What are your post NCLEX feelings?

[RNDickey]

I just took my NCLEX exam this last Tuesday and I left feeling terrible. I put a lot of time into studying for this exam using Kaplan, which everyone rants and raves about. When the day came I didn't feel ready but I knew I would never feel ready. Many people in my class had already taken the exam and posted all over Facebook about the exciting news of passing. I talked to many of these people and asked things like how many SATA did you get, was the exam similar to Kaplan, did you find it easier or more difficult than Kaplan and it seemed people had thought it was easier than Kaplan and received around 20-25 SATA in a 75Q exam. Knowing all of this I went in thinking, "I've studied for this, I know this stuff". My exam ended up consisting mainly of SATA questions and random content that was not nursing implementation or covered in Kaplan. It all seemed irrelevant to determining someone's competency. When I was reading the exam instructions I could feel my anxiety going crazy but once I was 3 questions in it went away. I was so dumb founded by the questions being asked that I thought to myself, "well, here goes everything... just answer the questions." As the test went on I became more angry with every SATA question. I mean, everyone else only had 25 why was I getting an outrageous amount? I remember it feeling so unfair that I was getting these difficult questions while everyone else had an "easier" exam. I wasn't even able to count how many SATA i ended up with. When the computer screen shut off at 75Q I just stared at it and thought to myself, "No... this can't be the end of the exam. I didn't know anything. Give me more questions I know I can do this." I left that exam feeling angry, sad, and like a complete failure. I sat in my car and cried for 15 minutes before I felt like driving home. I called a friend and shared my feelings of failure and sadness. She reassured me this was normal and that many people who feel this way do end up passing. I just couldn't imagine how I could pass the exam when I only confidently answered 1 out of 75 questions. Although, post NCLEX is the worst I have ever felt to date I somehow ended up passing. I am excited that I passed but I also feel a twinge of bitterness for having to go through something so emotionally challenging and impacting to the point that the content of the exam is now a blur. Did anyone else have feelings of inadequacy and defeat after the NCLEX?

[NurseOfTheLittlePeople, BSN, RN]

I absolutely experienced the same feelings that you did! I was terrified that I had passed - I felt as though I hadn't answered anything correctly save for a few questions and the number SATA only increased my anxiety. To be honest, it was the 48 hours of waiting that really had my nervousness through the roof and I just didn't understand why the state took so long to give me my results. But I ended up passing, too! I think this is definitely common.

[hopetopassnclex]

Hi Congrats on your success. But do you mean the questions you got were not what you were thought in school or you have never come across that type of questions before?