The
There are three types of people that read this blog: nurses, soldiers, and bloggers. Then there is my one lone family member that is internet savvy. This might not interest the latter categories of people, but every nurse has his or her NCLEX story. Here’s mine.
On July 21, I had orientation at my place of employment during the regular business day. My NCLEX was scheduled for the next day in Santa Maria, a town two hours southwest of Bakersfield. After work, I rushed home in the 105 degree heat, threw off my scrubs, put on a comfortable t-shirt and shorts, packed up a days worth of stuff, and jumped in my car to head out of town.
Highway 166 is the road that takes you into Santa Maria. It has two passing lanes right at the beginning, then it is a two-lane road for about 80-100 miles with only one place to stop to take a leak along the way. Cars moved at a reasonable speed throughout 166 to my great luck. It was pretty darn hot on this strip through mountains and sun bleached grass.
I hadn’t been to Santa Maria in years, and was not familiar with the place. I had made reservations at a hotel that was on the same street as the testing center to avoid confusion or consternation on my part. Upon arriving in the city, I drove past my hotel and then over to the testing center to make sure I knew where each was in relation to each other.
I picked a hotel off of Google Maps that sounded respectable and was near the testing center: The Historic Santa Maria Inn. It was opulent and a little pricey at $122/night. I didn’t want any hassle so I forked over the money. My room was nice. I had plenty of hot water, coffee and pot provided, a comfortable bed, alarm clock, and cable TV. I was able to watch a couple episodes of the best show on television to calm my nerves.
That’s something that is unavoidable. You will be anxious before this test and that can be anything from puking and crying to just a general feeling of unease. The latter feeling marked the night before and the hours leading up to my test at 0800. I started thinking of the test as an appointment to be met. I went over some concepts from the different areas of nursing in my mind. That was the extent of my studying; I did not use a book. Basically, I let myself become numb to keep my sanity.
I walked across the street and had a tri-tip sandwich at a steak joint. Since I was dining alone, they had to sit me in the lounge where people were having fun and drinking. As the night progressed, I looked out my second-floor window and could see people walking around, getting ready to enjoy the Friday night festivities. I wished I could join them instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to take the most important test of my life. I took a shower, watched some TV, and hit the sack.
I woke up at 0500. I wanted to make sure I took care of some things before the test: take a shower, drink some coffee to cover my caffeine fix so I wouldn’t think about coffee during the test and also to give myself some time to piss a few times from the coffee’s diuretic effects. All the advice I had heard recommended eating breakfast before the test, so I walked across the street to a Perko’s Café and had a bowl of oatmeal. I didn’t want anything greasy because with the general feeling of anxiety, I didn’t want the grease and spice to give me stomach and digestion problems (if you catch my drift).
Eventually, I drove down to the testing center. The small parking lot was empty. I walked up the stairs to the Pearson office on the second floor. Pearson is the company that has the contract for the NCLEX-RN. There are testing sites all over California, but none in Bakersfield. That’s why I had to drive to Santa Maria, it is the closest one.
The second floor of this office building was non-descript, a long hallway with plain wooden doors and placards listing business names along either side. I walked through the Pearson door and entered the small waiting room with a handful of chairs. There was a receptionist waiting, as well as a redheaded lady. I knew she was taking the same test as me, because I could sense her angst.
The receptionist was friendly, but Pearson has a security procedure that rivals NORAD. With a friendly smile, she asked to see my driver’s license, then had me sign my same on a bank sensor with a stylus “as close to the DL signature as possible.” She took my fingerprint on an electronic sensor, and then had me sit on a chair to take my picture. She gave me a printed disclaimer and a locker key. Everything had to go into the locker, minus my ID. The test administrator was waiting nearby.
The TA was an older guy with a mustache. He pointed at the directions: raise your hand to leave the room or if there was a problem. He told me that I had to have a fingerprint taken, and show my ID every time I entered the room. Then, he took my fingerprint, looked at my ID, and escorted me into the testing room.
Again, the room was non-descript, about the size of a living room with nice, blue, office carpet and about ten cubicles with glossy black Dell computers in each one. The TA sat me next to the redheaded lady that was already taking the test. He gave me my black and white scratchboard and a Sharpie pen and told me to start the test whenever I was ready.
So I did, earlier than 0800. I stared at the black Dell computer and keyboard, and maneuvered through the plain text tutorial for the NCLEX-RN with the nice black computer mouse. A box told me that the tutorial was over and asked if I would like to start the actual test. YES OR NO? I clicked yes, and started my strictly kidney punch asskicking.
I had heard that the first question was easy, maybe to get you comfortable with the test, or maybe to start the computerized adaptation. That’s what the NCLEX is, a computerized adaptative test (CAT). You answer a question. If you get it right, you get a harder question that take you to a higher plain. If you get it wrong, you descend by getting an easier question. Depending on how many questions you are getting right, or wrong, the computer decides how much you “meet the standard.” You get at least 75 questions. You must at least see that many questions, even if you answer every single one correctly (or incorrectly). Between 75-265 questions, the computer continuously judges whether or not you meet this enigmatic standard. When that standard is met, the computer shuts off and the test is over. You also have a six-hour test limit. If you don’t see 75 questions in six hours, you fail.
Whatever the case, I don‘t remember what the first question was, but I do know that it was not that easy. I started answering questions, plain black text on a white background screen with radio buttons next to each of the four answers. There are other types of question formats: fill in blanks, click multiple answers. I did not see any of these. All of my questions had standard radio button answers.
The questions were beyond “meat and potatoes” nursing. Scenarios, scenarios, scenarios involving prioritization and delegation.
“You are a charge nurse. You have these four patients. Who do you give to the LVN over the RN?” This could be in a psych, maternity, or ICU ward.
“You are a home health nurse. These four women delivered yesterday. Who do you call first?” Then four scenarios. This could also be a question about sick kids – a peds question. A home health nurse that gets a call about four sick kids.
Over and over. Over and over. Infection control. Casts. Priority and delegation questions until my eyes bled.
There really aren’t any cut and dry questions where the answer is obvious. At around question 60, I had to use the bathroom. I decided to wait until question 75 to see if my computer shut off, ending the test. At question 75, the computer kept running. At question 85, I finally raised my hand and had the TA let me out of the room so I could take a leak.
