JoyGraceRN

biggest misconception is that nurses make a lot of money. the salary is good compared to other types of careers BUT you dont become rich on a nurses salary. unless of course you are married to a successful man and can use your nurse paycheck to invest rather than pay monthly bills.

I was given a work cell phone and my cell phone rings after end of my workday or on days off. I don't ever answer. I am off the clock and Home time is my own time.

Diagnotic 63% Q1 63 Q2 72 Q3 61 Q4 75 Q5 56% (first time) 64% (took it again in the afternoon several days later because I didnt like my first score) Q6 62 Q7 66 Readiness 65% My scores were all over the place. I noticed I got better scores when I took these tests in the afternoon so I scheduled my NCLEX time in the afternoon (rather than morning). I think that helped me. Our Kaplan teacher said as long as you score over 60% on the Q tests, you will do fine. You may not stop at 75 questions but the questions will keep coming. Initially, I scheduled the NCLEX for 8am but decided to change to late afternoon when I am most alert. I recieved 75 Qs but took my time.

I recommend Kaplan. I dont' work for them or anything :nuke: but I used Kaplan primarily with Saunders as my reference book. I really think Kaplan prepared me for it. I am one to get very anxious and nervous while taking tests, especially timed tests! I dont think you need to take any additional classes. It sounds like you have A LOT of hands on clinical experience, but you just need to know how to pick the right answer and think the NCLEX way. Try Kaplan, maybe they can give you a discount if you take it with other students. I did the in-person review and 3 month on-line access. I completed all the practice tests and the Qbank questions and made sure I reviewed both right and wrong answers. Make notes on the ones you miss time and time again. I had a bunch. I took the NCLEX earlier this month and passed the first time. Many of the diseases weren't familiar to me but I used some elimination tricks. I also got a lot of math which I was thankful for because I thougth I was pretty good with math. I also got a lot of SATA questions and contact precaution questions. So know those really well. I really feel you can do it. You have already worked in health care and have done so much hands on work, its now just a matter of forgetting your past test anxiety, moving on, and learning how to think the NCLEX way. You can do it....others have so you can too! :nuke:

I know it won't help you feel better but I just want to say that I am so sorry that you didn't pass this time around. It sounds like you all put in a lot of hours into your preparation for the NCLEX. I just took the NCLEX exam last week and I felt defeated as well. I think everyone feels like that at first because as you said, many times, conditions and drugs come up that you never heard of before. Then we start to panick and we forget to breathe. Prior to fnding out that I passed the exam, I took a few days to feel sorry for myself. I know its easier said than done, but just stand up and start over. It will be difficult but what else can you do except to perservere. This is just another mountain to climb along with all the other mountains we all had to climb to get through nursing school. You got this far, so don't give up. Although not a perfect strategy, mine was to understand the rationales of the questions from BOTH right and wrong answers. It was very time consuming but I forced myself to do it. I agree when someone said that the reveiw courses we take does not seem to prepare you for the actual test. I personally never felt ready. However, looking back, I think Kaplan got me thinking in the right direction. I may not have known all the diseases or conditions while taking NCLEX, but I was able to eliminate what I thought was wrong. While studying, I also used the Saunders book to look up information I didn't quite understand. I like how that book is laid out. I paid attention to the red rectangles in the Saunders book, they indicate potential NCLEX questions. I also made flashcards on topics I got wrong over and over again. I also looked up pictures on the internet of certain conditions, drugs, procedures, etc. I'm a visual learner so when I wasnt sure what something looked like, I searched for an image or video. I think that helped put a picture in my mind. Unfortunately, there is not 1 best way to study. We are all different. But for me, this is what I did. This obstacle only made you stronger and I have no doubt you guys can pass the exam next time.

The cost of Kaplan was worth to me. We received a discount as a class but it was still about $400 for the instructor-led class and Qbank access for 3 months. It's a little less I believe, if you choose the online class. I felt that Kaplan mirrored the NCLEX closely. It prepared me to feel comfortable with taking timed tests. Our classroom instructor was also very nice and had us email him with questions or even encouragement/questions long after the classroom part ended. The important part is to review not only your wrong answers but your right answers and solidify it in your mind. I looked up the things I was continually getting wrong. :anbd:I found that reviewing the rationales afterwards was a pain and a very time consuming proces, but its what I had to do to pass NCLEX the first time. :)

I am from California and the Pearson Vue trick worked for me. I took the test last week Monday and felt horrible after the test. After a long cry, I logged onto allnurses and learned about this trick. Although reluctant, I tried it and I got the same pop-up message. I kept trying each day, sometimes twice, three times per day (ha ha). Still the pop-up came up. This trick helped me feel a just-a-little-less-anxious. Three days later I find out that I actually did pass! I am so thankful and happy beyond belief! :loveya: