Passed nclex-rn with a week of studying

Published Nov 28, 2016

1 Post

I promise i'm not just doing this to brag, it's just that I promised to make a post like this if i somehow passed the nclex-rn to give students who were in a similar situation as i was hope. I'm not going to beat around the bush, i'll just jump into it.

Just some things you should know:

-my school (in my opinion) does NOT prepare its students well for the nclex, nor is it one of the top schools in the nation or region. At one point i heard that the nlcex passing rate for the school was in the 70s

-I was NOT a straight A student, i made mostly low B's and a couple C's.

-The only advantages I had behind me was the fact that I can maybe be considered a good test taker? and I had gotten an 83 on the ATI (99% chance of passing NCLEX first try). I saw the score and laughed.... I thought it was a fluke.

During the first month after finishing school i didnt do sh*t. like literally not a damn thing to study. Didn't even glance at any nursing material or a review book. exactly 4 weeks after graduating i suddenly panicked (remembering all the horror stories about people who waited too long and failed because they forgot everything) and signed myself up for the exam four weeks in advance. I figured four weeks is plenty of time to review right? I'll start studying today! day 1 goes by..... I procrastinated and didnt study. day 2 and 3 goes by, I procrastinated and didnt study. Day 4 I finally grow a pair and dive into Hurst review, while doing questions on Uworld. Day 2 of hurst I get frustrated and anxious because I feel like im simultaneously learning new things and not learning anything at all. The next day I'm even more frustrated and anxious (to the point of tears) so i just say f*ck it and reschedule my exam to the following week......I officially have 8 days till my exam. I prioritize things I made sure i NEEDED to know (normal lab values and VS, protocols and tx for common diseases, know how to prioritize in emergency situations, know how to prioritize and delegate in GENERAL) and do 150-200 Uworld questions a day (getting an average of 65%, highest grade 77 lowest grade 54). Day before the exam I didnt do sh*t. Night before the exam i got no sleep, slept 15 min in the car the morning of (i got a ride there). Passed in 75 questions.

During the exam I couldve sworn up and down I was failing; I had read that the harder questions you get, the better you're doing because that means you're consistently answering questions on a more advanced level. so when i kept getting easy questions, minimal select all that apply etc i was like great...... gonna fail and waste $300 awesome. finally around question 69/70 the questions started to be consistenly challenging so i was like YES!! 10 more questions and I can prove myself. when it shut off at 75 i was like f*ck, its over, i failled, $300 down the drain, im such an jacka*s etc etc (you know the whole self loathing thing you do after

the test). 2 days later found out

i passed lol.

So basically, did almost everything students are advised NOT to do for nclex (cramming, not getting sleep, going a long period without studying, etc) and still passed in 75 questions. The moral of the story is don't doubt yourself. If something in your gut is telling you to go for it the go for it!! sending love and positive vibes to all my post grad nursing students going to test. Best of luck!!!!

P.S - for study material i recommend Uworld, its set up EXACTLY like the test and questions are consistently challenging.