Scheduled to take the NCLEX today but denied because of inappropriate identification???

[wonderbrah]

So I couldn't find my wallet with my driver's license in it this morning. So I panicked and grabbed my passport which is yes, government issued, has my picture, name but did not have my signature, unbeknownst to me. When I presented my ID to the NLCEX lady (program coordinator I think she is called) she said this is not signed and therefore not valid. She said I can go home and get another form of ID within 30 minutes. So I went back to my seat and promptly took a black pen and signed my passport, which is something that should have been done a long time ago but alas was not, since I have never had to use it before. So I represented the passport which again, had my name, picture, and now my signature which should therefore make it valid for all intents and purposes. But the lady then said to me, "oh no, because you signed without me witnessing it, I still can't accept it". Thinking that's odd but still going along with what she was saying and trying to appease her, I said "okay, I'll put a strike though my signature and resign it in your presence so you can see." She then said "no, if you do that then your passport will become invalid and you will have to get another one." I sit down for a minute and tried Googling if this was true and found out according to multiple resources that it was not and tried to explain this to her but she was not having it. This was all taking place 15-20 minutes before the scheduled examination time mind you. So I'm basically **** out of luck because in my opinion this lady had a stick up her ass and did not like me for some reason and denied my entrance even though I had proper identification. I lost $200 today and now have to pay another $200, wait for my authorization email again which could take months and then finally reschedule a new test date. I am just beyond livid at my situation that I found myself in today and do not know want to do. I spoke to Pearson, there support line and they gave me case number and will talk to this lady tomorrow to gather more information but it sounds like they will not be able to do anything and the Nclex lady has the ultimate say in who gets to take the test regardless of whether you have proper identification or not. I also spoke to someone from NCSB who seemed much more helpful and told me to write a detailed email to him about what happened which I did and that he would try to resolve this issue for me tomorrow. So my fingers are crossed but I just cannot believe at the events that unfolded. If the verdict in my case does not go in my favor I honestly am thinking about contacting a lawyer.

[rnhopeful82, ASN, RN]

Your lady gave you a chance and time to go home and get your wallet. Why didn't you just do that? Seems like a better use of time than trying to beat the system and googling

[elkpark]

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Well at least she gave you multiple attempts at procuring whatever valid ID she needed and even let you drive home. My lady only gave me once chance and I was turned away. If you accidentally give them a credit card or something as your primary ID this means that they can turn you away as it doesn't meet their acceptable identification criteria, even if you have a valid driver's license in your pocket ready to give them, they may turn you away for mistakenly giving them the wrong one first!

She didn't give you a second chance after you altered the passport you brought with you as ID. I wouldn't have accepted that, either. I'm sure that if, after she saw the passport wasn't signed, you had said, "Oh, wait, I do have my driver's license after all," and pulled it out of your pocket, she wouldn't have turned you away. Ditto if you had taken advantage of her offer of 30 minutes to go home and get the proper ID.

I would consider this a "lesson learned" and move on. You're going to encounter many more similarly frustrating situations in your nursing career. Following the rules/policies/procedure as written is important, even when it doesn't necessarily seem so to you, and trying to come up with your own workaround is often going to backfire on you.

Best wishes!

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Do you not get the fact that I had proper ID? A passport is an officially accepted form of identification. The only issue is that it wasn't signed when I was called up. I represented the proper form of identification with signature included on my passport within the allotted 30 minute time period I was given. Please show me a testing center policy that says a passport signature must be witnessed by the TA.

Do you not get the fact that your passport was not signed and therefore invalid? Even if you sat down and signed it there, the fact remains it could have been someone else's passport.

[Ruixi13, BSN, RN]

I used to work for an airline, and we would just make people sign their passports at the airport if they had not signed it yet beforehand. There is no rule that someone has to witness the signature take place. If the passport was pre-signed at home nobody would have witnessed this signature anyway.

Also I think if the woman would have accepted the passport if it had been signed in front of her, she should have declared that from the get-go.

[Kallie3006, ADN]

You would think that if she was going to accept the passport in the end she would have handed OP a pen and had it signed then. Given the fact that the passport wasnt signed and therefore to go by the website rules, the secondary ID must have been presented with a signature.

[Neo Soldier, BSN, RN]

Sometimes the lack of empathy here is a little frustrating.

I hope you get some closure after you call tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your experience. This is something I'm sure most (especially people who don't travel out of the US) take for granted.

[Sherlsx3]

I personally believe the lady was in the wrong . Her saying that she can't accept your passport because she didn't witness you sign it is dumb because if that was the case .. if all you had to do was sign it in front of her so she can accept it as identification, why would she send you home to get another form of identification knowing this? She should have told you to sign it so you could test. I would be just as upset as you were .

[Neo Soldier, BSN, RN]

Do you not get the fact that your passport was not signed and therefore invalid? Even if you sat down and signed it there, the fact remains it could have been someone else's passport.

So the lack of a signature invalidates a passport in its entirety? Even one that was eventually signed by the owner, and has the owner's picture.

[Peloome]

There is no law, i believe, that says some kind of person has to be there when you sign your passport. I also did not sign my passport until about 2 yrs later when I realized there was actually a space asking for signature, I did it in the comfort of my home. What matters is your name, picture and all other relevant information on the source of identification.

[oops I bradyed again]

I used to work for an airline, and we would just make people sign their passports at the airport if they had not signed it yet beforehand. There is no rule that someone has to witness the signature take place. If the passport was pre-signed at home nobody would have witnessed this signature anyway.

Also I think if the woman would have accepted the passport if it had been signed in front of her, she should have declared that from the get-go.

I recently took my NCLEX and while there is no rule someone has to witness you sign your passport, there is a rule that the ID you present must already be signed. Part of the check-in process and verifying test takers' identity is having them sign their signature on a pad. If the OP's passport was not already signed upon arrival to the testing center, they have no way of verifying her signature.

[wonderbrah]

Your lady gave you a chance and time to go home and get your wallet. Why didn't you just do that? Seems like a better use of time than trying to beat the system and googling

I couldn't find my wallet. You don't think I tried to find it the night before and the morning of the test? Going home would have wasted time and I only had 30 minutes. The drive alone there and back is over 30 minutes.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

I couldn't find my wallet. You don't think I tried to find it the night before and the morning of the test? Going home would have wasted time and I only had 30 minutes. The drive alone there and back is over 30 minutes.

I hope you are not driving around without your driver's license. That could land you in some serious trouble.