Flipz

I am in a similar situation as you, I plan to my RN exam for my 3rd time late next month...hoping I pass this time BUT JUST IN CASE I was also considering the PN exam. I actually do hear it's much easier, from friends of mine that have bridged over they said the RN exam was wayyy harder, so I don't know! Atleast if you take the PN boards and pass you'll still beable to work as a nurse, just with a little less responsibilty but much better pay than a nurse tech, which is what I have to work as right now! What have you been doing (or have done) to prepare for the RN exam? What study material have you used??? Have you given yourself a break inbetween each time or did you jump back into it right after the 45 days??? I'm only asking because I just want to see how you've been preparing for the test each time. Well if you feel like this a good option for you and that you'll be more successful at passing then I say go for it, work as a PN for now but still be studying for your RN and take that again later on down the road. I wish you the best of luck in whichever decision you make. Just don't give up...I know I've wanted too several times but I know that I can't! I worked too hard for this degree and I want and WILL beable to use it! And that's the same for you, so don't give up no matter what...just keep pushing forward! Good luck :)

sunshinebsn i cannot reply to your pm that you sent me but i truly appreciate what you had to say :) i have the saunders 4th edition book and have been trying to force myself to actually use it!!! i know i need too, and everything you said was right...i want to be a nurse more than anything!!! i went through hell to get to where i am today and i know i just need to start all over again for this exam, i know i do!!! thanks again for your message :)

hi winsome08 i actually wrote to determinedgal1 a couple days ago after reading her post, so we've been in touch, but thanks :) the remedial course is $600, i already looked into that because i'm not sure if i'll pass my 3rd time so i wanted to see what it is i'll have to do. if it was $1500 then i wouldn't even consider taking it, i'd really give up then, lol not that $600 is any better...cause that's way too much money right now as well...but who knows maybe i'll surprise myself and pass this time :) thanks for your reply!

I'm really not feeling sorry for myself...I wish it were that simple actually! I just cannot get myself to study, I think I've just seriously given up! It's not that I don't want to become a nurse cause I honestly do but I think my brain just shut down when it comes to reading more questions...I just can't do it! I studied so much for test #2 and when that didn't turn out good I was (and still am) just over it! The money issue is a HUGE motivation but it obviously didn't help me to pass the first two times. I study every once in awhile but not consistantly as everyone recommends. I'm just gonna take my chances for the 3rd time I guess and just see what happens cause I don't know what else to do! I appreciate everyones advice, thank you!!!

I cannot get myself to study AT ALL!!!!! I failed about a month ago an haven't looked at anything since then! It's not that I don't want to it's that I just honestly can't get myself too! I think I got so bummed out after failing twice that I have no motivation at this point because I guess I just feel like no matter what I do I'm not going to pass anyway and that's a horrible attitude to have but I can't help it!!! I don't know how to change my attitude back to being positive and to start studying again -Oh my!!! I just went onto the Florida website and found out that if I fail the test one more time that I have to take a remedial class before I can sit for the boards again and this class is for 8-10 weeks and costs over $600...I feel even worse now!!!!

Thanks for posting this!! I was just about to give up hope! I just found out yesterday that I FAILED the nclex for my second time. I feel so stupid and I feel like I am never going to pass this test! I took the Kaplan for my first test, did all their questions and was scoring high, yet I failed!!! Same with the second time around! That's what makes me so nervous! Kaplan has such a high success rate if you follow their techniques, and I did...but I wass't so lucky!!! Well hopefully like you, I'll pass on my third time around. I don't think I can continue after this, if I fail it again for the 3rd time then I'm done!!!! But please pray for me that I get it through it. Thanks for your story!!! ~Hopeful~

DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!!! Teachers definitely pick students they are not going to like and will do EVERYTHING in there power to make that student miserable!!! Don't give in to that!!! This is your future, your life, your dream...don't let anyone take that away from you! Don't show your weakness to this instructor, just keep on going to class, doing your work and proving to yourself (and to her) that you can make it to the end!!!!! Never let anyone make you quit in life, you only quit if it is a decision you make on your own!! Good luck and I hope it all works out!

I appreciate everyone's response! Does anyone have any suggestions though on what I should study now??

