My NCLEX Experience!

So, I've been studying almost nonstop for the NCLEX. I started in May, but I didn't really study hard core until after I graduated and applied to take the exam. I didn't over study, but I didn't not study either. I think I did about 800+ questions between Saunders 4e and LaCharity's Priorization, Delegation and Assignment. I also studied Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy. I did a couple questions on Facebook ( onsome nursing community) and did HESI and ATI exams. I have to say that nothing really prepared me for this exam. The NCLEX was a rude awakening. I felt like I knew absolutely nothing on that test. I guessed on pretty much everything except the math questions.

My exam consisted of prioritization, psych, 2 math problems, 4-5 select all that apply, nursing roles, elder abuse and, nurse conference teaching material and medications...lots and lots of medications, most of which I didn't recognize. I got 76 questions before the computer shut off. When I finished I nervously left the testing center and went to wait for my sister to pick me up.

The drive home from Macon was crazy. I kept thinking about the exam. I barely remember the trip home.

I checked Pearsonvue and the Board website for results almost every hour. I tried the pearsonvue trick and got the good pop up. The good pop looks like this:



If you don't know what the good pop up is check Allnurses.com. They have full threads on how this trick actually works. I was excited about that. I actually freaked out when I got the credit card screen the first time I tried, but I think that's because I was trying to register without signing in. >_<

I didn't get my results the day of the exam (Wed June 29), but around 7:20ish today (June 30) I checked the board website and it said that I had no application. I freaked out again. I tried 3 more times before I finally went to the site homepage and checked to verify my license status. I didn't know I had a license at this point so I didn't think it would work. I left the license number blank because I didn't have one. It worked. It said my license was active. O_O <--- That's how my face looked after I read that!!!!! I'm so happy right now. I told my mom and my sister and then called my other sister and my cousins. They were all happy for me. XD I also told everyone on facebook because I've been keeping up with classmate results on there too. So far everyone on my friends list has passed. XD

NCLEX was hard for me. It's nothing like the questions in nursing school or Saunders. They make you actually think instead of being able to pick the obvious right answer. No answer on that exam is obviously right or wrong. They all look right and you have to think 'what will kill my patient faster', 'what side effect shouldn't my patient be having with this medication.' I didn't know the signs and symptoms of those medications but obvious nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea weren't the right answer because almost all drugs may cause those.

As for prioritization, I got a lot of questions asking which patient should the nurse see first after getting report. All of the patients in the options were sick, but you had to think about which one would decline the fastest if you didn't see them immediately. In some of the questions all of the patients were stable, but you had to decide which one would you see first, not based on critical situations, but on diet specification (insulin before breakfast or procedures to be completed in the morning. I also got one ml/hr question and one critical care math question that dealt with mcg/kg/min. I didn't even study math but I think I got both of those questions right simply because I took critical care last in nursing school.

Well, that was my experience with NCLEX. I'm glad it's over. Now to do well at my new job! I can't wait to start!

Good luck to everyone still waiting to take NCLEX. Breathe, relax and you'll do fine!

Me