I came back and kept answering questions. I went past 100…150. The computer offers you a break every 1.5-2 hours. I declined them. The redheaded lady left. People who had arrived to test after me left. The questions kept coming and I started at the computer screen, trying to get myself as comfortable as is possible when you are sitting in front of a computer for hours relentlessly.
I started to become slightly delirious. “HA, it doesn’t matter what I answer! The questions will just keep coming! HA HA!!!”
And they did. The questions passed 200. I knew then that I was in for the long haul, the whole enchilada. My computer went through all possible 265 questions. Minus my 5-10 minute pee break, I sat and stared at that computer screen for four solid hours answering nursing questions.
After the test, I walked downstairs to my car, still numb and a little shaky. I wished that I had eaten that big greasy breakfast of biscuits and gravy. I felt like I burned up that oatmeal glucose about two hours before.
I wanted to get back to Bakersfield. I got stuck behind a slow-moving big rig throughout the entire run of 166. I stopped at Wendy’s on Panama, bought a combo meal, and woofed it down on the way home. I took a three-hour nap on my couch, and then the waiting began. The nerve-wracking wait.
I had heard that the CA BRN has your results on the computer within two days. Some nurse told me that he had taken his test on a Saturday a couple of years before and that his result was available by early Sunday morning. He is obviously full of shit. I worked Sunday and checked the BRN website for results. None. Monday at work, the same thing. Nothing. I was off Tuesday and Wednesday. I checked upon waking up, throughout the day, and before I went to bed at night. I was convinced that I had failed the damn thing. 265 questions, obviously I didn’t kick its ass.
I told my friend Yomama about this Wednesday night.
“You got your results in two days, didn’t you?”
“No, you dummy. It was two weeks.” I felt better.
Thursday, I had to work again. On a whim, I decided to check the BRN website even though it was 6:30 in the morning and the BRN wasn’t open yet to update results.
After repeated viewing throughout the week, I had memorized that there were sixteen Rusks that had RN licenses in California. I noticed on this morning that there were now seventeen. I scanned quickly, and saw my name on the bottom of the list. I practically got down on my knees in effusive praise and joy. My opportunity to celebrate was short-lived, however. I had to be at work in twenty minutes.
I wrote down my license number on an index card. I guess that was my de facto license, a solitary six-digit number written with a black Sharpie on the blank side of an index card.
At work, people started asking me how the exam went. I told them that apparently I passed and showed them my index card. I got hugs and a lot of congratulations. My preceptor sent me down to the nursing office to notify them on my success. They had me call Human Relations. Both offices congratulated me. My preceptor started referring to me as a “new RN.” I started signing my name with just those two letters: RN. It was and is kind of dreamy. You show up to work one day as an RN with a license that is twelve hours old, yet still valid.
Some of my old classmates asked me about the test. I told them to just take the damn thing as there is no way to avoid an asskicking. No matter how much you study, how well you feel prepared, you will get your ass kicked by the NCLEX-RN. I’m convinced that it is nursing’s version of hazing. Old nurses writing tough questions to kick the asses of us plebes, us knobs, newbies. That’s why every nurse has his or her NCLEX story.
Now all I have to do is learn how to work the damn PCA machine.
July 29th, 2006 at 13:32
You didn’t study? At All? Holy Cahones Batman! You deserve an even bigger congrats!
I think If my test had gone to 265, I would have been a quivering glob of Jello by the end of it.
July 29th, 2006 at 14:21
Oh, I did study, the Saunders book and accompanying CD. I just didn’t study the night before the test.
I could’ve definitely studied more, but I felt like I maxed out eventually.
July 29th, 2006 at 17:07
Nice build up. I almost got down on my knees and praised jesus when you said you passed. Your a hero, and I mean that with all due respect.
July 29th, 2006 at 23:04
I’m sure all your studying and hard work only made your success even sweeter. Great job and welcome to the show.
July 30th, 2006 at 7:42
You took all 265 question? Wow, talk about a bad day. I remember my NCLEX like it was yesterday. And it’s been ten years now. I took it the first year that they did it on computer. It was a new concept.
“You mean they don’t grade you on how many you get right?”
And it was pure evil. And of course I have my own horror stories about it. It was 350 miles from my house to the testing center, on the last test date of the year, in a town I had never been to, and on my way there, in the middle of nowhere, with only a very vague idea of where I was going, with only an hour and a half left to go until test time, with no road signs in sight and no map available, the road forked.
I took the road less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.
July 31st, 2006 at 8:13
Actually, one of my NCLEX study guides, (and the Pearson website) said that four people at each testing center get all 265 questions each week, pass or fail. Its something having to do with validating the questions.
I know I also would have been a quivering mass of jello after that many. I was lucky enough to have mine kick off at 75, and I still worried until I got my results. I had convinced myself that there was no way I could have done SO bad on 75 questions that I could not redeem myslef in another 210 questions, but I was worried none the less…
July 31st, 2006 at 21:19
OMIGOSH.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I feel like I need to bow to you.
Hh
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:53
you were right. This story was kinda like duh…lol. But I assume I can sympathize b/c the statistician exam is absolutely no joke. Even still, congrats.
August 3rd, 2006 at 15:27
you made me remember my whole NCLEX taking horrible experience…but what can i say, it’s all worth it. as for the PCAs, give yourself a few times of doing it and you can handle it like a pro…welcome to the challenging world of nursing!
August 5th, 2006 at 12:20
Congrats sweetie!!!! Jesus christ in a thong the hell..all for a piece of paper.
security that rivals NORAD..I lmao on that one. Why is that? Are they so worried about cheating? Has anyone ever even TRIED to fucking cheat?
It was a great story..I loved the shit out of it. The crap we go through in our lives..for that elusive thing that means everything.
August 5th, 2006 at 12:43
I’m sure someone has tried to cheat in the past Dusty, had someone with some nursing experience, better education, or fortified nerves take the test in their stead. I havent heard of any stories, however.
My posts have become more epic. Dunno why. Maybe just the timing of it.
August 11th, 2006 at 2:49
Congrats! I thought that I was the only one who didn’t study. Nursing school taught us a whole lot more that we thought.
