I want to share my story with those that are interested because it might save others some anxiety and stress that I pointlessly endured a few days ago.
I just took the NCLEX-RN last week and ran out of time. I got to question 247, and felt CERTAIN that I was not going to pass. I had heard that if you run out of time, you only pass if you are able to get the last 60 questions right... I honestly don't believe that's true, because I don't think it's POSSIBLE for me to have gotten the last 60 right, I have never even gotten 12 in a row right during practice questions. But if it IS true, then I guess that must have been the case.
Out of the 247 questions, exactly 30 of them were SATA. I actually started off the beginning of the test really well- out of the first 13 questions I had 5 SATA. I was feeling really positive about this, but then they started to come a lot less frequently. I thought I was starting to get questions wrong or do worse on the test as a whole. That is probably right, but I want to emphasize to those of you who are going to take the test to TAKE YOUR TIME. Even though I was kicking myself when I only had 30 minutes left and it still hadn't turned off, it might have been the extra couple seconds I took on each question that allowed me to pass. Honestly, right after I was done I WISHED I had hurried and tried to finish all 265 questions (because at that point I figured that's how many I was going to get), but now that I know I passed, I think it might have helped me that I didn't rush. Who knows, rushing those last questions might have led to me failing.
The other thing I would like to point out is I tried the Pearson Vue Trick about two hours after I got home from the test. I already felt sure I failed, so when the "good pop up" didn't come up, I wasn't surprised. I felt like that solidified that I failed since most people got accurate results from the trick. For whatever reason, a couple days after I took the test, I decided to check the CA Breeze website (license verification) and hardly even looked at the page when it came up, but almost fell out of my seat when I saw my name and a license number posted!! I want people out there to know that they can't put all their trust in the PVT. It may sway you the wrong way! I'm just glad I didn't pay for re-registration or anything because I would not be able to get that money back! In California, even though our BRN is so far behind, the Breeze website seems to post people's licenses within 48 hours of taking the test. MAKE SURE your license isn't posted and WON'T BE before you start making the regular steps to take the test again.
I would also like to share the resources and outlets that worked for me. I took the Kaplan course through my university. It never helped me during school, in fact, it brought my grades down regularly because the scores we got on the focused review tests counted for 10% of our grades and no one ever actually taught us how to answer the questions. I did the Kaplan review class following graduation, and that was helpful... but I have to say I HATE the decision tree they teach you. It caused me to question MYSELF and my own nursing intuition, which very often led to the wrong answers. The main things I took from Kaplan were the ABC's as being always the most important, considering which patient is the most acute and severe when prioritizing, and the lab values they provide. When I finally started studying for the NCLEX, the Kaplan Question Trainers and QBank questions from the website were incredibly helpful. I highly advise everyone to take all of the question trainers and Qbank questions. Practice questions is essentially the only way to get better so why not DO THEM ALL, especially when you already paid for everything.
I also used the 3 week study course via the NCSBN. This was only $50 (NOTHING compared to the $600+ I had to pay for Kaplan). But it had a pretty well laid out study plan that included content review and practice questions. I went through ALL of the content (which was BRUTAL but I can honestly say I felt smarter and more knowledgeable in the end!) and then the practice questions following the content. All in all, it took me more time than the study plan allotted, but it was worth it. I think if you're like me, and feel like the content was something that is holding you back, this website is a GREAT resource, and has everything you need in a nice, neat, cheap and compact site.
That was it. I did not buy any books nor listen to the videos on Kaplan. I paid for the Kaplan review which I do think was helpful, but if you aren't able to pay that much money (which I wouldn't blame you for!!) then the NCSBN is an affordable option that has great results as well. I also want to say that there are SO many medications out there, and even the ones that different sites or books emphasize as the ones you need to know... isn't really that accurate. I got about 10-15 medications I had never heard of before during my test. And they weren't easy ones that ended in -lol or -pam either. They were medications that I couldn't figure out on my own, and I doubt I will ever see again in my life. So when it comes to medications... my best advice is to study the ones that are most often questioned, but don't be too hard on yourself when something else comes up. Spending tons of time trying to memorize meds is fruitless because there are way too many and it is too much to know.
Please feel free to respond to this message if you have any questions for me. This is all really fresh in my mind, and I know how stressful and painful studying for the test can be, so I'd love to help in any way I can. GOOD LUCK to everyone and keep your head up! Remember that the NCLEX is NOT an indication of your ability or competency as a nurse. It is just a mean and hard test that is out there making sure they don't hand license out to just anyone! They made it hard for a reason, but it shouldn't be hard enough to stop you from reaching your dream of becoming a nurse!
