Stay in school. The reason I say this is I graduated as an LVN in 1994 and went with Regents (at the time) Its now 3003 and I am finally taking the CPNE! Why so much time past? to do self study you have to be a type "A" personallity. I found that it was too easy not to keep moving forward with my studies. Life can get in the way when you have no test date ahead for whatever it is you should be studying for, I would have been done years ago if I just toughed it out and stayed in school. Jack - age 41