August 11th, 2006 at 9:54
I did study Diva, just not right before the test. Actually, I didn’t study that much/ I was tired of it after three yrs.
August 23rd, 2006 at 13:09
I am going through the same exact thing right now. While reading your story i had to laugh because of how similar my situation is. I took mine on Aug. 16th and four and a half hours later (265 questions later) i came out of there a mess. I have been checking pa’s website for about a week now with no luck. I am getting very anxious because i knew a few people who took their nclex the same day and their licenses are already posted. The only thing i’m holding onto now is that since i had 265 questions (everyone that i know that is posted did not have 265 questions) it may take longer to distinguish if i passed or failed. I guess i’ll find out either way for sure in a week or two.
August 23rd, 2006 at 15:13
Good luck to you MC. I wish you luck.
Just know that it took me five days to find out my results. I know a girl who waited two weeks as well to find out she passed. She was on the verge of tears. You know how BRNs are.
August 28th, 2006 at 10:08
your blog helped tremendously. I took my nclex last week thursday. I too, spent 4 1/2 hours doing all 265 questions. what a wreck i have been. I have gone through the feeling of nauseation to running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. I am starting to feel psychotic as I literally am checking the board of nursing every 15 minutes praying to find my name. The crazy thing is that I have this helpless feeling of doom that makes me feel like there is no way i passed. I can’t shake the feeling. I try to think positive, but all i want to do is cry instead. what a nightmare that i pray i will not have to endure again!
August 28th, 2006 at 19:32
Well, found out my answer late this afternoon while at work…..
I PASSED EVEN WITH 265 QUESTIONS!!!
August 28th, 2006 at 21:16
Great news Kristen, and here I was getting ready to ask you to post again when you passed.
September 19th, 2006 at 8:55
hello everyone!! I just got finished readind the blog and I too loved it. I just got home from taking mine I didnt have 265 questions I had 121 I feel no sick because I just honestly feel like I failed. Im gonna go crazy!!!! Help someone please tell me they felt the same way after wards
September 19th, 2006 at 10:02
Everyone feels that exact same way Laura.
October 9th, 2006 at 11:51
Thank you for sharing your story - it was extremely encouraging. I just came home from taking my NCLEX a complete and utter WRECK after enduring the 4 hrs/265 questions scenario. What an incredible roller coaster ride. Yes, I still don’t know if I passed, but you have all given me a glimmer of hope. It disturbs me that they had to take me through 265 questions to determine if I’ll be competent. AHHH! I’m all about that Nursing Hazing Theory — there could be no other explanation.
Oh well. I’ll keep you posted when I get my results!
October 10th, 2006 at 16:45
Please do Nicole and good luck.
October 11th, 2006 at 19:02
I passed!!! YAY!!!! What a relief!!!!!
October 12th, 2006 at 8:46
Congratulations!
November 16th, 2006 at 2:20
I took the NCLEX today and I spent 5hr and 30min answering 265 questions. I AM A NERVOUS WRECK. It is 3:15am in the the morning and I’m so worried about if I pass. Finding this site had brought me some hope. Keep me in prayer.
November 16th, 2006 at 10:59
Your story was what I needed to hear. I took my NCLEX this morning and it cut off at 75 questions. This state does allow us to get unofficial results from the 900 number in 2 business days - but I think I’m going to throw up before this day is out. I’m a wreck - it’s nice to know that I’m not alone with these feelings!! Has anyone ever heard of someone failing if they only answered 75 questions? I’m beginning to think I sucked so bad they just decided to end my misery early! I think I’ll go find the yoga video in the back of the closet and plug it in - I think I need to decompress. Thank the Lord my husband and kid don’t get home for a few hours!!!
November 16th, 2006 at 19:25
Theresa and Dionne,
Congratualtions on getting thru nursing school and taking the NCLEX. Keep in touch on how it turns out and stop by to read more of my ramblings.
November 17th, 2006 at 11:46
Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I PASSED!!!
November 18th, 2006 at 16:10
Congratulations Dionne!! I found out this morning I passed too!! Woohoo!!
November 18th, 2006 at 20:51
Stay here ladies and become part of the RN contingent.
January 16th, 2007 at 19:18
Congrats to all of you who passed that nightmare. I just took mine this morning for CA and I am absolutely dying to know the outcome. The hardest part is waiting because I just don’t want to study EVER AGAIN! I loved reading your stories, and I’ll continue to read your posts. Natalie
January 20th, 2007 at 11:08
Whoa -
For me it was three hours on two separate days in an old gymnasium with 250 other new grads, all done on paper, every section separate (Psych, Maternity, Medical, Surgical…).
The times, they have changed!
Well congrats on passing - I needed a Xanax just reading about it!
February 4th, 2007 at 0:01
Just took my NCLEX……and am feeling horrible after taking all 265 questions. I’m not quite sure when I got any easy questions. They were ALL difficult to me, and I’m quite sure I guessed on the majority of them. It’s making me very nervous to hear that they look at the last 60 or so because I really started to fade after a few hours of answering questions and know that I was not at my best in the last 100 or so, let alone 60!! The worst part was I kept getting what seemed like the same questions and in the same format! Everything was “…..which patient would you call first” or “……would indicate effective teaching” or “……would warrant further investigation”. I swear I got every med that I wasn’t familiar with! And the one math question I got, I know I bombed and wasn’t asked another one. So does this all sound really bad???? And I did take a Xanax…..obviously not helping me right now.