This time was easier to accept than the first time but maybe that's because I'm just tired of being depressed about it! I don't know what to do at this point though because financially I don't really have the money to keep paying for this test but also I already took the Kaplan, did everything they told me to do, scored above 60% on every test I took (which is what they recommended I should be scoring) and I still failed the exam. I don't know what else to study and I just feel like I'm never going to get through this test. Why do they make it soooo hard??? Why isn't the two years of struggling, test taking, and stressing out in nursing school enough??? These tests don't prove how competent someone will be as a nurse, it just proves that some people are better test takers. I really think it's unfair. I feel nurses go through enough crap then to have to deal with this as well!!! But I don't know maybe I'm the only one who feels this way??? Well I'm up for some suggestions if anyone has an ideas on what I should study now??? I'm going to give it one last try, if I don't do it after the 3rd attempt then I'm over it, but hopefully 3 times will be a charm!

Well congrats to you for getting in, I remember that feeling. I graduated in December and have been working as a nurse...I just took my boards on Friday and am waiting for my results...very dreadful!!! Well all I can say is hold on tight...it's gonna be a long ride! Yes your social life, love life, family life, etc etc etc is going to be put on hold for awhile but if it's really what you want it's worth it! You're gonna meet some great people and some not so great people in school but hopefully you'll make some great new friends. I don't know how old you are??? But nursing school is just like highschool all over again, there are "clicks" and gossip and it can get pretty catty with so many women in one room for 2 years, lol. The work load is...well, you'll see...it's unlike anything else! Not trying to make it sound awful but it kind of is!!! All of my friends and family members that are nurses have all had this very same opinion about it, but who knows your nursing experience could be completely different. Just do your best to study study study, sleep maybe 3 hours, get up and study some more...lol. It does go by fast though so really try to enjoy it, even all the stress that comes along with it cause once you're an actual nurse...it's ten times worse!!! ha ha Oh and make sure you take advantage of your clinicals...I know you're gonna be nervous the first time you give a shot, insert a foley, or probably even change the linens on the bed (unless you've worked in healthcare before??) but take advantage of those "I'm just a nursing student" moments...do everything and anything you can, it really helps once you're done!!! WOW...I just wrote a novel, and to think I just got home from working the 7p-7a shift last night...I don't know where all this energy just came from but I just completely relived my nursing school experience, lol. Well I wish you the best, you're gonna do great! Always try to stay positive and find the ones that make you laugh in class but also help you stay focused...laughter is definitely the key to getting through it!!! Going to sleep now =) and hopefully my name will show up on the Florida license page today!!!

If you are scoring 75% then you're doing great!!!! I took Kaplan and the instructor told me that as long as you are consistantly scoring 60% or higher that you are 99% guaranteed to pass!!! Good luck to you, just remember to stay calm and don't go in there thinking you're only going to have 75 questions, plan on taking the entire exam and staying the entire 6 hours, that way if it's less then you're good to go but if it's the entire time/amount atleast you expected it and wont be stressed out!!! I just took mine on Friday (yesterday) so I am still waiting for my results...I pray I passed because this was my second time taking it!!! Well again, good luck to you and just keep studying, you'll do great :wink2:

I took the actual Kaplan class, not online. But they do have questions you can do online which I completed ALL of them!! Did you take your exam yet?

I took the RN NCLEX last month and failed with 114 q's I was so depressed, I mean beyond depressed!!! I even had to get medication to help me because I was so sad. Seems dramatic, trust me I know! And if you knew me you'd be blown away that I went to that extreme but I was so angry and upset at myself that I honestly just didn't want to live! Soooo, I got through that and decided to take the exam again, which was today...BUT I don't know how I feel about it. I had less than 20 minutes left and was on question 220...so needless to say I started to panic thinking I was gonna run out of time and i kind of hurried through the test. Well it ended up shutting off somewhere after 250 q's but before the 265. Now I'm concerned because I think in my panic state of mind I may not have been reading the questions carefully. I feel like I did everything I could do this time to help me pass. I took the Kaplan the 1st time and just continued studying from it for the 2nd time. I was scoring above 60% on just about each test and the instructor at Kaplan said if you score that on these practice tests you are 99% guaranteed to pass...so I guess we'll see! This test was wayyyy harder then the first one though. I had over 20 "select all the apply", I lost count after 20. Then I had about 10-15 Pharmacology questions, drugs I NEVER heard of and then about 10 fill in the blank math questions. I feel like that was the worst test that anyone could have recieved. I just pray to God that I passed this time!!!