i highly advised you finish most if not all of them. Note that some of the questions maybe a different a different variation of a question already asked or made into a SATA question, which is good practice. If you do decide to do the free trial, be sure to renew your subscription BEFORE it expires or else it'll erase all your scores, which happened to me!

I have not tried HURST review but i hear good things. I used to sit and do at least 75 questions a day, and review later on in the day but i found, for me, i did the tutor mode (which allowed me to see the answers after i answered a question). This worked better for me because it allowed to not become frustrated and think like "oh darn! ill get it right next time" but instead look things up as i go. Try this method and see if it works better for you. Then when your testing date draws near, sit and do 75-150 in testing mode.

Also, i have HUGE test anxiety, so during my test i had sure to take A TON of breaks! Drink some water, walk around, use the restroom, give yourself a little pep-talk if you have to lol, etc. Then get back into the room and go to battle.

I know you can do this and I'm so glad to hear you already made a plan for yourself on conquering this test, that is huge step! Just know you were meant to pass this test and become a great nurse! Most importantly, don't forget to PRAY! PRAY for strength and guidance and HE will make sure you reach your goals.

HAPPY STUDYING :laugh:

NvrGiveUpRN2b · Sep 18, 2015

Thank you again! Where are you from East or West Coast!?

Seriously you have been a huge help and it feels great being able to talk to someone who has test anxiety and who has not given up.

I don't know if you do email or not but mine is [email protected] (I know people freak out over giving out emails but its the email I use for junk mail haha). So if you get time to send me an email it would be cool to keep in touch. Your like my "mini mentor" right now haha :)

I def will have my plan locked in and ready to start next week. I finally figured out how to study for my classes, work, and make time for NCLEX questions. So I gotta get to it. Two months will be here before I know it, so I want to be prepared.

Thanks again April! I hope you get a job asap! :laugh:

ijangtelma · Sep 21, 2015

Im preparing to take the nclex again and i've already used kaplan twice. please inbox me more details for the uworld website. i feel like im just going off memory with kaplan at this point.

ijangtelma · Sep 21, 2015

What is the best recommendation for UWorld Nclex Prep?

SAM1RN · Sep 24, 2015

Yes Uworld is great, I wish I would have discovered it the first time I tested!

Titimor · Oct 1, 2015

congratulations Aprilnurse and thanks for the tips