February 17th, 2007 at 11:04
im so scared..i took my NCLEX-RN exam 2 days ago thursday..i felt like it was not the right time..i got lost in the freeway but was able to make it on time..my dad told me to visit the testing center day before but i didnt listen to him.. then when i got there the fingerprint sensor doesnt want to register my name..they said that i was a software problem so then i was the last person to start the exam..then i started answering questions..i took 2 breaks…i went to the bathroom and drink water..then finally, i stopped at 198/4hours! i think i failed! after 75 when d computer kept on giving me similar situation like what TL had..first it was getting harder, then it gets easier then harder then finally it was juz ok..i duno.. i think some of d questions i was juz guessing or didnt really think about d options.. i feel guilty now coz i didnt study so hard..im always tired u know first trimester of my pregnancy..im always nauseated..wasnt able to focus studyin..maybe i should have re scheduled it or somethin..i duno..im tired of thinkin about it..i’ll juz keep myself busy..i wish there’s a way to figure out if we pass or fail d nclex..like type of questions or whatever..thanks for reading my story…
February 17th, 2007 at 11:13
TL, i had the same experience as you did..i felt like i get the same question format over and over..especially prioritization and medication that im not familiar..let me know if you passed..you took it ahead of me..thanks
February 18th, 2007 at 10:23
i just took the nclex at 75 questions, i’m sick and tired of reading on the internet that nurses can pass or fail at 75! Hello, I need some encouragement here! I took it two days ago and have not gotten my results back. I studied for like two months. If I failed, well, it’s not going to be a good monday. Has anyone EVER failed the nclex @ 75 after studying as much as I have? Please tell me no. I am planning to move and already have a condo, roommate, and job at the new area, I REALY do not want to be stuck here in this town. Please dear Lord let me pass! Does it help to pray AFTER you’ve already taken the exam? I think it does:)
February 21st, 2007 at 10:01
so i just took NCLEX. i had all 265 questions. i feel really disheartened. everyone says not to worry and be thankful it’s over. but i can’t help it. this feeling sucks. anyways, i did get a lot (at least i think it was a lot) of priority questions, and some intervention questions (intervene immediately if the CNA is doing this wrong type questions), and a lot of “you know your teaching was effective when the client says” type questions. i also got some “which of the following pts can be discharged” type questions. but i know i got some low level ones too (what are the s/s of a certain drug). it’s very hard to tell. can someone please give some HONEST advice. i want to hear to hear the truth, and sometimes friends are a little less honest (but for my best-interest, i know). so please. shed some light on this progressively crappy day. thanks.
February 21st, 2007 at 13:28
TL did you pass?
February 22nd, 2007 at 5:01
Why ask TL? You have my story in grand detail. I passed, and I barely took the test last summer. Good luck Eli!
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:18
i know, and reading your blog helped ease some of my concern. the thing with TL is that in his blog, i had some of the simila questions, similar format, and similar type of questions. i wanted to see if he passed cause we had similar tests (at least similar types of questions and question formats). if he passed, doesnt that kind of bode well for me? or am i delusional? please let me know what you think. i still have until tomorrow morning. i might wait until you respond before i look. thanks again.
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:21
Eli, There is no way to avoid being nervous. So just keep checking incessantly; there is no way to avoid it unless you have the willpower of God. Chances are very good you passed, but no one knows until the BRN posts…
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:56
are teaching questions upper level questions?
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:18
I don’t know, but if you had all 265 questions, can’t be too bad. Otherwise, it would have cut you off a lot sooner.
February 23rd, 2007 at 11:43
I just got done a little while ago and am trying to find some peace of mind. I got ALL 265 question and am going crazy..I’m right there with you Eli
March 8th, 2007 at 13:43
I just took the test yest. and ive been totally freaking out because i got the max 265 ?’s.. all of my friends have gotten 75, 85, 100 or so ?’s and passed. Is it true that when you get to 265 they look at just your last 60 and base your pass or fail on that?? ahhhhh someone answer me!
March 9th, 2007 at 9:02
i reached the 265 mark question last wednesday and jst received my result an hour ago..i passed! without diz page my anxiety would reach to the highest level ..so thank you for the wonderful people who posted their experiences here.
March 11th, 2007 at 9:51
I passed with all the question! J2- I have heard that the only reason they would just count the last 60 would be if you ran out of time and did not finish the test!!!! So try not to freak out!
May 11th, 2007 at 7:36
My friend and I took the NCLEX this past tuesday. Both our computers went off after more than 75. Mine between 85-90, and her’s around 103. All of our classmates have had their computers go off at 75 so far, and although I know it doesn’t matter, it’s still scary. Also, their results were always posted 3 days after they took it…..soooo, my friend and i have been told that the board updates at 2 am….last night i checked the website at 2:15 until 2:45 am. No update. Then checked it again this am at 0630, and it says updated May 10…..(at 2 am it said last updated May 9, then at 0630 am it says May 10) Well today is actually May 11!!!! Do you think that the website is just not updated for today? I know this comment is long and a little confusing, but any imput would probably help. Thanks!!!
May 31st, 2007 at 17:58
I’m so worried… I also got 265 questions. I do not feel at ease at all. So scared of doom! Why did I go all the way to 265? Help….I’m a wreck.
June 7th, 2007 at 19:57
I’m in the same boat. I answered 265 of the most growling questions in my life & I do not know if I passed. I took thenClex-rn test on 6/5/07. Two other girls from my school took it with me they both answered 75 questions and they both had licenses posted on the VA BON as of today 6/7/07. I am on pins and needles glad I found this website I feel a little better.
June 8th, 2007 at 13:13
So I took the NCLEX-RN today….and the computer shut off at 80 questions. The only way I can interpret that is I did either really good or really bad. It seemed like I kept getting the same kind of questions. I took the exam for a MA license but actually took it at the Pearson Vue in Warwick, RI. Does anyone know if that will slow down my result time? Any experience with shutting off at 80 good or bad?
June 19th, 2007 at 16:39
wow, what a well written story. I took my test on the 12th of June, turned off at 75 and I feel crappy about it. All the “predictor” tests like ATI and Kaplan say I have a 99% chance of passing, but they were nothing like the Nclex, I am freaking out like everybody else. It is now the 19th with no results, I called but apparently my school sent out my transcripts on the 14th and they said it could take up to four weeks after mailing them to get the information into the computer, HOLLY CRAP. Anyone else have experience with this red tape.
June 25th, 2007 at 21:19
I am in the same boat as all of you….I was fully expecting my machine to shut off at 75, but it just kept going and going, all the way to 265 questions. I had mostly “check all that apply”, and a LOT of cultural diversity questions…sheesh….in Cali, we don’t have the luxury of checking out results two days later…we get to wait two to three weeks…I keep checking the BRN, and it is killing me every time my name doesn’t show up…..ugh. I wish you all the best of luck, and I will post when I get my results!!
