derngrad06

Thanks for your support. I appreciate it. I tried Kaplan, ATI, NCBSN, numerous review books and a private tutor. I am not focusing on my classmates, I am just stating what I have observed while I was in nursing school. I have postponed retaking the exam for three to four months at a time. It does not make a difference of how long I take to retest. Based on my past experience anytime when I get less than 90 questions; it means I screwed up so bad the computer shuts off. How do you know what your weaknsess are when they give me those useless categories along with the application to retest in that big brown envelope. And, because I am so deep in debt; it is not worth it to me to keep spending more money on retaking this exam. I might take it again one more time this year. If there is a God and I finally do pass this exam after almost two years from graduation; I would celebrate like I hit the lottery. To me the NCLEX-RN is a lottery. It bothers me that I passed the NCLEX-PN five years ago on the first attempt. But I can not pass this exam after multiple attempts. God, knows I have spent over $2000.00 on something that should have cost me about $200.00. Again thanks for your support.

I have been away for a while. I am trying to ponder almost two years after of graduation on why after failing the NCLEX-RN so many times that I should just give up. After multiple failures and thousands of dollars wasted; what is the point. All anybody can tell me is to try again. I read somewhere that first time pass rate is 85% on NCLEX. To me thats not all that impressive. Given the fact that nursing school drills critical thinking to no end. I mean what does an entry-level nurse knows anyway. You only gain competency with knowledge through experience working as a nurse. I had classmates who slept in class and come to class when they feel like it. And they pass the NCLEX. Wheres the justice? I am so sick of people saying that God helped me pass the NCLEX I am going to puke. I was so paranoid of failing I maintained perfect attendance and got good grades in class and clinical. What good did it do me. It is impossible to know everything about nursing. To me NCLEX is a lottery. I don't care what anybody says that i isnt. Who pays $200.00 every time you sit for the exam and hope and pray that you pass. My odds are probably better in a casino.

Moderators please close this thread. Thanks.

Moderators you can please closed this thread. Thanks

dear Aprilhere, I agree with you that there should be a test to ensure minimal competency for RNs and LPNs. I am sincerely glad you passed. I have worked my tail off in school and out preparing for NCLEX and came up short. But don't fool yourself there are many forces out there working to keep nurses wages stagnant. Greedy healthcare institutions public and private who want to maximize their bottom line and will encourage the passage of legislation to get around the Nurse Practice Act at our expense. Ever heard of high nurse-patient ratios, mandatory overtime, shortstaffing, and unlicensed "certified" med techs dispensing medications to name a few. Think about this; Can you imagine what was the starting salary for entry-level RNs 10 years ago for the same training?:uhoh21:

It was not my intention to start a theological debate about Wheres God when it comes to NCLEX. I was just venting. Being an RN is very important to me. Who else would spend untold sums of money on tuition, books, and supplies and put myself through a clinical minefield where that if you make two mistakes no matter how minor you are out of the program. Remember clinical variance? Let me be the one to put this thread to rest. I appreciate all of the responses, but its time to move on.

I heard that the pass rate for first-time takers of NCLEX is 85%. I am not all that impressed with that percentage. Provided my school's ADN program boasted a 98% pass rate. With all of those funky exams taken in nursing school that NCLEX rate should be higher. Maybe nursing schools should change its test structure. Taking NCLEX is like buying an expensive lottery ticket. Pay your $200.00 NCLEX testing fee and try your luck. Friends of mine wonder that you go through all that stress for years to finally graduate nursing school to then have to take this exam and cross your fingers. I would rather be a social worker.

Extremely well put. In war soldiers die, miners might not have survived. But for those of us who are alive and well who may need some spiritual guidance are just as worthy of Gods intervention.

Better put. If I do say so myself.

I understand about world affairs and that bad things happen to good people everywhere. But make no mistake about it I can question Gods will in my place in time like anyone else no matter where in the world they may be. Passing this exam may be small in the grand scheme of everything that is happening in the world today. And for somone to be on a soapbox telling me what God has or has not done for others does not help matters anyway. I don't mean to sound harsh. But, I can seek guidance from a higher power for this small endeavor of passing this exam. Since I can not get any satisfactory answers at this point in time. In addition, I have already figured out that in eight months of studying and taking prep courses; I come to realize that whatever will be will be.

dear Mytonezucs, Thanks for that acknowledgement. What you said was the point I was trying to get across. I have every right to be angry and disgusted with NCLEX. In school if we were taught in recognition and recall; why in the hell we have to test in analysis and application. The last time I've checked you learn from experience. I know an entry-level RN should be able to make safe nursing judgements. I think that is the justification of why they make the exam as hard as it is. And don't you think that in any enrty-level RN position whether it is Med-Surg, Peds, Maternity, or Psych you would have to be given orientation to the position and the unit. I am currently an LPN in a psychiatric facility and I work with RNs who can't even analyze a written nursing assignment sheet for the unlicensed staff. So much for application and analysis. I would figure knowing nursing content and applying the nursing process, ABCs, Maslow, Lab Values, and recognizing stable and unstable patients will help me to pass. I've immersed myself in Kaplan, ATI, and nursinglearningtext.com which was a colassal waste of time and money. All this time failing NCLEX and losing money in retesting , I could be practicing as an RN like my classmates. I've been out of school for more than eight months. Wheres God? is more than appropriate for me to try to understand why I have to go through this. I have sacrificed enough. Or so it seems.

dear cardiacRN2006, If God is omnipresent like we were all taught to believe he is; you don't have to be a trapped miner or a soldier fighting in a war to receive the blessings of God. There is nothing too big or to small for God to handle. With that being said; the risk of death is real in mining and being a casualty of war is real for any soldier. We can all pray for the safe return of our troops and the trapped miners. In the meantime, one can seek guidance in our personal lives for whatever we ask for and not feel that God is too busy to answer our prayers. For the believers of God there is a such thing as miracles of any size. Or what we like to say we are blessed. I'm not asking for next weeks lotto numbers. I believe when you work for something long and hard to accomplish something you are rewarded. There is no reward without work. We all know that. And after the stress and strain of finishing nursing school which was where the real work was accomplished. You should not have be a mind reader of the people who create NCLEX

I am already in the process of "getting back on the horse and try again." Maybe divine intervention is of no use in this situation. I got my health, I employed as an LPN for four years, and I have the same determination to see this through. Since I have already done Kaplan, ATI, and nursinglearningtext.com with no positive results. Just a waste of time and money. I have already did a considerable amount of questions in the 3rd Edition of Saunders Q&A Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination. It is just a Q&A book with a CD-ROM among the others I already have. So what can Suzanne do for me? And from I already read on some posts even what she offers does not work for everybody. Just like anything else there are no guarantees in anything. And I am not looking for any. I will just go back to basics and review my nursing notes and text. Don't be too quick to judge. I know god is not going to take the "dang" test for me. But I have every right to question gods presence and question his wisdom. How else am I going to learn about his plan for me. Let it be known that I am determined to pass this exam. Just maybe its the determination that I have within me is already my answer to the question of Wheres GOD?

Thanks for the encouraging words. Some people are lucky in love, money, and good health. Let me say that my classmates earned their licenses and I am happy for them. We had study sessions during school for our exams and supported each other in clinicals. It still bothers me that of all of all the people in my graduating class I have to be the one that failed the NCLEX-RN three times. What is the divine reason for that? So far I have not received an answer that is acceptable to me. It seems to me that I have a black cloud over my head. I think that I have proved to God that I can sacrifice whatever I need to so I can reach my goal of finally finishing nursing school. I have went through many ups and downs when I was in school. It takes considerable strength to even survive nursing school and multiple faliures on NCLEX. I have more than proved that I am strong enough to deal with this. So now what else I have to prove to the Creator that I am worthy to have RN title after my name.

sounds like you are saying that i'm saying; "why me?" and conventional wisdom will probably say; why not me? my achievements and success are my own. i have people comming to me saying what is wrong with me. how do you answer that? i try not to. what do you say when all your classmates passed? and i know my good grades don't mean anything. i just have to make the nclex connection whatever that is. i am old enough and mature enough to take the perspective to stay strong, be positive that i will pass and not give up. and my life will go on regardless. when i said wheres god? i was stating that god did not create nclex and i need more than divine intervention. and i need more than people telling me to have happy thoughts and prayer. i need to make that nclex connection. so far nothing has worked for me and i have been out of school for eight months. after multiple failures i have a right to feel bitter if only for a short while.

I appreciate the advice but you see I was a nursing assistant for 13 years and have been an LPN for 4 years in a psychiatric facility. I graduated from an accredited ADN nursing program from a community college on 12/12/06. I was just venting my true feelings regarding NCLEX. I know there are people out there who failed the exam more times than me and they eventually passed. I am hopeful that I will pass someday. Its just so painful to sacrifice so much to get that ADN and can not get pass this exam. What works for one person does not work for everybody. I answered so many questions I can write my own NCLEX review book. Taking the NCLEX is like driving without a map. You know where you want to go but you are on your own on how to get there. In the meantime, take these expensive review courses like Kaplan, ATI, Feuer, and others because we have a high pass rate on NCLEX. My school boasted a high pass rate so much for my school. Just giving me a printout of what categories I was near or below the passing standard don't mean a thing to me. What do they expect a entry-level RN to know. I know we have to be safe in making nursing judgements. Who does not know that? You learn from experience the last time I've checked. As an LPN the safety of my patients always comes first. Maybe I will hit the NCLEX lottery someday before I go bankrupt. :uhoh21:

I am already focusing on my next retake on the nclex. I just needed to vent. Its my problem and no one else is affected by it. I have put so much into getting my ADN and am willing to persue a BSN in the future. I have went through many of lifes adversities fairly well throughout my life and I am a much better person for it. I am my own support system. I will just go back to basics and review my school notes and textbooks since nclex testing is about application of nursing content. I have done enough practice questions and reading rationales to write my own book. And I will not give up. Because, if I did I should have never went back to school in the first place. And, that is just not me.

I appreciate your response. Its not that I do not believe in god and He has the power over all things. Its just that it took me a long time and a lot of money, sweat, and tears to finally graduate and obtain my ADN. I graduated on 12/12/06. It is quite possible that I might pass the exam this year or maybe not. I would not bet the farm on it. BTW, all of my classmates are practicing RNs and they passed the first time. And most of them did not take Kaplan, ATI, or other prep courses. And I was a good student and I take my education very seriously. And I considered myself a good test taker. My school pretty much do not want anything to do with me since I did not represent them well with the first-time NCLEX-RN exam takers. And, it appears to everybody even though they may not say it to my face that something is wrong with me. If everybody else passed what is wrong with me. We were all taught by the same instuctors, took the same classes, have the same clinical experiences. So, I say again where is god? I can accept failure and take it like a man, but enough is enough.

I feel that with my multiples failures on nclex that why did I bother going back to school for my RN. I would have spared myself the embarassment of failing the boards three times. I am spending almost as much money on nclex retesting than I have on my last semester at school. $800.00 and counting. That includes the fourth retake. I am so bitter and disgusted right now that when people say pray; I said be for real god did not create nclex! Where was god during my past failures? There is no divine reason why I failed this exam so many times. I think god has been on vacation when it comes to nclex. I know that is a terrible thing to say but that is how I feel. I have sacrificed enough. BTW that Saunders book everybody is talking about is just a Q&A book among the many others I already have. My confidence is gone and I am numb. What is the point of spending more money on useless courses like Kaplan and ATI; which I have done already. There is something I am not getting with this exam. I feel that if I do not get the first question right on the nclex exam I'm toast. This is my problem I am just at the end of my rope. :angryfire:o:uhoh3:

I work in a state psychiatirc faclility so I know all of the social workers there. Even though some of them are cordial and polite to some extent and give me the standard advice to not give up which I can get from anybody. There are some social workers I come to know act if as they are superior to nurses in general flaunting their higher degrees. They would not be sympathetic of what I am going through; and have no idea of what I am going through. I talked to other nurses who were willing to share their experiences and could give me some practical advice even though I may have heard it before. My father was a nursing supervisor for a state psychiatric facility for twenty years in New York. He encouraged me to not give up because it was hard for me but if I can do it so can you. He also said accept past failures as that past failures. You will eventually pass; because whatever is in me is in you. From everything I have heard from all of my family, friends, classmates, and coworkers in the last seven months; I think about what my father said was the most meaningful and sincere.

