Why does NCLEX make you feel like a failure then lets you know you passed?

GrummRN · Jul 20, 2006

Amen, amen and amen!!! I felt like I knew one answer on the test, felt like an absolute failure and why did I waste money and time in nursing school....3 days later, I was an RN!!! Still pinching myself....

Adria, RN · Nov 2, 2006

I passed the NCLEX in October and I was relieved...75 questions and only being sure of 4 or 5. I agree with everyone else that replied and said they were so unsure of passing and actually thinking they failed! My friend took it like 2 weeks before me and she felt the same exact way...almost crying on the phone when we talked. I guess this feeling of having failed the test happens to a lot of people but most of us actually end up passing.

dijaqrn · Nov 3, 2006

We all ( my classmates) felt ill after the NCLEX. The way the computer goes to a blank screen is terrifying! Just try to remember that the select all that apply, delegation and prioritizing questions are said to be more difficult and you WANT these questions on your exam. The higher degree of difficulty means you are probably above the passing standard!!!!!!!!! Good luck!:balloons:

zahryia, LPN · Nov 4, 2006

Hmm, do you want the scientific answer? There's a method called Item Response Theory and what it does is it attempts to statisically outsmart the 'guessers'.

So if you have a really short test, it either means you're really smart or really ...I won't say.

If you happen to be one of those who has to answer all the questions, it means that you did not answer all the questions of a certain difficultly consistently, therefore it senses that you guessed some of the questions correctly, and therefore it asks you even more questions of the same difficulty until 'it' is satisfied that you really know your stuff.

BTW, as we all know, just because you've aced an exam doesn't make you neccesarily smart, you can be an excellent test taker. I say that to say there are many who have failed their NCLEX one or two times and they're really good nurses.

Mission · Nov 15, 2006

I am a horrible test taker so I had a lot of anxiety going into the exam. It took me over two hours to get through the first 75 questions because I was so worried about reading the questions incorrectly that I would re-read them like 5-6 times. Also, at one point, the database had to be restarted and I had to sit in the waiting room for a nerve-racking 20 minutes before I could finish the test. Anyway, you can save yourself the anxiety of waiting 2 days or whatever for results if you can remember the last question you answered, if you got it wrong you failed, if you got it right you passed. I wasn't feeling all that confident about how I was doing but I knew I got the last question right before the exam shut off (8 weeks on a post-partum floor at a hospital with 75%+ c-section rate and there was no way I was getting a question about incentive spirometers wrong)...now if I could only find a job.

Also, about Kaplan...I think their is great for someone, like myself, who needs help with test taking strategies, but they're practice questions are not so great and can make you feel really insecure. I thought the lippincott questions were a lot better and closer to what I found on the nclex.

Mamangs · Dec 9, 2006

We all ( my classmates) felt ill after the NCLEX. The way the computer goes to a blank screen is terrifying! Just try to remember that the select all that apply, delegation and prioritizing questions are said to be more difficult and you WANT these questions on your exam. The higher degree of difficulty means you are probably above the passing standard!!!!!!!!! Good luck!:balloons:

Hi. I just took the NCLEX yesterday, Dec 8, 2006. My computer shut off at 75 questions. And from then on I felt really bad. Feeling that I would flunk. I got 6 select all that apply and 1 computation questions. And upon reading your post somehow I felt relieved. But I have to wait 2-4 weeks for my results since I am a foreign educated nurse. I just have to wait til then, not knowing what to think.

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2006

We all ( my classmates) felt ill after the NCLEX. The way the computer goes to a blank screen is terrifying! Just try to remember that the select all that apply, delegation and prioritizing questions are said to be more difficult and you WANT these questions on your exam. The higher degree of difficulty means you are probably above the passing standard!!!!!!!!! Good luck!:balloons:

This makes me feel better. I took the beast yesterday and it turned off at 75, I felt worse leaving then entering. I had 6 or 7 check all that apply, at one point I had 2 in a row, I had to close my eyes, take a deep cleansing breath, and stretch before I could face the second question. I had a lot of prioritizing, but I think only 1 delegation question. I had a few OB, peds, and psych questions. I had about 5 pharm questions, one being a drug I have never heard of, I Kaplaned that one and chose the side effect that matched the body system the drug was intended to work on. I had a lot of general random questions, and some safety and teaching.

I go from being confident to being unsure. I hope I can get quick results in the morning.

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2006

. Anyway, you can save yourself the anxiety of waiting 2 days or whatever for results if you can remember the last question you answered, if you got it wrong you failed, if you got it right you passed. I wasn't feeling all that confident about how I was doing but I knew I got the last question right before the exam shut off (8 weeks on a post-partum floor at a hospital with 75%+ c-section rate and there was no way I was getting a question about incentive spirometers wrong)...now if I could only find a job.
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This is an incorrect statement. I think it may be true if you are near the passing standard and get 265 questions but otherwise no. If I am high above the competency standard and I get the last question wrong, it isn't going drop me to below competency. Also, unless you get to 265 questions, if you are slightly below standard the test is going to keep giving you items to get you above standard until you either consistently fall below standard or run out of chances. If I am wavering at the standard line, the computer is going to keep asking me questions to get me above standard or until I run out of chances.

dee387 · Dec 12, 2006

We took mock boards at our school last week it was the most horrible test i've ever taken it was 61 questions minumum which is where mine turned off. Thankfully i passed in the high range even though i didnt have a clue if i even got 1 on the questions right. But hopefully it does help prepare our class for the real boards.:balloons: :monkeydance:

rodge · Dec 12, 2006

Whew! Congratulations to all the NCLEX Passers! i hope if my turn comes i will pass the exam too!! Best the luck to me! Advance merry xmas to all!!!