So I decided I really didn't want to study for the NCLEX. When I heard you can just take it again, I thought: brilliant. I'll just give it a shot and see if I can do it. If not, I'll disillusion myself of what the test is not and I'll study a bit each day for the next month or so.
Luckily, I don't need to be working right this second, and I'm not in an embarrassing situation where employers are waiting on me to pass.
Wondering if anyone else decided to give it a whirl without studying.
My experience today:
I started out thinking, "Hey, these aren't so bad. Not so bad at all." But by question 50 I was quite ready to be done.
I have a hard time staying interested in tests. Mostly, I think, because they don't scare me, and they certainly don't interest me. I simply find them boring.
Having heard the test could end at question 75, I had high hopes. Real high hopes. These soon turned out to be hopes made of wishful thinking. Question 76 arrived. Then 77...99...110....150...180...I soon realized the test was on to me and I wouldn't be let go until I'd received every delicious question it had to offer.
Around question 240 I seriously just wanted to walk away, it was becoming so tedious. 265. Finally. Test ended. Whew. That's a lot of questions if you're not used to that kind of question load. Took me five hours. I didn't take any breaks because I didn't want to run out of time.
I've since learned you can run out of time and it will just look at your last 60 questions. I also learned that there is no way for the test taker to know whether he/she passed based on how many questions they received.
While I doubt I passed, I honestly have no idea. The fact is, the test kept giving me questions...so I was hovering somewhere around certainty--either just below, or just above. It was basically five hours of guessing.
Oh well. I'll either be very pleased I don't have to study for that test, or I'll frown for a second, laugh, and start going over some questions (and memorizing some lab values, etc.). I think I'd start with that "random fact" thread, only because it seems way more fun to read than actual practice questions.
But if I DID pass, I think it would be really funny. I think the ability to retake the test in 45 days is so generous. I wish I'd just taken the test right away, after graduating, instead of vacationing for a few weeks doing nothing. Then I could be even closer to my second test date. I'm telling my fellow students (who can afford the testing fee x 2) to just take it now and see if they manage--again, if they can afford the time off/fees.
Different strokes for different folks.
Oh yeah--I also had a classmate do this today. We just decided to do it the other day and signed up for the first available test. She scored a 75 (argh, so lucky to be done so quickly, either way) and was out of there.
congratulations!!!!!!:yeah::yeah: i sooo proud of you that you passed the nclex-rn exam.:redpinkhe you must be soooo relieved, keep on praying for the rest to pass!
:bow:Congrats Threx:yeah:....that is the most amazing story. I read this thread to help me relax from my test taking anxiety. I have changed my testing date three times...now there is no more time left. I take my test on Monday October 6.Today, after reading this thread, I say that whatever happens will happen. I was in the same boat as you...I waited a long time before I decided to pick up a book. I have been reviewing (because there is nothing that I can really study) for the test for about two weeks. I will not beat myself up over this. Either I know it or I don't. What happened to the young man that started this thread...HAVE U PASSED OR WHAT??????:argue:
Algernon, I gotta be honest, when I first read your thread, I thought "What an idiot!!" :omy: Why would anyone not study? This is really important!! But I need to apologize because, it's just a test. It does cost a lot, but it's just a test. The job we do as nurses is not defined by this test. But our attitudes do define us and I need to change mine. :cool:I have taken this thing twice & my new test date is Nov 21. I just pray I have the courage that you do to walk into this thing this time with the right attitude. I was so stressed the last time, I got sick. So good luck to you and thanks for reminding us that it's just a test, relax, and we can take it again....no biggie. You have no idea how hard that was to get out!!!!!! I can't believe I just said it's no biggie.....what a weird feeling!!!!
Let us know when you get your passing results!! LOL
"So good luck to you and thanks for reminding us that it's just a test, relax, and we can take it again....no biggie."
Not meaning to bust your bubble here but I can't believe you would actually feel that way after going through nursing school and taking the the NCLEX 2 times.
Akanini, let me tell you, it's SOOO hard to stay positive and to get motivated to study AGAIN. But I want to do this more than anything and I, or any repeat testers, can't let this get me down. This last time I failed, it was really hard to pick myself up & keep going. But with all the support I have received on here from people who actually understand and relate to the frustration, I just told myself that failing this test doesn't make me a bad nurse. Real world nursing is SOOO different from what we read in the book. Yes, we need to know what we are doing and to be safe doing it. Just because I do not test well doesn't mean that I will not be a good nurse. THAT is what keeps me going.
You didn't burst my bubble...I actually felt really weird saying it was no biggie because this is the most important thing to me, to become a nurse. Failing this test is just another bump in the road and just one more thing to prepare me to be the best nurse I can be. Really weird, I know, but I have to think that way or I would have given up the first time I failed.
Good luck with your studies!!! Stay positive, that's the only way to get through this!!:loveya:
Akanini, let me tell you, it's SOOO hard to stay positive and to get motivated to study AGAIN. But I want to do this more than anything and I, or any repeat testers, can't let this get me down. This last time I failed, it was really hard to pick myself up & keep going. But with all the support I have received on here from people who actually understand and relate to the frustration, I just told myself that failing this test doesn't make me a bad nurse. Real world nursing is SOOO different from what we read in the book. Yes, we need to know what we are doing and to be safe doing it. Just because I do not test well doesn't mean that I will not be a good nurse. THAT is what keeps me going.
You didn't burst my bubble...I actually felt really weird saying it was no biggie because this is the most important thing to me, to become a nurse. Failing this test is just another bump in the road and just one more thing to prepare me to be the best nurse I can be. Really weird, I know, but I have to think that way or I would have given up the first time I failed.
Good luck with your studies!!! Stay positive, that's the only way to get through this!!:loveya:
Hello luv'nlife068,
You ARE NOT ALONE! Remember this NCLEX-RN exam is just a measure and does not determine what kind of nurse you will be out on the floor. Remember each time you study you need to look at what you have done before and CHANGE IT UP!:wink2: We will all beat this exam but GOD is the only one who knows why some are challenged harder than others. Think very positive of yourself during your journey of studying because it's temporary. Many people have suggested Suzanne's Plan to me so it's worth checking into if you have not. Pick a bible verse that you like and put it on an index card so you can see this and say it everyday before you study. It will help and don't forget to do things for yourself.:redpinkhe
....that is the most amazing story. I read this thread to help me relax from my test taking anxiety. I have changed my testing date three times...now there is no more time left. I take my test on Monday October 6.Today, after reading this thread, I say that whatever happens will happen. I was in the same boat as you...I waited a long time before I decided to pick up a book. I have been reviewing (because there is nothing that I can really study) for the test for about two weeks. I will not beat myself up over this. Either I know it or I don't. 
What happened to the young man that started this thread...HAVE U PASSED OR WHAT??????:argue:
But I want to do this more than anything and I, or any repeat testers, can't let this get me down. This last time I failed, it was really hard to pick myself up & keep going. 
But with all the support I have received on here from people who actually understand and relate to the frustration, I just told myself that failing this test doesn't make me a bad nurse. Real world nursing is SOOO different from what we read in the book. Yes, we need to know what we are doing and to be safe doing it. Just because I do not test well doesn't mean that I will not be a good nurse. THAT is what keeps me going. 
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determinedgal1
337 Posts
hello threx,
congratulations!!!!!!
:yeah:
:yeah:
i sooo proud of you that you passed the nclex-rn exam.:redpinkhe you must be soooo relieved, keep on praying for the rest to pass!