Too discouraged to try again

BlessmeGodwithNCLEX · Jan 25, 2009

don't loose hope. As in the same boat like you to pass NCLEX AND HAVE PATIENCE to get this lottery . u know one saying is " if others can get it you too will get it." don't give up. i know i failed this exam. but I WILL PASS THIS EXAM. one more thing. God will help me n others. without God blessings we won't be able to do anything. good luck.

feliz3 · Jan 26, 2009

hi you all,

i am sending this link sent to me from a friend who recently passed the nclex. i downloaded the information straight out of this link. it is helpful for it proves with many examples that passing the nclex is definitely not a lottery but a test designed for the takers to prove they possess specific skills. this link provides examples of how testing specific skills is done by the nclex question designers. i hope you find this information is useful.

best wishes to you all, feliz3

strategies for passing nclex

link to document:

[color=#003399]http://www.scribd.com/doc/7878844/tts4lanting?from_email_04_friend_send=1

USRN2Be · Jan 26, 2009

Same stOry! Same boat! I am just having a break for 6 months now. I am not giving up but I'll make sure I pass my NCLEX when I take it. :yeahthat:

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US! :wshgrt:

runnergal74 · Jan 26, 2009

I know it is frustrating. I did not pass NCLEX either. But...the people on here have been great and very supportive. I was recommended to try Suzannes plan and i am planning on it for the next test date.

Please dont give up! I had my ER director tell me that some of the best nurses he has ever worked with did not pass NCLEX the first..or even the second time. That several attempts were made. I have also spoke to many who were LPNs and PN prior to taking the exam and believe that being in the field makes it more difficult to pass sometimes because we think more hands on...rather than textbook. Just a thought....

But please..dont give up. I know its hard and frustrating. Stay positive!

brendalee505 · Jan 27, 2009

Dear fellow student,
I am "on the same boat" for lack of a better descriptor to our situation, my friend; however, whenever I think of what I learned each time I have taken the NCLEX, the image I see of myself, believe or not, it is encouraging. I have failed it four times. I have postponed retaking the NCLEX as many times as I have taken it and failed it. Something I have not stopped doing is studying for the NCLEX, though. You must understand that in life we may have to take time to pause, perhaps, you are going through that stage. Do not rush to retake the NCLEX if you do not feel ready for it. You may have to take time to pause...yes, do so if you must, but keep reviewing what you have learned. How did you do the last time you took the NCLEX? That question is for you to answer to yourself by analyzing the performance review you received from the BON. Study that document for it is telling you what you need to know and to improve in order to pass it the next time you take it. If you had sections that were below the passing standard start studying those sections first, next move on to the ones that you were near passing standard and review the sections which you were above passing standards. I have learned to love my private collection of failing letters I received from the Board of Nursing of my area because those letters show me a remarkable improvement on the way I am approaching the preparation to take the NCLEX. The last time I took the NCLEX I was close to pass it. I answered 265 questions which had never happened before for prior to that occasion I answered 75 questions and the test ended. I was hopeful and encouraged when I saw the test continued bringing up questions for me past the 75th question. To be honest with you, I am willing to answer 1,000 if that is what I have to do in order to become a registered nurse. I was above passing standards in one section and near passing standards on the rest. Now, that I discovered Suzanne's first step of her plan I am even more encouraged. Do not see the letters telling you that you failed the test as personal failure but as feedback. Those letters are telling you what to learn in order to pass. When you go to retake the NCLEX do not go with the attitude of "there we go, again." Go with a "clean slate" as if you were taking the NCLEX for the first time. When you pass it and on the market for employment, your employer is not going to ask you how many times you took the NCLEX, anyway. Therefore, do not compare yourself with other people you perceive successful for they did not have to take the NCLEX as many times you had or do not seem to study as much as you had and they pass it, anyway. Ask to yourself in what way that thought helps you to reach your goal. Stay focused on what you want which is getting your license. ATTITUDE IS OF THE ESSENCE. Believe or not the NCLEX makers have designed the test student friendly. They want you to pass, and for sure passing the NCLEX it is not a lottery even if at times you may feel it is so. Passing the NCLEX takes specific skills. I believe, once we understand the process, the skills learned are going to be useful no only for helping us to get our license, but will also help us on analyzing complex situations beyond the NCLEX setting with a new important and useful tool: critical thinking
Best, feliz3

Thank you for your messsage. I feel the same way as you described. Every time it's made me stronger and stronger. I will not give up and I will keep trying. It is very frustrating but I will keep a positive attitude. I have a lot of support with my fellow co-workers. We will perserver and keep marching!