June 27th, 2007 at 17:57
who hooo!!!!! I passed!!!! i JUST FOUND OUT THIS MORNING!!!!!!
June 28th, 2007 at 6:42
Well, congratulations Adrian!
July 7th, 2007 at 6:49
I’m so sick right now. I can’t sleep. I’ve woken up at 2AM for the past two nights just re-hashing, re-thinking, and re-answering any question that I can remember. I messed up with some pretty simple questions (who feeds a patient at a 45 degree angle???-did did it say 90? Am I that simple?) I got 75 questions, and when the screen went blank I could have died right then and there. I needed another 100 or so to prove my worth. All this school/studying/sleepless nights and it all comes down to one hours worth of test time?!? I hope I will find out today, untill then it’s just: refresh, refresh, refresh until the computer screen shows me something different.
:Me, stepping off the soap box:
Thanks for letting me share.
July 7th, 2007 at 10:15
I passed!!!!!!
-I’ll be sure never to feed a patient who is nearly supine!
Congratulations & good luck to all!
July 8th, 2007 at 6:10
omg, this is freaking me out. I took NCLEX yesterday, i almost went crazy when the computer would not shut at 75 b/c I had heard from my friends that they all got 75 and passed..i was sweating so i took a break 3 minutes..then the questions came coming and coming after 20 minutes it shut off at 85….omg..i totally freaked out..i heard if it is 85 it is a bad numbers,,should be either 75 or 265 or 90,100,110in even numbers..i scored high in kaplan practice tests,,i just could not believe the questions I was getting,,,they were so hard,, i know i failed it and i dont know hot to tell my family members about it..i am so afraid to face the reality when i am told that i failed..i dont think i want to be a nurse anymore..
July 9th, 2007 at 11:06
Well, congrats to all of you who have passed I just took my exam and had all 265 questions!!! It was nerve wrecking!! I had went to two reveiw courses straight aftr graduation and I studied faithfully, but once I saw that my text continued passed 75 I thought I would die!! A couple of my classmates finished at 75, and passed and here I am going pass 75. All of our grades were in the same range so I really felt bad. I feel bad because I now have to wait for my results, wish me luck!!!!
July 10th, 2007 at 16:59
Ahh I’m so happy I found this website. I took the NCLEX yesterday, and was kind of upset when the computer shut off at 75 - I wanted more questions!!! So far everyone I know that was in my program got 75 and has passed…but I know there’s been people with 75 who have failed…For now, I guess I just wait - CA takes soo long! Nervous nervous nervous!
July 11th, 2007 at 17:35
I am another nervous wreck that can be added to the list of going through the dread of ALL 265 questions. I just feel like I could barf! Everyone at work/school has passed and the computer shut off for them at 75-85 questions. I sat in my seat watching the number of my questions go up and up… then came #75, then 85, then 150 - and it was time for a break. Before I knew it it was 3 1/2 hrs into my test, I felt like every question was difficult and BOOM the last question (265). I can’t wait to find out if I passed…I’m scared to death that I failed! But this story and blog is giving me a glimpse of hope… wish me luck and pray for me please!
July 12th, 2007 at 9:58
OMG! I can not begin to tell you how nice it was to find this site. I just got back from taking NCLEX. It was the worst experience I think I have ever had with testing!!! I almost had a full blown panic attack before it started then when the computer shut off at question 75 I lost it. Does anyone know if you can fail at 75??? I keep telling myself that i must have sucked so bad that the computer thought “what the hell is this chick thinking” and cut me loose!!! OMG OMG OMG. I’m still freaking out about this. I had questions about meds I had never heard of before, I couldn’t even decipher them by the root word and then the prioritization questions were un-freaking-believable!! This was stuff I had never seen before. Has anyone else had this epxerience? Is it possible to pass at 75 questions???
July 12th, 2007 at 12:12
I just took my NCLEX yesterday and I have been crying ever since! I am positive I failed - I would say that the majority of my test was medications…some of which I have never even heard of. I am really glad to have found this website - it makes me feel better to know that other people feel the same way. My test stopped somewhere around 90 questions - after 75 I was praying it would turn off, but as soon as it did I was wishing I had more of a chance! I had really felt like I was prepared, and now I just don’t know what to do.
July 12th, 2007 at 13:54
This message board is great! I just took my test this morning and I have been sick ever since. It shut off at 75 but I don’t feel like I answered very many correct. There were no questions that I was sure about! I’m a low “B” student and I didn’t do very well on the HESI exam. I’m not hearing many people saying they didn’t pass @ 75 which is making me feel even worse. I feel like I’m the only one who is going to fail @ 75! Also, does anyone know if a Saturday is considered a business day in New York? 48 hours for me would be Sat. but some people are saying I won’t know until Monday! I don’t think I can handle this! Good luck and Congrats to everyone!
July 12th, 2007 at 19:32
I took it on 6/20 for 75 q! in California. The problem is that my school is very slow at sending my transcripts up to the board, and thus it is 7/12 and still I can’t get my results. This is frustrating because I don’t know if anyone in that darn school (CSLA) is processing my transcripts. Help, What should I do? Does anyone else have this problem? What did you do?
July 13th, 2007 at 19:28
I took the NClex Thursday. It shut off at 75 Q, and I am absolutely a mess!! I have no idea how i did. Everyone from my class has taken it and had it shut off around 75-80. It seemed like my questions stayed the same, mostly prioritizing and med administration. I didn’t get a single med calculation question. Waiting is excrutiating!!
July 14th, 2007 at 9:56
I PASSED!!!!!! Don’t know how, but I did! I called the 1-900-77-NCLEX number this morning and there it was. Good luck to everyone!
July 15th, 2007 at 16:13
Well guys I passed!! Wish all the rest of you waiting for your results the best!!!
July 16th, 2007 at 13:58
I passed as well! I feel like a big weight has been lifted!!! Good luck to everyone!
July 17th, 2007 at 13:51
Holy crap….I took my NCLEX today I got 265 questions. I totally think I failed just based on my uncertainty of alot of questions. It was not clear cut and I felt like ABC’s didn’t apply. I had two patients with airway so which one was it??? I don’t know . I just found out that I totally got the math question wrong. Got alot of priority and sideeffects of medications like how do I know ???Which is it postural hypotension,ptosis, whatever. I am so mad right now and thought that after 3 years of nursing that I would be alittle more certain. NO,nay,nope I totally think I will be the one that fails. This sucks. Oh and I f I did pass then I’m a genius. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 14:05
I am so glad to find this blog! I took all 265 questions this morning and I have been crying and delirious and psycotic ever since. I had all of my friends and classmates telling me “Oh I took 75 questions and it was no big deal”. Well, I had a completely different experience. I got a billion priority questions, crazy cultural questions and tons of teaching questions. I know feel like I have maybe a glimmer of a shot at passing. . . I’ll be in bed with some cookies for the next forty-eight hours. . . .
July 18th, 2007 at 7:53
I PASSED!!!! Results were posted last night at 2am, and you better believe I was up waiting for them. Good luck to everyone as we start our new (and hopefully LONG) careers as RNs! And don’t forget to have faith in yourself!
July 18th, 2007 at 10:50
All I can say right now is WHAT THE HELL!!! I took my NCLEX-RN this morning and in a little over 4 hours I had the dreadful experience of having all 265 questions. I keep questioning myself…..WHY DID I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS? All of my friends who have taken it have cut off much earlier than that and passed! When the computer didn’t shut off at 75, I told myself………….okay maybe just a few more. But NO…….It kept going, climbing up 100, then 150, then 175. By this time I knew I was going all the way! I was a nervous wreck. My anxiety level was through the roof. These questions were ridiculous. I had so many prioritize questions, teaching effectively questions, Infection control questions and so on until my eyes were crossed. I couldn’t even think straight anymore. I can’t stop crying and worrying that I totally bombed the test. I am anxious, nauseated and have the worst headache in the world right now. I don’t know how I am going to contain myself these next few days waiting for my results. I keep reading these blogs, trying to gain some sort of positive outlook about the whole thing but it is almost impossible. Also, what adds a damper to the whole situation is that my birthday is Friday, so I guess I could either have a WONDERFUL birthday celebration or one of just pure misery!
July 18th, 2007 at 14:23
Wow..Congratulations!!! Wish I could say the same for me! I took the NCLEX last wednesday & the computer shut down at 75 questions! I already knew i bombed it because I had questions about meds I’ve never even seen, heard or learned about. I reviewed at Kaplan & even studied at home 24 hour a day to prepare for it. Seriously. So, I got the results yesterday & I DID NOT PASS!! I feel awful but sometimes, no matter how prepared you are…if it’s not the right time, then it wont happen! Only GOD knows…I’m planning on taking it again after 45 days!
July 18th, 2007 at 14:24
Congratulations to all who passed the NCLEX…you’re an inspiration.
July 19th, 2007 at 5:32
I passed! My “unofficial results” just became available this morning on the pearson website! I am so relieved! 5 years, $20000 in debt, countless hours studying, and social isolation have finally paid off. It’s over, and no one can take it away from me. (Except of course the state board if I screw up).
Anywho, I PASSED with all 265 questions, everyone else out there have faith and good luck!
July 19th, 2007 at 8:10
I took mine on the 17th with a friend of mine…BOTH of us got 265. After the 3rd hour of testing, I just wanted to click on anything. Congrats to all who have passed. Keep us poor souls whom are waiting for results in you thoughts
July 19th, 2007 at 17:56
CONGRATS TO YOU!!! I HOPE I HAVE THE SAME RESULTS. I GUESS WE WILL SEE TOMORROW!
July 19th, 2007 at 22:06
I took my test on July 10th, since that day I have been a complete mess. Like some of you I also was tested on all 265 questions. I remember my friend who had taken the test before me had said that after question 75 she closed her eyes , took a deep breath and the computer had shut off. She also had checked for her name on the BRN website three days later and her name appeared, ahhhhhh how refreshing. Well, that didn’t happen to me. I have so many stories of bad luck but what I am going through right now is too much. One of my close friends is on her way to Argentina to celebrate passing. My other friend is doing everything and anything before working. And for me work starts on July 30th but I feel like time has been wasted on doubting my performance on this darn test. I truly am happy for all those who have passed, God knows we need competent, caring and compassionate nurses. But why put me through this? I truly believe that this waiting is some kind of psychological study. Some people get their results in three days and others who are randomly selected will be given a survey on how they were feeling while waiting for their results. HAHAHAHA…. Oh and I do believe that the NCLEX-RN is a hazing ritual. Man, was that test something else!
July 21st, 2007 at 9:16
i took the nclex last night, i got all 265 questions and it took me nearly 6 hours to complete. seriously, they shouldn’t let you drive under the influence of the nclex. i’m just praying that i passed, even though i felt like i didn’t know anything!
July 23rd, 2007 at 19:50
I took the NCLEX today and got 265 questions. It was the most hellish experience of my life. By question 175, I really had to ask myself if this was real, am i really going all the way???? I was balling in the restroom of the test center.
I got alot of prioritizing, the charge nurse needs to free up some beds- who do you discharge, effective patient teaching and side effects of unfamiliar drugs.
I’m so glad I found this website. It made me stop crying for the past 3 hours and realize that I’m not the only one who got 265.
July 26th, 2007 at 18:31
HELP I TOOK MY NCLEX TODAY. IT SHUT OFF AT 75 QUESTIONS, TOOK ME AN HOUR. EVEN THOUGH I CANT REMEMBER ANY QUESTIONS ON THE TEST I REMEMBER THEM BEING HARD. EVEN HAD A CRAZY ? ABOUT A CHILD ON A BIKE WHERE DID THAT COME FROM. I JUST KNOW I FAILED . I AM SICK WITH WORRY. ONLY 75 ? THERE IS NO WAY I GOT ENOUGH RIGHT WITH ONLY 75 ?. I KNOW THE COMPUTER CUT OFF BECAUSE IT WANTED TO GET MS DUMMY OFF . PLEASE HELP INEED SUPPORT.
SINCERELY MS DUMMY
July 26th, 2007 at 20:04
I just took my nclex today and just as I thought 265 baby, I won’t bore you with my nclex story but let’s just say it’s taken me 10 years, off and on, 3 house,s 2 dogs and a marraige to get to this point, so getting 265 question’s is par. Congrads to all that passed you should go out and get twisted. Keep me in your prayers.
