75 Questions on NCLEX, pass or fail?

Nursing Students NCLEX

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  1. 75 Questions on NCLEX-- Did you Pass or fail?

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      Pass
    • 644
      Fail

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I see lots of posts about passing or failing with 75 questions, just curious what the stats are. I would like to think that nursing school prepares us enough that those who get 75 are mostly passing?

I just want to tell my story, because I know others are going to Google this thread and find it like I did. I took NCLEX this past Tuesday, 24 May. To say I was a nervous wreck before and during the test is a gross understatement. At the very first question after the tutorial, a med math question, my mind went totally blank. My hands started to sweat, and I felt sick to my stomach. I had to excuse myself and regain my composure, all the while conscious that my time was ticking away- before I even answered ONE question. This is from a person who does NOT suffer test anxiety.

It took me just over one hour. It was a terrifying, surreal nightmare. I kept telling myself that NOTHING I had studied or could have studied could have prepared me for this. I am not lying or exaggerating when I tell you I had at at least 20 SATA, 20 infection control, and many prioritization/delegation questions. Where was all this med/surg I had agonized over? Where was all the peds, maternity, and pharmacology? It was nowhere. Question after question about who to put in what room with who, question after question about who to see first. I truly felt like I was making an educated guess on every question. The last thing I clearly remember is noticing that I was on question 67.

When the test shut off a few minutes later, my heart stopped. I had to fight an urge to smack the machine and make it come back on. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I gathered my things in silence. The last thing I clearly remember thinking is that I was grateful that the testing center people were so kind.

I had to sit in my car for twenty minutes before I could drive myself home, shaking with anger and humiliation. I had failed. I had failed spectacularly, because if you fail with 75 questions, you haven't just bombed it, you've incinerated the test in nuclear fire.

The following 48 hours were the worst two days of my life. I bought new Saunders and Kaplan review books, and started looking for Kaplan review dates in my 45-day window. I composed (but did not send) an e-mail to Marlene Hurst. I convinced my wife, my mother, and my friends that I failed. I convinced myself. I did not sleep or eat for two straight days. Visions of working a retail job to pay back my student loans tormented me when I tried to sleep. I pictured my BSN moldering away, unused, in a box. I was a joke who had let everyone down.

I found this thread. Read it and convinced myself I failed dozens of times over. 75 questions of that difficulty? There's no way. No way I passed.

I passed.

The NCLEX- at least the one I took- is a cruel test that is designed to make you feel like you've failed. I studied diligently for that test for over four months, took the Hurst review, and completed in the neighborhood of 3000 NCLEX questions from Davis, Prentice Hall, and ATI. I still felt like I knew nothing during and after the test. It is not only a test of knowledge, but a test of your ability to think, and in some ways it is impossible to prepare for it. Certainly nothing could have prepared me for the shock of being cut off at 75, when I was certain I was still deep in a hole.

Don't give up hope, and please try not to torture yourself like I did.

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hi i didnt get a pop up from the pearson vue test....:crying2: does this mean i totally failed??? my computer also stopped at 75 ...T___T

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I think 75 questions of NCLEX RN exam does not mean a candidate passed the exam at all. The candidates should be answered all 75 question without any wrong answer. So, i think it's pretty much impossible to show 100% correct answer in the large extent of NCLEX RN xam.

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Specializes in Psych.

I had 75 questions and passed. My test got very hard very fast. I had far too many select all that apply, peds and priorities. I shelled out the 8bucks for the unofficial results as our state offices were closed Friday due to major flooding in our state capitol and Monday is a holiday, so I figured it would take a lot longer. I am glad I paid. Now I can get my life back.

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I was going to say my Nclex for LPN i think i got 100 questions or so all i remember is that. (Your Going To Laugh).

I had a friend who took it before me and i was really dumb i asked is there a lot of Pharm Questions. She said not on her test No.. So i thought it's in the bag.

Pharm is my weakest subject. So i get to my test all i can say almost all of it was Pharm it seemed . I raised my hand. The lady came over wanting to know if i had a Tech problem and I asked if my Instructors spoken to her before the test because of all the Pharm she just smiled. After almost 3.5 hrs my computer shut down. I can't remember the number but it was close to 100.

Also in my state you can call that day well there's a fee but they will tell you if you passed or failed. You call the number put in your S.S. pay the fee and it says you passed of failed.. If you passed it will tell you your license will be issued on this day. I think it was two weeks..

The NCLEX-RN has 75 to 265 questions. 15 questions are not scored, they are only being tried out for future exams. So in actuality, the exam is only 60 to 250 scored questions.

The NCLEX-PN has 85 to 205 questions. 25 questions are not scored, again, they are just being tried out for future tests. So in actuality, the test is only 60 to 180 scored questions.

Thats a FYI.... Anthony

1 Votes

I took the NCLEX 2 days ago and I just found out I passed. I was freaking out during the whole test, I knew a lot of the material but I could not come up with the correct answer. Every question feels like it has two right answers. I thought for sure I would be there for the full 265 questions. But my computer shut off at 75 and I did the Pearson Vue Trick and it indicated I passed. Finally today I was able to get my quick results and it also showed I passed. So DONT freak out if you walked out of there not knowing anything. Everyone feels the same thing. Also, I have NEVER heard of anyone failing after 75 questions so the least questions you have, the better chance you have of passing. Good luck everyone!

1 Votes
Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.
KRVRN said:
I was an almost straight A student in nursing classes. My test shut off at 75 and I truly wondered if I failed. If you are answering correctly, the questions get harder and harder. It will probably get to where you feel like you are guessing on every one of them, so when it turns off at 75 you just might walk out feeling like you failed.

Same here. As much as you get reassured, you still wonder.

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what is the pearson vue trick? i just took it this morning and have to wait until tuesday now to get my quick results b/c its business hours...i'm hoping i passed, but i keep thinking of questions i think i got wrong!

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ejmaguire said:
what is the pearson vue trick? i just took it this morning and have to wait until tuesday now to get my quick results b/c its business hours...i'm hoping i passed, but i keep thinking of questions i think i got wrong!

go to vue.com/nclex and sign in to your account. act as if you are going to register for another test. when you get to the history of your tests make sure it says "delivery successful". if you try to register and you get a pop up saying "you have recently scheduled for this exam..." than it means you passed. good luck! ?

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how soon after the test does this work?

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I did it an hour after my test, and got the good pop up. I found out yesterday I did pass with 75 questions!! Hooray!!

I took my NCLEX-RN yesterday. I got 75 questions and took about 1hr15min. I felt like I went way too fast, and almost cried when it shut off at 75. I keep remembering questions that I know I got wrong. I feel like I was only certain about 5 questions. The rest was a blur. I did the PVT and I got the good pop up, but I just don't believe it. I really feel like I failed it. I got some really simple questions wrong, because I was so nervous I couldn't think! I don't know what I would do if I failed, I have a job lined up and everything.:uhoh3:

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