1,2,3..Passing The NCLEX RN

Nursing Students NCLEX

Published

The ONLY thing that matters about Passing the NCLEX-RN... is.. PASSING the NCLEX-RN! I speak to you after 2 previous failures. And now that I have passed on the 3rd attempt, I can truly say, how many times it takes you doesn't matter one bit! So what if you can't say, " I passed the first time with only 75 Questions."

(To those of of you who achieved this, congrats to to you!! You are an inspiration.) But to those who, like me, can not say they have achieved the above, KNOW THE PASS in the end is All that matters!!

A little bit about me: I took FOREVER to get through Nursing school. I put myself through school, without support from my family. I will say that in doing so, I found my new family. So if you are also someone starting or continuing this journey on your own, it can be done. I graduated with honors and earned a few 4.0's in there. Still, I did NOT pass the NCLEX the first time. Nor did I pass the 2nd time. But I DID pass the 3rd time! Below I hope to share the highlights of my journey. And please, if you have more questions comment away. :)

The incredible is never the impossible; The possible is never as incredible." -PayitForwardHolistic

1st Time: I did the WORST thing I could have possibly done. I listened to classmates who made me believe "I just graduated from nursing school, I either know it or I don't."Well, $200 gone, I Failed and was left feeling like a pile of poo, Feelings of "I am a failure, I know nothing." I fell into a deep depression. And you know what this did for me? Nothing. I lost myself for a bit. I was forced to continue forward. The force came from my BF and financial constraints. So going into my...

2nd time: I got a job. While it was nice to have a lil income, the job distracted me from studying and preparing for my future. I again was kinda forced to schedule the next available test. so 46 days later I once again entered Pearsonvue testing center. To prepare for the 2nd attempt, I did about half of the QBank on Kaplan and QTrainer 1-4.

From the CPRs from the first 2 attempts, I really felt like testing strategies was my weak point. Of course there is no way to know everything there is to know for the NCLEX RN.

So to prepare for my 3rd attempt. I used Saunders 6th ed online software. I LOVED this bc it allowed me to complete all the questions but have the questions presented to me focusing on the testing strategies. For example, the "Comparable or alike items." I also did every possible alternate format NCLEX questions I could find. Which Thank GOD! Bc on my 3rd attempt was almost all alternate format questions. Seriously, out of my 76 questions, I had maybe 7-10 old school MC's questions.

Kaplan definitely helped me to prepare for those 7-10 questions. But I must say, that Saunders also helped me on those 7-10 questions. For the alternate format questions... I Completed ALLL alt format questions available on NCLEX 4000, and did a few from the NCLEX 3500... Only bc I noticed they are pretty identical to those provided on the NCLEX 4000 CD... (if that makes any sense). Also, in my last day of prepI did Kaplan's NCLEX Test 4... which was all alt form questions. So if you have time to dedicate some time to this, i recommend it, but if you don't have access to Kaplan, it is not a must.

In regards to Kaplan: I completed 100% of the QBANK with only a 52% overall.

I have extreme testing anxiety and was actually in the process of getting accommodations, but it was taking forever so on whim I paid pearsonvue. Throughout my BF was kinda pushy to take the next available test. But unlike my first 2 attempts I didn't listen to him. Instead I stood up for myself and said "Listen, this is my 3rd attempt. IF I fail, I have to go back to school and that will be even more of a financial drain that if I wait another 2-3 weeks to take this bad boy" Luckily (and unexpectedly, he heard me and supported me). I also did not wish to take the test on the weekend. The first attempt was on a Saturday and the 2nd time was on a Friday. Not gonna lie, I was feeling superstitious to take it on the weekend. So Instead I scheduled for the first monday avail at 2pm. I am not a morning person,I never have been. LOL to be honest I am a straight grump at 8am.

up until the Friday before, I was checking pearsonvue to see if maybe a Tuesday or wends slot opened... So yes, I was still in a state of panic, despite all of the preparation I had put into this attempt.

The morning of the exam, I woke up and felt "pumped!" After I posted on AN "Please PRAY... I Failed...BUT" I was gathering my things (lunch,ID) and had a panic attack. My BF Said "Do you know your stuff, are you gonna pass!?" I whimpered and all I could say confidently is "It's in God's hands." So I calmed down for a few minutes and Had my BF drive me to the testing center. Before getting out of the car I again swelled in tears and my BF asked me the same question... and I said, "There is nothing more I could have done to prepare."

To see how exam day went, kindly visit here

OH 1 more thing about how I prepared for my 3rd attempt. Rather than "test" myself on how well I knew lab values, I had post-it notes on my computer which listed the values. As i did thousands of practice NCLEX questions I referenced these values... I figured whats the point of stressing myself out and wasting time worrying "what are those ranges again??" Instead, in having them readily available I focused on understanding WHY the values would be significant. So say, all 4 answer choices presented me with abnormal lab values, I wasn't focused on how out of range they were, but instead was more focused on which abnormal value was of a biggest concern. (The point was not to just memorize the numbers, but rather understand them)

And on exam day, at the top of my board I wrote "I will pass the NCLEX-RN. I Will be a Registered Nurse, BC I Will HELP Ppl" & "Jeremiah 29.11"

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulations to you! I hope you have a happy and a successful career.

Thank you for sharing your story. How long did you take to prepare for your 3rd time? did you use any other sources other than Saunders, 3500 nclex, Kaplan? any study guides? thanks again :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

hi Amy, I had other study guides but I hardly looked at them, I found creating and recreating personal study guides helped me the most. For Ex: as I answered thousands of questions I took note of when "calling the physician" would be the correct answer...Or for certain positions, I would create a list.... Like for Left lateral trendelenburg (For air embolism in pt receiving TPN) or High Fowlers (eating, NTG insertion, pt experiencing possible autonomic dysreflexia)

I get bored very easily when studying, so the entire experience had to be active. I am not one who can just sit and stare at notes... even in school, I had to re-write my own notes, color coordinate them, and organize all the info in ways that made sense to me.

The only info I did use from the study guide on AN was Transmission based precautions.... Oh and I saw an awesome one from a recent passer for vaccines..

2 mo: HH-DIP (HIb, HepB, DTAP, IPV, PCV)

4 mo: H-DIP (Hib, DTap, IPV, PCV)

6 mo: HH-DIP FLU ( Hib, Hep B, IPV, PCV, Flu vaccine, starts now, give annually)

12 mo: H- MVP (Hib, MMR, Varicella, PCV)

Also for EKG's If you visit my profile on AN---> activity--> You'll see a thread for "EKG Interpretation"... I used this packet to study ekgs for the nclex.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply back with the tips! This really helped me out a lot. :)

Many congrats to you, RN

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulations!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply back with the tips! This really helped me out a lot. :)

Many congrats to you, RN

Of course, anytime!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

WOW, what a story. God Bless you PayitforwardHolistic. Congrats to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank u Hadassah. I actually miss studying for the NCLEX. What's wrong with me lol.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I received a PM from someone who couldn't find my EKG post... so I wanted to go ahead and re-share it here for everyone. This is the ONLY EKG reference I used, and it definitely came in handy on my big day

https://allnurses.com/nclex-discussion-forum/ekg-interpretation-903835.html

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment