Stopped at 75 questions. Passed NCLEX-RN. PVT still works! :-D

iamerose · Jun 21, 2014

Hello everyone,

I promised myself that if I pass the exam, I will post something here. I have been reading a lot from this site since the beginning of this year, and the posts I have read really helped me!

I live outside the United States. Graduated in 2010. I took the local board exam that same year and passed. I decided to take NCLEX-RN last year, 2013. So, I applied on February 2013 and I patiently waited for 10 long months for them to verify my documents. I started reviewing August 2013 but it was difficult as I also work full time. I studied when I have the urge to do so or when I felt anxious about not passing the exam.

On January 2014, I submitted my application to the state where I'd like to work, and I received the notification that I can sit for NCLEX the following month. I got my ATT in April, and took the exam on June 17, 2014. After eight hours, I tried the PVT trick and got a good pop-up. It showed "Our records indicate that you have recently scheduled this exam. Another registration cannot be made at this time." I tried it multiple times just to make sure that it won't redirect me to the credit card page. LOL! I kept on checking the BON website and tadaaaaa, I found out yesterday that I passed. So, yeah, the PVT worked for me! Yipee!

Here's how I passed in 75 questions:

I did not enroll in the Kaplan Review Course because that's expensive for me. But, many people say that it's worth every penny. It's all up to you! hehe. I did "self-study" and I used the following books:

>>>Saunders NCLEX-RN review (4th edition) for content and the CD for questions and rationales

Make sure that you read each rationale that you encounter. Sometimes, I would write them down and review my notes before I go to sleep. I used to bring my notebooks, I have two by the way, when I go to the office and read them during breaks. If I don't understand one disease process fully, I would go back to my Medical-Surgical textbooks and again write them down. Do not just memorize the signs and symptoms. The key here is to understand "why" does this disease manifest with this and that signs and symptoms. Also, I learned from my professor back in College that repetition helps, sort of like exercising your brain using the same information for some time Hehe! So that's what I did. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT and it became easier for me to recall the information that I need.

>>>Lippincott's NCLEX Q&A

I wasn't able to complete all the chapters of this book. The questions here, for me, were more difficult than the actual NCLEX questions. But if you want to practice answering questions, this book was helpful too!

>>>NCLEX 3500

I read from a blog that this is free, so I searched all over the internet and it was easy to locate. You know what to do! :-D

I answered each alternate item format question and did a couple of questions for the body systems I'm poor at. Great resource too! I used to access this at the office, during break time!

>>>LaCharity's PDA

THIS HELPED ME A LOT. I so loved this book! I finished the first 18 chapters, I think, and covered the first few case studies. I actually repeated answering the first 18 chapters a week before the exam just to refresh my mind. The questions, however, were far more difficult than the NCLEX questions. But if you want to be prepared for prioritization and delegation questions, I would recommend you to read this book.

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Five days before my exam, I went to different churches to pray. Don't forget to pray. And remember, you did your part, God will do the rest. Just believe in Him. Ask and it will be given to you.

Two days before my exam, I browsed Saunders to see if I missed to study something. And when I saw one, I did a quick read and moved on to the next pages.

Ooops, and please don't forget to memorize your laboratory values. A day before my exam, I prayed as soon as I woke up. Went to the mall with a friend and enjoyed my day. I mean, just do whatever you like, watch TV, swim, do what relaxes you the most. I went to bed early and had a good night sleep.

On the day of the exam, I prayed, had a good breakfast, came to the testing center 2 hours prior to my appointment. I reviewed the stuff I wrote in my notebooks, took sips of coffee, emptied my bladder. I went to the testing center after an hour, and prayed even harder during, before and after the exam. The questions that were given to me were straightforward, but the options were confusing. There were some that I wasn't able to cover during my review period, so I just prayed, hoping that God will guide to make an educated guess and guide my hand to choose the right answer.

I got about 10 SATA, 5-10 priority questions, 2 math calculations, 1 drag and drop and the rest multiple choice questions. The computer stopped at 75 and I was shocked. I felt unsure if I passed or not. But honestly, throughout the exam, I felt so light. I called my dad after I left the testing center and he kept on telling me that I passed. Then, before I went to bed, I did the PVT trick and got the GOOD POP-UP. I checked the BON site yesterday and my license was already posted! So, no need for me to utilize the quick results. I was soooo happpy! It was so hard to study and work at the same time. Studying for 3-4 hours a day felt like it was never enough to pass, but I made it!

Believe in yourself. Believe that God will help you.

Have a great day everyone. :-D

Iamerose, R.N.

P.S. If you have questions, feel free to reach out. :-D