July 27th, 2007 at 22:21
well..if you didnt think it could happen to you..it did to me… I failed the NCLEX at 75 questions. I knew early on that the questions that I was being asked were questions that I should have known. To this date, I dont know what the NCLEX considers a “high” level question. I did get asked several questions on priority nursing, client teaching, and all those “select all that apply.” I did not get any med math calculations, but did get questions that were laughable…GEE WHIZ!! NOSE BLEED QUESTIONS!!! I graduated nursing school with honors of all things and I cannot believe for the life of me that I could fail…but I am certain I did. I never went into this thinking that I knew it all…’cause I didn’t…but I know my stuff…and yet..I am certain I failed. I took my test on June 16 in CA, and I still dont know. Most of my friends who took it after me have passed. I dont have any transcript issues and according to the CA BRN, there is nothing stopping the delievry of results. Having said that…it is now almost two weeks and my name is not listed on the website. I cannot begin to tell you all how this whole NCLEX experience has paralyzed me. I thought I knew my stuff…and though I dont know my results ALMOST TWO WEEKS later, it does not bode well. I FAILED AT 75…and I have to believe that there is a reason for it…
Thank you for letting me vent…Gypsyfire 2007….
July 28th, 2007 at 20:10
I answered 258 questions and didn’t have any more time left.. I took it today, did I fail it??? what do you think, please reply
July 30th, 2007 at 16:46
i guess im in the 265 club too! crap this is the worst feeling ever. o well..we’ll c in three days
July 30th, 2007 at 19:27
Everybody is telling me not to worry because it shut off at 75 questions, that you would practically have to be a dummy not to pass. My best friend was cheering about it cutting off at 75 for her. I just don’t know. I just don’t know. Kaplan says that NCLEX is not out to trick you. Oh yeah, right. To me, these questions are all about semantics and to see if you can read the question. They tell you not to read too much into the answers, but then when you do the practice questions, you MUST read a lot into some of the answers/questions. This is KILLING ME!!!!
July 31st, 2007 at 14:50
Wow, I’m happy I found this site! Sorry that the majority of us feel so badly, but it helps to know others feel the same way. I took the NCLEX this morning and 12 hours later, I am still freaking out and convinced that I failed. My exam stopped at 110 questions. What the hell does that mean? 75, 265..that’s fine! 110! ahhh. I am sick to my stomach and cried all the way home..it was the longest ride of my life. I have a job waiting for me and I am so afraid to tell them I failed! Let’s be hopeful, right? All of my fellow nursing students have passed thus far and I just feel that that adds so much more pressure. Has anyone passed at a number other than 75 or 265? Please let me know. Good luck to everyone and Congrats to all that passed!
August 1st, 2007 at 17:55
Tested yesterday and calmly sit through the first 75 questions waited for the computer to shut off…but that didn’t happen…150 bathroom break….200…reality sets in…I am going all the way to 265. Oh my god. What did I do to deserve this. I was a B student in school, took a review class, been working for 6 weeks and now this….why me???? I don’t even want to check to see if I passed. How could I??? I have been reading websites about the NCLEX but I don’t really feel any more confident in my performance yesterday. I think I will wait for the paper results. My stomach hurts, I didn’t sleep well last night and I want to cry but I think I am still in shock because I can’t even do that. I don’t think I have ever felt like this in my entire life. What do I do now? How do I stop thinking about what happened to me yesterday?
August 3rd, 2007 at 13:44
Yes it is true. You can get 265 questions and PASS.
August 6th, 2007 at 15:09
This site is life saver to me right now!! I just came home from taking the NCLEX exam and the first thing I did was google “I failed the NCLEX” It’s funny how almost everyone who has posted on this blog took the NCLEX the same day. I took the NCLEX-PN exam today, thinking that it would give me some practice for taking the RN exam next year… What was I thinking???? It cut me off at 85 questions and like alot of you I got a ton of med questions on meds I had never heard of before!! Do they expect you to know every freakin’ med available?? I am just sick over this. And my family just keeps telling me that they are sure I did just fine, yeah right! I am an A/B student, but it doesn’t seem like that makes a whole lot of difference. I have to wait 2 business days to find out the results…I think I will have had a few breakdowns by then! I feel like if I failed this LPN exam, how can I ever take the RN exam with any confidence?? Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories…at least I don’t feel alone in this.
August 9th, 2007 at 18:06
I just wanted to let you know that I took my NCLEX-RN today and when I hit 150 I knew I was pretty much in for the long haul. I was so upset when I left the center, I had to stop and throw up on the side of the road on the way home. I found your website tonight and this is the first time I have smiled today. Thanks for this lift after having my butt kicked.
August 11th, 2007 at 21:23
Well I took all 265 on July 30th and after several of my classmates took 75 at the same time you can guess how I felt. Well 4 days later I found I failed. Oh well, Septemeber 13th I go again.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:01
Well, today was the day…I hoped to get 75 questions…and when i was somewhere between 50-60 I hoped to get all 265 because they seemed like additional chances to pass this monster. After answering the 75th question and clicking on the next button…the screen went blue. At first it was a sigh of relief…..and then the panic set in. Does anyone know the probability factor on this? Is it usually a good thing that it shut off so fast or is usually not so good? Please Help!! The wait time is 2 business days for unofficial results….since today is thursday I think i will not find out till Monday….(should have thought of that when I was scheduling) I might not live through the weekend.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:44
I DID IT!!! After two sleepless nights and many prayers….I got the results….I PASSED
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:52
well,crap, just took mine today and it was a VILE experience!! Nothing like I expected, shut off at 85 and I left feeling like a total wreck. Couldnt see any that I thought I had aced, all bad vibes…..
Yep, my hubby works for NORAD and yep the security is THAT bad!!!
Pray for me…..please….
Helen
August 24th, 2007 at 20:16
Has anyone felt like nearly all the questions were a guess. I studied hundreds of questions in the nclex review books and thought they would be the same type of questions. I was so lost. i can only remmber saying “I geuss” then clicking the button. 265 questions latter i only remmber thinking i know for sure i got the last one right, or did I. Anyway good luck! I will be suprized if i passed.
August 31st, 2007 at 19:12
I did it!! Its weird as I was so sure I failed…..I am now an LPN!!! Woohoo!!
And yes i did feel like all my answers were guesses and I too studied all the NCLEX material only to be freaked that the NCLEX itself was totally different….
Helen
September 9th, 2007 at 11:53
Hey all. You’re stories have made me feel a little better actually…eventhough I didn’t think anything but seeing a passing result could do. I took my first NCLEX-RN on July 9th. Failed the damn thing with 191 questions. I knew I did because the same questions with the same meds, and very similar situations kept coming back to bite me in the butt! Crazy medications I can’t remember hearing anything about. I just retook the NCLEX RN yesterday. I did nothing but study for hours on end everyday between the first test and yesterday. My questions his 75 I took a deep breath and clicked the next button…another question…it kept going and going and going all the way to 265. So I am in the same boat as a lot of you. I didn’t having all the repeating with similar questions. There were like 3 religion questions (2 Judist questions and 1 Islamic questions, and 3 ALS questions) Those were the only ones to repeat themselves this time. My last question was an easy one…who knows tho…guess i’ll know tuesday. Wish me luck!
September 19th, 2007 at 20:33
This website really is the only thing keeping from breakdown. It is awesome to know that others really have walked in my shoes. I got 79 questions and feel like I guessed on every single one. I want to climb the walls…I really don’t feel like I passed. The computer figured it out early and didn’t even want to waste its time. I studied, studied and studied, took courses, bought books, did computer questions, got A’s and B’s only to feel like I was broadsided!!! True that about the meds…never heard of any of the meds. I expected highly dangerous meds with nasty side effects.
September 20th, 2007 at 9:54
I took my n-clex this morning. I have no idea how I did. The computer cut off at 75 questions. I have been a LPN for 6 years and got ?’s with meds I’ve never heard of I also got alot of prioritizing ?’s. I guess only time will tell….
September 21st, 2007 at 7:22
Nerotic no longer…..I passed!!!!! All the studying, sacrifice, and headaches paid off! My family were all sure that I passed “We have faith in you” but they did not sit and have to answer questions that were so hard I had to quess to answer…..but it is over! Thank God!!!! Good Luck to those that are now in my shoes. My dreams have been realized! I graduated with a BSN and now I am a RN (mind you I did it all while being a wife and a mom)!
September 21st, 2007 at 7:25
FYI this reading this board helped me from totally losing it and did give me a glimer of hope. I am so happy I am not the only one that feels like I was broad sided. I actually left the test feeling like a failure and stupid.
September 26th, 2007 at 19:18
Well I took my NCLEX-RN this morning and it shut off at 205 questions. I feel like I guessed on all of them but maybe 3. I feel really bad, and already have a job as a Graduate Nurse. I have to pass, but if I don’t I don’t advance in my job as an RN. It sucks to have to wait. I pray that I am just feeling bad and I really did pass. Wish me luck!
October 1st, 2007 at 19:59
… cause it totally bites. And this was my second time going through this total hell of a test. First time I took the exam I was completely stressed out, getting ready to move, and scared to experience failure. But it happened after 77 questions… I was deemed a failure as an RN. How did that happen considering I did awesome in school and love nursing. Second round has now come around and after dedication, isolation, and 75 questions on the NCLEX… I am left in fear again to be deemed a failure. Just might go crazy between now and finding out my results… but glad to know that I’m not the only crazy one who has decided to go through nursing school and then be put through the hell of the NCLEX. Crazy and waiting…
October 4th, 2007 at 13:33
… just found out that the month of studying, isolation, and exam number two finally paid off. I am officially a REGISTERED NURSE!
October 24th, 2007 at 13:13
Just took my nclex yesterday, and of course waiting for the results. I feel defeated . I had all 265, and school for me was easy. Could it be I took the Nclex for granted. I keep checking the website, and know it will probably be another day. I doubt I passed.
October 29th, 2007 at 21:25
First HESI and now this. I took NCLEX this afternoon. I chose the afternoon because my brain doesn’t “wake” up until around 11 am. Anywho it gave me the infamous blue screen after I think 210 or so questions. I know you are saying how can I not know exactly, well to be honest I just assumed at 200 that I would be a 265er and came to terms with it but I remember looking down at like 208 and it seems as if I may have had a couple more.
Building up to the larger point I feel like a complete failure. I had no idea if I was even close with my answers. I have taken MANY reviews and took HESI 5 times and I have never read questions worded quite that way. It kick my gluteus maximus all over the place.
Reading everyone’s blog has me crackin up and feeling better about my impending doom. It sucks because the dean e-mailed me last week and told me my class has a 100% passing rate so far and of course I will be the one jackass that screws it up for everyone.
I am concerned because of the number, 210……..210 really 210? What is that? I have read and heard manyyyyyyyyyy stories and never has anyone gotten 210 so I am sure I failed. My logic? It would have just gone all the way to 265 if I were okay but I jacked it up so bad the test felt sorry for me and let me up after crying “uncle”. I too, had a lot of med questions I was clueless about and much of the same everyone else had. I can find out unofficial results in 2 days. We’ll see. I’m pretty convinced at this point I’m a loser!!! Stay tuned, I’m happy to share my failures with the world. It at least helps to know I am not alone in my hysteria. I just had a baby and I knew I should have waited to get my pre-pregnancy brain back. The Dean and BSN director are going to kill me and I feel as if I let my classmates down, not to mention my husband, son and brand new baby daughter. Her sweet face relaxed me a little bit when I got home today though. I am definitely going to have nightmares tonight.
Blog ya later!
November 7th, 2007 at 10:13
Wow, a year later . . . thank you for documenting your NCLEX experience so that those of us who are preparing to test can benefit from reading about it. Best of luck to you!
www.nclexcountdown.blogspot.com
November 25th, 2007 at 13:16
Nov 19 07
265 questions
360 mins
Nov 20 07
1500 p.m. Passed per KBN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1501 p.m. Jumping up and down relief beyond all understanding!!!
Reading the above blog the afternoon of the 19th was a help.
December 3rd, 2007 at 5:54
i also stop at 265, i’m so worried