I have been away for a while. I appreciate all of the good advice from everybody at allnurses.com I have even been following the advice of my classmates who took NCLEX-RN and passed. I had more confidence when I took the exam the first time and I guess I never fully recovered from that first failure. I did the $350.00 Kaplan classroom course with much anticipated hope I that will pass because I never missed a class and I learned their techniques which was useless given the new 2007 NCLEX-RN Test Plan. Not suprisingly, I failed again. Even though I took the ATI course in school which was required it did not make a difference. I took a long vacation from work and I took the virtual ATI course for $200.00 and after numerous online practice exams I failed again. After that failure that was it I will not spend any more money on these type of courses. As a result of all my efforts my confidence was gone. My desk look like a paper storm with all of my school notes and multiple CD-ROMS stored in my computer. Everybody is telling me to do this and that obviously what worked for them does not work for everybody. I do know nursing content. I know I should not give up and make the degree on my wall mean something. Its painful to have to go to work and everybody is asking me did you pass your boards yet. Because they all know I graduated seven months ago. So whenever the topic comes up; I say whatever will be will be and leave it at that. I am numb, disgusted, and angry for all of the sacrifices I have made to finally graduate nursing school and I can not get pass this exam. Like I said before, whatever will be will be.

What is Suzanne's plan? Is it a book with a DVD that I can purchase online? I would like more information on it. Thanks

I live in the state of Delaware. I can count on one hand how many maternity/peds questions I have encountered in all my previous NCLEX exams. In nursing school they drill you with critical thinking in how the intructors structured their exams. But I can do 5000 questions on NCLEX-RN practice exams and it will not make any difference. NCLEX is not like any test I have ever taken before. And I think I am a fairly good test taker. You do not know what you are going to get on NCLEX. The NCLEX is an application/analysis test to measure minimum competence. I know I am more than minimally compentent. My best performance was the first time. With one category below the passing standard and all the other seven catergories I was near the passing standard. If just going over NCLEX-RN practice test in review books with the DVDs; I should have already passed. I have 9 different NCLEX-RN review books with DVDs all stored in my computer. I have Saunders, Kaplan, Lippincott, Mosby, Davis, and other NCLEX-RN books. At any given time I am on my computer answering questions. I need something specific that can help me get over this enourmous hurdle. I know I sound extremely negative but with three unsuccessful attempts in taking NCLEX can you blame me?:angryfire

I always had problems with maternity and pediatrics. But the way the NCLEX-RN exam is structured it emphasize safe nursing practice in which I got a lot of priority questions such as which patient the RN should see first, medication indications, adverse effects, contraindications, and lab analysis. I am good in math and I got 2 math questions in the three exams. With my experience on NCLEX there is not much testing on maternity, peds, or psych to make time to review them worthwhile. I need to get above the passing standard on all eight catergories of the NCLEX-RN exam content. My first exam I had 167 questions, the second time I had 92 questions, and the third time I had 82 questions. I need to reverse this downward trend. The only good thing about the NCLEX-RN is that in my state of residence I can retest in 45 days.

Hello everyone. I'm new to this site. I have been practicing nursing for four years as an Licensed Practical Nurse working in a state psychiatric facility. I have no wife, no kids, and I live alone. There is not much for me to say except that I have graduated from RN school with as AAS degree six months ago and that I definitely need help in passing NCLEX-RN exam. Kaplan and ATI (Assessment Technologies Institute, LCC) are absolutely worthless. I will NOT waste any more money on preparatory courses which boast a high pass rate which is meaningless to me. I failed the NCLEX 3 times.