rn nclex failure x2

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jul 16, 2014

usually 45 days to resit however I would not suggest he rushes to resit the exam. My suggestion is take a short break (up to or more than 7 days) and then look at a study plan that he feels comfortable with. I found setting aside 2 hours every night, when I worked and 4 hours when I didn't work to study questions and reading the rationale. My husband made sure I had no distractions and if the phone rang or someone at the door he dealt with them

RN403, BSN, RN · Jul 16, 2014

I agree with the above post about taking some time off from studying before getting back at it. Just a suggestion, when your husband does his practice questions it might be a good idea to "simulate" the testing experience. Can he practice questions from a CD on the computer? Maybe "simulating" what the testing setting is like will help him get more comfortable with answering questions in that manner and might help him when it comes to actually taking the exam again.

Best of Luck to him, many have passed after several attempts and he can too.

avidhunter3 · Jul 16, 2014

He has been using the herst review on computer...is capellan any better??

jdl1982 · Jul 16, 2014

I would suggest that he doesnt limit himself to one or two different Nclex study companies. I used Hurst (Book), Kaplan (the book, cost like 40 bucks), Ohmans (Book), Nclex3500 (Free), PRep U (like 80 I think), NCBSN (50$) and anything else I could get my hands on. I Know morale is low right now but he'll get through this. What helped me pass was simply doing practice questions from all of those resources I listed above. I did about 7500 practice questions before I sat the Nclex. I read rationales, did my best to get comfortable with alternate format, and tried really hard to learn how to decipher WHAT the question was really asking.

I will break down some of the resources I used and how they helped me, so maybe that will help you too?

Hurst/Ohmans was good for Reviewing fundamentals, and things to keep in mind when reading a question, also HOW to read the question. I did not find the questions really hard.

NClex3500 was awesome because it let you customize your testing experience. If you want 100 Alt format you can do it, Only Analysis? you can do it, and it can help you assess where your weaknesses are. The ability to test Only on alt format is HUGE.

Prep U was like NClex3500 but not free. It was more questions, had alt format mixed in, and helped build experience testing. Rationales were pretty thorough.

Kaplan had some challenging questions, Very nclex like in their difficulty I feel, and rationales were well thought out. I never did the course (didnt have 500$ to shell out lol) but the book was well worth it imho.

NCBSN was HARD. These questions in my opinion were brutal. 50 bucks for 3 weeks but it was VERY thorough. When I started the course i got like 40-50s on the question banks. When I finished i got 60s-70s. It was 50 bucks but I felt getting bombarded by really challenging questions was worth it. My nclex (cause its different for everyone) was in the difficulty range somewhere between Kaplan and NCBSN.

I swear the NClex is more about reading comprehension and looking between the lines than anything else lol. He can do it, he got into nursing school, he got out of nursing school, this is the last step. Just tell him to relax, do his practice questions, and he'll be fine.

Larry3373 · Jul 16, 2014

Tell him to look up David Woodruff (ed4nurses channel) on YouTube. He has some very in depth and thorough video lectures that are free on YouTube. Personally I find youtube.com to be an excellent resource. He also has a website where you can buy his courses which include his audio CDs.

RN403, BSN, RN · Jul 16, 2014

He has been using the herst review on computer...is capellan any better??

Kaplan may be better for answering practice questions. Hurst's questions seemed to be based off of their content only and seemed a lot easier than NCLEX questions. Practicing harder questions may help him prepare better for boards.

There are many threads about Kaplan here on the site that may be helpful to your husband in making a decision. What works for one person may not work for the other.

avidhunter3 · Jul 16, 2014

Thanks! He said at this point he doesnt even know what areas he is weak in...

avidhunter3 · Jul 17, 2014

so for those of you that failed, what did you think helped you when you were finally successful??

Mar010891 · Jul 17, 2014

I believe it's 45 days. I suggest Kaplan because it's HARDER than the NCLEX. My last three questions were very SIMILAR to Kaplan. Differently worded question and answers, but the same content area. I love Kaplan and SWEAR by them. Best 500 dollars spent and wound do it again. I also used Saunders because it was a nice refresher. Only did the questions, not the content. NCLEX is questions, therefore he should practice QUESTIONS. I thought it was crazy at first, but it really does work!

My Study Method

I took the Kaplan 4 day course. After the course I did questions EVERY SINGLE DAY before my exam. After I did anywhere between 120-250 questions, I would go to my waitress job. I did this for about 6 weeks. I went back and forth between Kaplan, Saunders, and LaCharity. I completed 91% of the Kaplan qbank with all 7 question trainers completed, 44 chapters in Saunders (questions only), and 13 chapters in LaCharity. Don't worry about the test scores, but read every RATIONAL and understand why you got it wrong. If I didn't understand or remember the subject, I went back to my Med-Surg books. (the only ones I actually kept and bought). No questions after work. My brain was fried. Find a time during the day that he is most receptive. All together I did about 3,500 questions to prepare.

The day before the test I did NO questions. I went to the mall with my friends and got a massage. RELAX the day before. On test day I said a prayer when I woke up, before I touched the computer, and many times during the test. It helped decrease my test anxiety.

You could also try to find a certified NCSBN tutor on top of studying on your own. I really hope this helps. Don't quit!

dbrenda1510 · Jul 17, 2014

Please tell your husband that there are many who know exactly how he is feeling. He should be able to retest in 45 days from the date he receives his 3rd ATT letter. I used Hurst for the 2nd test and since I was unsuccessful they are providing a remedial review. Tell your husband to contact them. I've been provided with over 800 review questions on the materials that were covered in the book and live review. These questions are more in depth. They also provide a outlined study program extending over a 6 week period. He definitely needs to take a week or so and just regroup. Tell him he didn't go through the two years of RN school hell to give up now so get his big boy pants back on and get this thing done. :-) He is not alone and we can do this. Remind him that applications will not be asking how many times he took the NCLEX so he's just got to get through this one last thing and go be the best RN he can be to as many patients as he can! Please wish him good luck from me and from all of us who have fought our way to become RN's and those of us who are still in the fight as well. :-)

PedsHopeful · Jul 17, 2014

Tell him to do Kaplan. Their diagnostic test can help tell him where he needs work at. Also look at the Lacharity Prioritization book which is excellent practice for those types of questions.