JMD813

Hello all! It has been awhile since I have been on this site and am now just reading about everything that is happening with Ca BON. I too am a Philippine graduate, batch 2010, and after reading about everything that is going on I am wondering about the renewal of my license. I began my application process with Cali Bon in August 2010, and received my ATT in Dec. 2010. I first took my nclex-RN in feb. 2011, but did not pass. I then retook the test in May 2011 and again did not pass. I waited until Oct. 1, 2011 to retake the test and thankfully passed. I recieved my license on Oct. 3, 2011. What I am wondering now is, my license is up for renewal this year (2013), has anyone heard of any Philippine graduate who passed, but was not able to renew their license due to these new regulations from Cali Bon? I do have a batch mate who applied the same time as me and she was able to test a total of three times, but when reapplying for her fourth, she was met with the same problems as to her cases non matching her theory dates. I will not say that I understand what everyone is going through, but I can only imagine the frustration everyone who is going through this is feeling. We all put our blood, sweat and tears to get those BSNs and this is definitely not something any of us expected during those long nights of studying or long hours of duty. There's always a way. Hope to hear back from anyone.

Hi Shimmer, I wanted to see how the oral interview went. I was just offered an oral interview by San Joaquin County, and wanted to see if I could get any tips or information on how it went from you. Hope to hear back from you. :)

Hi Ianmolay, first off, I know that not passing the NCLEX is hard to handle, I had passed on my third attempt. It was good to hear that you picked yourself up right away and started the process of registering again. You did not waste your money, don't worry. The same thing happened to a friend of mine. He registered first on pearsonvue, but then wasn't able to schedule a test date. He found out that he needed to send in his re-application form to BON of California first, and once they received his application they would send the information to Pearsonvue and that would be when he would be able to schedule. I hope this helps, and please let us know how you do! :)

Hi everyone! I first wanted to thank everyone for such amazing support while I was going through my crazy NCLEX studying. I was not a first time passer, in fact it took me until the 3rd time to pass. Like they say 3rd time is a charm :). I wanted to unload some of my nclex review books, and trust me I went overboard on buying them throughout a year, lol. I have Saunders Comprehensive Review Fourth Edition in very good condition along with the CD. I also have Pearson View Exam Cram which is in very good condition as well and it also includes the CD. My Lacharity book on Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment was bought through Amazon, so it does have a few marks in it, but overall is still in good condition. I'm in the East Bay, California region so if anyone in that area would like to buy any of these items please feel free to message me. I'm willing to go pretty cheap on price, so please feel free to message me, I'm willing to drive to a public place to drop of the books if you live in the East Bay, Ca region. For those who are struggling to keep it together after numerous attempts at NCLEX, please just remember that it is possible, and that this one test doesn't define you as a nurse at all. It's just a little hurdle to get over and once you get over it, you'll really understand how strong you are. :)

@Red4pag: Yes, Excell has some practice questions that I reviewed, they were really good to practice off of, I used the Lacharity book as well to practice on the prioritization and delegation type of questions on NCLEX. That book is amazing as well. Best of luck and let us know how testing goes!

@Soulsistah: I sticked to the Excell notes, I have Saunders and Exam Cram and a bunch of other NCLEX books, but after taking Excell I just put everything aside except for the notes. I basically just divided the topics, and stuck to the study schedule I made for myself. Each day I read only from one topic, and didn't mix the different topics, because knowing me I would get overwhelmed. Each day I read only what I had scheduled to read and did answer practice questions each day, but did about 50 or so after reading each day. The first week I made sure to answer questions based on the topic I had just read, and just followed my schedule up to my testing day. The main thing for me was to not get overwhelmed, which is exactly what happened to me the first two times while studying. I know that you probably feel like you need to study 6 or so hours a day, and if that works for you ,then by all means go for it. I have such a short attention span, that I would lose focus about an hour and a half into reading, so I broke down my notes into smaller sections and just read about 22 pages of my notes per day, and then did practice questions. Whatever works for you, go for it, and just don't stray from your schedule that you make for yourself, and you'll do great.

Hi, I enrolled in Excell in August, and I have to say, it was the best decision I have ever made. The review is entertaining, and yet you walk out every class session feeling like you can pass NCLEX. I was not a first time passer, I took it twice before enrolling in Excell, and just those ten days of review as well as about 3 weeks of going over the class notes got me to pass. Enjoy the review, and let us know how it went.

Hi Pinay! I'm currently in the Excell Review in Sunyvale, and just LOVE it! We have a mixed class mostly Rns but also have a few LVNs as well. The lecturers are really good about emphasizing certain areas that will be on LVN test and they definitely make sure to help both RNs and LVNs, I think you'll be fine and will not get confused at all. You'll enjoy it believe me! :)

@Mobitoy: Thanks so much for the info on Excell. Congrats on passing!!!

Hey everyone, I'm about to take the Excell review this week in Sunyvale, Ca and wanted to see what the style of the review is like. Is it focused mostly on lectures and taking notes? Also are you given a book with this review? I've heard great things about this review, and am looking forward to it. Any information would be great. Thanks in advance.

Thank you so much for your post! I'm starting my Excell Review this week, and was extremely nervous that I may be walking into another review which just feeds me strategies and nothing else. I'm also a graduate of the Philippines and a multiple test taker, so reading your post about Excell has definitely assured me that I made the right decision in choosing this review, and hopefully it will be my last review ever for NCLEX. I just wanted to ask what the format of the Excell review is like. I was told by the offices to bring a notebook to take notes, and that was it. Is it a lecture type of review? Also, is there a set schedule of how the topics will be discussed in the 10 days? Thank you again for your post, it was exactly what I needed to read to calm my nerves. Congrats on officially making it as an RN!