Keep studying and praying......

brendalee505 · Jan 27, 2009

I know it is frustrating. I did not pass NCLEX either. But...the people on here have been great and very supportive. I was recommended to try Suzannes plan and i am planning on it for the next test date.
Please dont give up! I had my ER director tell me that some of the best nurses he has ever worked with did not pass NCLEX the first..or even the second time. That several attempts were made. I have also spoke to many who were LPNs and PN prior to taking the exam and believe that being in the field makes it more difficult to pass sometimes because we think more hands on...rather than textbook. Just a thought....
But please..dont give up. I know its hard and frustrating. Stay positive!

I would also like to try suzanne's plan. Please keep me posted how it is working for you. Hang in there......

Jazzy_nurse_SF · Jan 27, 2009

I am in the same boat as many of you, but hate to admit, I am in the worse. I have been out of school for almost 4 years now, and have been sitting for the exam since 2005. So, the painful part is, is that the longer I wait, the harder. But getting to review the material all over again, becomes overwhelming, and when I get discouraged, I come here to find the strength. But i need to find the strength within myself to find out how I can conquer this wall before me. I have been in healthcare for over 15 years now, and my dream is to be a RN. But the difficult part is passing this exam. I don't know how to relax and gain the study skills that is necessary to pass this exam. I look forward to testing again, and I know it will happen soon. I wish all of you luck, and know that if not now, we will get there.

USRN2Be · Jan 27, 2009

I think all we have to do is be strong whenever we pass or fail. I know it isn't that easy to pass NCLEX. I also graduated last 2006 and also belonged to the upper 40% students during my college years. I also took the exams twice but the worst thing I saw when I received that brown envelope is my scores were all BELOW AVERAGE! :confused: I felt so dumb and don't know how to face people who keeps bugging me if I already made it or not. I took the exam once every year since I am working full time 5x/wk. I sometimes lost interest with taking it again but I am just telling myself about the economy. Every page of the book I read counts and thats what matters most. Even if I feel tired or lazy, I study even for an hour for me not to waste time. Clock is ticking and I need to be a RN. :doh:

It maybe hard but we have to stay positive! It may not be our time yet! Who knows, we may be the next REGISTERED NURSES! :roll

jjjoy, LPN · Jan 27, 2009

I'd agree that the NCLEX doesn't reflect one's nursing knowledge or even relevant critical thinking skills. It may test some critical thinking skills... like deciding when to pay less attention to the content of the question and instead picking apart a question and the answer choices to see if the verbs match up or not... or not assuming that when the question asks what would you do FIRST in a given situation that you would've already quickly ascertained if the patient was blue and not breathing.

But it's the way it is and that's what you've got to deal with. Do LOTS of practice questions. I don't think there's any substitute for that. I did better when I let go of the idea that the "best" answer was objectively the best. The "best" answer is whatever the test writer decided it would be. They wrote the question and the answers with what they considered to be key elements in determining why one answer was better than another.

I remember reading the rationales for the "best" answer, looking up other resources, and totally disagreeing that the correct answer was in fact best. But you don't get to defend your "wrong" answers and if you want a nursing license, you have to deal with those quirky questions. So practice, practice, practice. Assuming that you've already got the basics down from having passed nursing school, studying to pass the NCLEX has less to do with nursing knowledge and more to do with test-taking strategies.

Good luck in your pursuits!

USRN2Be · Jan 27, 2009

Thanks so much!:heartbeat

Jazzy_nurse_SF · Jan 27, 2009

I think all we have to do is be strong whenever we pass or fail. I know it isn't that easy to pass NCLEX. I also graduated last 2006 and also belonged to the upper 40% students during my college years. I also took the exams twice but the worst thing I saw when I received that brown envelope is my scores were all BELOW AVERAGE! I felt so dumb and don't know how to face people who keeps bugging me if I already made it or not. I took the exam once every year since I am working full time 5x/wk. I sometimes lost interest with taking it again but I am just telling myself about the economy. Every page of the book I read counts and thats what matters most. Even if I feel tired or lazy, I study even for an hour for me not to waste time. Clock is ticking and I need to be a RN. :doh:
It maybe hard but we have to stay positive! It may not be our time yet! Who knows, we may be the next REGISTERED NURSES! :roll

Thank you for your input, and I know it's not easy. After what I wrote, I never would have thought that I was not the only one that has been through such a similar situation. I just have to stay focused, but when one has been done with school, one starts to lose hope, and considered as a fallen nurse, because I feel like I lost my way after graduation in preparing for the exam and one of the few out of that 85% who didn't make it. And still in the same shoes, and need to get out of these shoes and find my way on the other side. I commend you all for picking up the pieces and trying again. And thank you all for the encouragement in telling your stories. We will make it, I know it. I hear about a few of you who have tested after 6 or 7 times, and then make it, so I know it is possible. I just have to continue on with my faith. :wink2:

USRN2Be · Jan 27, 2009

You're welcome! :wink2: