I have been a lurker for some time but don't really post. I took my NCLEX this morning and am pretty positive that I bombed it. My test went for the full time and I finished the last question (265) with seconds to spare. I kept myself together until the last 20 questions or so and then pretty much fell apart. I started sweating, felt really sick and had to fight the urge to vomit and starting shaking. When I was done I barely completed the 19 feedback questions and checked out in a daze. I went to my car and just sobbed. I have never failed anything in my life and really didn't want the first failure to be this.
I read Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Saunders cover to cover. I did practice questions and read my books before work, during lunch and then 4-6 hours a night. I really studied harder then I have for anything before. That includes my nursing exams which I passed with all a's and b's. I really did not expect this and am devastated.
I had about five math problems (all pediatric doses), tons of other meds (quite a few which I wasn't familiar with), what felt like tons of SATA questions, a bunch of priority questions and questions on what patient I would move to med surg over the other three.
I am completely let down and dejected. I was already planning on packing up the dogs and going camping for three days with my husband which will be a much needed break. I will try checking for my results in the morning before I go but I am 95% sure they will say I did not pass.
Recommend that you take a week or two and just let your brain relax and then you will be ready to get back into the thick of things. You do need to prepare as if you have never written the exam before, since the questions that you will be getting will be entirely different from what you had this past time.
The exam is not looking for things that you have already been tested on in school, but they want to know what you will be doing with the information that you have already learned. Try this approach when getting ready to prepare again. And it will focus on your weak points.
Well I did not pass. I pretty much knew that after I walked out of the testing center. Being out of town camping and relaxing with my family was a much needed break this weekend and the only thing that kept me sane.
I think that I spent too much time on content and not enough on doing questions. When I would take saunders tests and chapter reviews I usually got around 75% so I thought I was doing ok. I also think I rushed myself and tried to cram too much in too fast as I really wanted to be done studying. I want my life back.
So know I am trying to reformat my studying and come up with a new plan. The goal is to try again in early July.
I think I may look into Suzanne's plan. Any other suggestions or tips? I think I need to hit pharmacology more and work on SATA and priority questions. Does Kaplan have a lot of priority questions? It seems from the tests I have done with Saunders that they are more content based. What is good for priority, triage and meds?
I really want to get this done and need to find a way to pass this time around.
Sorry to hear that :icon_hug: :redpinkhe:redpinkhe:redpinkhe :icon_hug: I did study mode on Saunders with questions, and I did one system at a time. Some took me one week. I read rationale for every questions, whether I got it right or wrong, just to see if I was thinking along the information/fact presented. I also read strategy part for every question also, especially when I was a month or more away from exam. But as time neared, I read strategy only for the ones, I got wrong, or the ones I found difficult answering.
To tell the truth, I couldn't finish Peds, Psych, Pharm and some other sections on CD. Maybe that's y I kept getting ped questions.
Yeah like u said, do questions One system at a time and then U can practice the application and analysis, phsyiological (I'm not sure if they are repetitions or not) as I only practiced in content and system wise.
Well I did not pass. I pretty much knew that after I walked out of the testing center. Being out of town camping and relaxing with my family was a much needed break this weekend and the only thing that kept me sane.
I think that I spent too much time on content and not enough on doing questions. When I would take saunders tests and chapter reviews I usually got around 75% so I thought I was doing ok. I also think I rushed myself and tried to cram too much in too fast as I really wanted to be done studying. I want my life back.
So know I am trying to reformat my studying and come up with a new plan. The goal is to try again in early July.
I think I may look into Suzanne's plan. Any other suggestions or tips? I think I need to hit pharmacology more and work on SATA and priority questions. Does Kaplan have a lot of priority questions? It seems from the tests I have done with Saunders that they are more content based. What is good for priority, triage and meds?
I really want to get this done and need to find a way to pass this time around.
Hi amber i too did not pass the nclex exam..I was trembling the whole time..my anxious level was sky high and i think my focus that time was nowhere..so what we need right now is to relax.. im trying to forget that i took the nclex and prepare again for next struggle, this time will be more relax and focus on my weakest point. Last night i was so tired i slept early without praying..
hi amber! i'm so sorry to hear that. i know you would pass the next time:redpinkhe. don't loss hope. how did you know that you have failed? have you receive the letter? be strong! :)
I checked the quick results from Pearson Vue. I hope that the state sends out my information soon so I can see where I was weak on the test. Until then, I am going to reformat my study plan and come up with plan B. I am still determing how best to do that but I know that no matter what I decide to do (suzanne's plan, continue with Saunders, or start Kaplan's online) I need to do more questions.
I have found a sort of peace with it now that it has been a few days. (I think the only way I was able to do this was that I was out of town totally destressing this last weekend and the other posts on the board have been rather encouraging) In the end I believe it will make me a better nurse and a few additional months, in the scope of things, will not be that bad. If I had realized that in the beginning and not pushed myself so hard I might not be in this mess. Live and learn right?
I am just not sure how best to reapproach the material and start anew.
Well my letter from the state came today with information on how I did. (That came super fast considering I only took it last Thursday)
Well they broke it down into sections and then placed either above standard, near passing standard or below passing standard. While I did not get any above passing standard I also did not get any below passing. It appears that across the board with all the content I was near the passing standard.
At least I am not below on anything but I also know I need to strengthen every aspect. I guess like Suzanne said I need to study like this is the first time again to focus on all areas. I can retest in 45 days and I plan to knock this tests socks off when I go back. :typing
I plan to start step one of Suzanne's plan this weekend but am still debating on Kaplan. I am just not sure that saunder's questions are hard enough. Any tips and suggestions? I hope to take late June - early July. :bowingpur
I will keep you in my prayers!! Lord knows prayer REALLY worked for me! I know for a fact that I could not have passed without the help of God!
I took my first test in January 2008 and failed with 265 questions. I just took it again April 16, 2008, and PASSED with 265 questions!!! I took a different approach to studying the second time....and did a lot of praying!
It sounds like you've studied more than I certainly did (not that I didn't study my butt off, but being the procrastinator that I am, I didn't kick into gear with my studies until about 2 weeks before the exam)!! I just kept believing and had faith that God would help me pass! Just remember...God's timing is perfect...even if it's definitely NOT our timing (and we have to take the test twice).
I hate to keep rambling on, but I just want to make a point of God's timing!The day after I finally broke down and went online to find out my results I had an interview at a local hospital and was offered a position on 2 units. I chose renal (for the daytime hours) and not cardiac. Another amazing thing is that the "in-class" training part of my new job is 2 weeks long (which I can't miss any of) and will end the day before I had planned to go on vacation! They've already approved my time off for the vacation, but I was fully prepared to accept the fact that I wouldn't be able to go because of not being able to get out of the training but...God had other plans!! Everything has been falling right into place! The timing was perfect! Have faith in God's mighty plan!! I'll keep you in my prayers!
Ooops! I guess I should have kept reading! I just put up a post encouraging you about this test, but...I think the post is still relevant! It's all about God's timing!!
I was pretty discouraged going out of the testing center the second time having to have answered 265 questions again, but like I said...I kept believing & praying and having faith that God would help me pass!!
I've used Saunders before as well, but I have to say...I REALLLLY liked the F.A. Davis Company's NCLEX-RN Notes Core Review & Exam Prep by Barbara A Vitale. It's just like one of those little pocket-sized spiral bound RN Notes books. It even has a CD-ROM full of questions! Like I said, it REALLY helped me! I bought mine off ebay for about $12.
Good luck on your studies! Stay positive! And keep praying!! :)
I believe we all have to stay positive and true to our selves. After I saw that I didn't pass I feel like a failure. As I talked to some of my friends from nursing school that had passed the NCLEX the first time, they said they didn't pass because they knew the material. They passed b/c they just happened to guess right. They had no idea what the correct answers were. It made me feel a little better knowing it wasn't b/c I didn't know anything. Lets just keep our heads up and hope for the best the next time around. Didn't it take JFK jr. three times to pass the Bar? He was a very smart man. Just a thought to all of us who haven't passed YET!!
I believe we all have to stay positive and true to our selves. After I saw that I didn't pass I feel like a failure. As I talked to some of my friends from nursing school that had passed the NCLEX the first time, they said they didn't pass because they knew the material. They passed b/c they just happened to guess right. They had no idea what the correct answers were. It made me feel a little better knowing it wasn't b/c I didn't know anything. Lets just keep our heads up and hope for the best the next time around. Didn't it take JFK jr. three times to pass the Bar? He was a very smart man. Just a thought to all of us who haven't passed YET!!
I think your classmates are sooo right, my friend. That's exactly how I felt when I was taking the exam. I only knew the answers to maybe 2 or 3 questions out of the 97 that I got. There are some where you just have to think, but not overthink, but honestly, there are others that you cut it down to two definite answers and you must guess between the two. It's really nerve-wracking. So, keep studying and thinking the way the practice exams want you to think (especially Kaplan's rationales make a lot of sense) and you will pass. :)
:)
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Have faith in God's mighty plan!! I'll keep you in my prayers!
suzanne4, RN
26,410 Posts
Sorry to hear that you did not pass.
Recommend that you take a week or two and just let your brain relax and then you will be ready to get back into the thick of things. You do need to prepare as if you have never written the exam before, since the questions that you will be getting will be entirely different from what you had this past time.
The exam is not looking for things that you have already been tested on in school, but they want to know what you will be doing with the information that you have already learned. Try this approach when getting ready to prepare again. And it will focus on your weak points.