charcharRN

Uworld looked exactly like the real NCLEX to me, plus they have really detailed rationales and a lot of practice with SATA. I was shocked how many SATA questions were on my test! And I have heard that SATA can either be "high-level" or "low-level", so if I could go back I would definitely practice more of them. I passed in 75 with over 3/4 SATA questions, but I was freaking out for 48 hours because I felt so unsure of myself answering them. I briefly looked through NCSBN stuff as well, although not enough to give a great review. I just think it may be wise to use them for the simple reason that they source the actual NCLEX questions. Based on that I assume their practice questions will be closest to the real thing. I used ATI most heavily (and got 99% on their predictor), but I felt like the actual NCLEX questions were incredibly different than what I'd had on ATI. Don't know that I'd use them again, even though their predictor was right in my case, lol. Another source I enjoyed was Jon Haws podcasts...I drive a lot and he has daily med reviews, etc., so I would just listen to those and I thought it was helpful. He's supposed to have something coming out in the next few weeks called Simclex, which is supposed to have a CAT system just like the real NCLEX. I obviously can't say one way or the other if its any good since it isn't out yet, but might be something to look into if it comes out before you test :) I felt absolutely awful coming out of my test, like I knew NOTHING, and yet I passed handily. I think the CAT system is so different than what most people are used to, so almost everyone walks out of there feeling like they failed. Don't let that get to you! Good luck!

Yes, they are wonderful :) Even though I think I took a few years off my life from the stress of this whole situation, I am SUPER thankful I live in NC. Especially after reading some other people's horror stories from other states!

So, I have never posted before, but allnurses has been my go-to during the past few verrrryy stressful days, and I thought I'd come back and share my experience since it may help some people. Background: I signed up for the NCLEX as soon as I could after graduation, and wasn't worried much about the test at all. The soonest available slot was the morning after I flew back from visiting my family across the country, which isn't ideal, but I just wanted to get it done. I've been a great test-taker all my life, had excellent grades through nursing school, and my school has almost 100% 1st time passer rating. I figured I could handle it, no sweat. I studied the bare minimum (mostly just doing RN Mentor Q's on my phone and looked over labs) and still felt no stress. Fast-forward to the night before the exam. I just flew in, tired from traveling all day, but I start setting all my stuff out like a good girl. Welp, set out everything and I look in my wallet just to double check I have my license. NO LICENSE! My heart dropped...where could it possibly be? In an airport somewhere? I looked for that thing EVERYWHERE and it was nowhere to be seen. I think, ok, I'll just suck it up and reschedule the test. NOPE - can't do it for any reason in less than 24 hours from the test. I racked my brain for any possible solution, but in the end I still have no license and had to miss the exam. I was completely distraught...I have a job offer from my literal DREAM job waiting for me and I have to have my RN license number prior to orientation. My timeline is tight. I called Pearson Vue and they were the definition of unhelpful. The person who answered my call even laughed at my situation. Who does that?? They told me I have to re-pay them (which I knew, of course), and also that I have to get a new ATT from my BON. UGG!! I was sure I was going to lose my job. I immediately called my BON (sobbing like a small baby child at this point), and they were thankfully incredibly nice and said it would only take a few days to reissue one. They told me I just had to re-pay Pearson, and then Pearson would send them a request for ATT, which would then be emailed to me. So the only step I had to do was re-register on the Pearson site and pay my $200 again. I had to wait for about 12 hours after my scheduled test time for the Pearson site to finally show me as a "no-show" rather than "scheduled" so I could pay again, but my BON was true to their word and 2 business days later I had my ATT :) I also found my license in the meantime....wedged down a crack in the console of my car :/ I was afraid there would be no appointments left by the time I got to sign up, but thankfully there was a last minute slot the very next morning. I had to drive clear across the state to get there, but the story has a happy ending because I passed in 75 questions :) So, if something horrible happens to you and you can't make your NCLEX appointment, it might not be the end of the world after all :) In the end, I got to take my NCLEX 4 days after I originally had it scheduled. I live in NC, so I can't vouch that this is the exact same situation for every state, but if something happens definitely call your BON first and don't panic like I did! Random NCLEX prep advice: Even though I passed in 75, I thought the questions were HARD! Over 3/4 of my exam was SATA, and I felt confident about maaaaybe 2 questions the whole time. If I were to go back, I would spend time studying via Uworld (I just did their little demo, but the format is very similar to the real deal) or NCSBN (because they're the source for actual NCLEX questions). In my opinion the questions were nothing like ATI, which our school pushed heavily. I spent 48 hours sweating and worrying because I felt so unsure about the test. I would trade all that worry for feeling better prepared any day. Just my thoughts. Good luck and don't lose your ID!