J.M.N.

it's a good thing that you thought the questions were hard and it's a good sign that you stopped at 85. I can't tell you if you passed or not though. But getting select all to apply and priority questions means you're doing well. I think you shoudn't worry too much. you do have a long wait for the results... so just relax and enjoy your free time before you actually start working as a nurse. EVERYONE feels the same way as you after taking the test. As you can tell from my post...that's exactly how i felt. Most likely...you PASSED. so best of luck!

I called the board today and they said that you cannot go to sacramento and get a temporary license if you have already mailed in your payment in the mail. So if you get your letter to get your license, make sure you do not mail in payment if you want a temporary license. You pay for your license the same time you get your temporary license.

After 3 weeks and 1 day of torture waiting for my results...I am happy to say that I PASSED! It came in a big, thin envelope. (If your envelope is thick then you most likely failed since it has a new application in there for you). What a RELIEF! Thanks to everyone on here! This is a wonderful site. Here is how I prepared for the NCLEX: My nursing program along with ATI had a lot to do with how prepared I was...they really taught us well. I graduated in December '07 and started reviewing in Feb. Gave myself at least a month to review. I am not the type to study hard for things so I didn't do TOO much to prepare. Although I always do well studying last minute (from my experience). First I listened to the Feuer Audio review which is about 35 hours (I think u can get this free somewhere online)...I would go out for walks while listening to it and even while I did my everyday chores and I learned from it and enjoyed it. Since I had ATI for my school I would do questions off the ATI testing site and did some review questions from my Lippincott CD. I like doing questions on the computer because it really gets you prepared for the actual computer testing..doing it in a book didn't work for me. I think ATI is wonderful. (the ATI predictor said I had a 96% chance of passing on my first try)..which I didn't want to rely on but it does make you feel better about taking the nclex. I did not study everyday and did not review for hours and hours a day, but everyone learns differently so if you need to study everyday then study everyday. But remember, u can only retain so much information in one day. You really only need one good review book. Know your basic stuff: ABC's, Maslow (physiological needs first), Labs (why something is high or low, what causes it), practice lots of priority questions. You really need to have good test taking skills (like knowing what the question is asking, eliminating and finding the best answer, etc.) Remember to think like you're the actual nurse taking care of a pt. for every question= critical thinking! Very important-do not study the day before the test...go to dinner, the movies or shopping and just enjoy the day. Have everything you need to bring ready: ATT, ID, etc. Try to have a good nights sleep- easier said than done! (I ended up laying in bed for hours waiting to fall asleep= i only got 3 hours of sleep!) Do not eat anything that will make you crash or pee too much before the test- like sugary stuff or coffee! Wear warm, comfortable clothing and bring some snacks if you get hungry. Most importantly...you should go to your testing site like the day before if you are unfamiliar with the place so that you can time it and know where to go. Give yourself extra time on testing day if you are driving in case you run into any accidents...Believe me- you will feel much more relaxed and less stressed. Do not study on testing day either- if want to look up labs then that's fine. I also ate lots of fish that week and took vitamins everyday- lots of salmon! Food that would help my brain! lol! Someone told me they ate cinnabon the day before and passed so I tried it. Hey it's okay to be superstitious! And I went to eat some yummy sushi (with salmon of course) the night before as well. I put ear plugs on while i took the test so that i could only hear myself and my pounding heart! but you do begin to realize that you're more calm and your heart isn't pouding out of your chest as the test goes on. Also, pray and pray! And from my post up there you can tell how i felt: UNSURE. One minute i feel like i passed then the next i am full of worries thinking i failed. But that is just how it is. It is very rewarding to finally know i passed. I really love this site. A great place to vent and get lots of support and valuable information. I went on this site almost everyday just reading everyones experience and advice before i took the test. I just want to pass on my experience to everyone! THANKS!

Thank you all so much for replying. I feel so much better! I have been trying my best to keep it off my mind the past few days. I feel that way because i understand that you can get 50% right or wrong and the computer decides whether you pass or fail by how below or above you were on the passing standards...and it also depends on the level of difficulty of the questions. I keep thinking that i had easy questions that i answered wrong. I'm going to start reviewing a little bit and do practice questions in the meantime...just in case i have to take this dreadful test again. I will keep you all posted if i passed or not...

Took my test yesterday and stopped at 85 in 2 hrs...how can you classify your questions as easy or hard? well i felt like my questions were easy because many of them i learned from nursing school and unfortunately got some wrong- because i forgot so much! i felt like all my questions were low level questions since i've heard of them before. now i feel so sure i failed. i got lots of priority and a few SATA no calc...lots of medsurg! i also don't feel i prepard as well as i should have. goodness i feel so low now because i am letting down so many people and myself by failing and i just cant bear to take it again. i try not to think about it, but can't help it! i keep reading all the posts here and i'm just feeling even more worse! but im glad to know that so many are feeling the same. has anyone passed with "easy questions" and stopped at 85? i hear many people get questions they never heard of before but that's good since it means its a harder question. but again i felt my questions were ones i should have known from nursing school and failed to remember. i am so bummed...especially since i have to wait forever for the results bc i'm in Cali. Any example of an easy question vs hard question?