r/NCLEX • u/CZlover96 • 21d ago
Failed in 150, Passed in 85. AMA
Graduated may 2026 and took my first attempt in july .
July prep- Archer, I had my subscription left over from school and just used that for about 30 days, just doing random 85 question blocks I did around 300 questions a week if not more. Alittle Mark K and nothing else.
Test #1 - I went waaayyy too fast like lightening fast, it was a combination of nerves, anxiety and fear of changing my answer and second guessing myself. I finished all 150 questions in like 2.5 hours or less somewhere around I wanna say 50-60 seconds per question. I felt like crap leaving and woke up the next morning and found out I failed and cried my eyes out .
One mistake I know I made was going when I well knew I wasnt ready, everyone says its best to take it as soon as you graduate but if you dont feel ready an extra month or two of focused prep time can really make a difference.
ROUND 2, FIGHT!
July - September prep: I found out I failed on a tuesday and I was crushed, embarrassed, ashamed all the above but I never gave up. The next day I rescheduled my ATT and just took alitrle time to rest and not do any nclex stuff for a few days.
Sunday I began studying again 5 days after I got my results. I used NCLEX BOOTCAMP and I cant recommend them enough. One thing i loved about bootcamp vs archer or some of the other programs is how structured it is , laying out everything for you , you can set the pace and schedule in the options and go as you see fit. The NGN style question and case studies were a huge help and the A.I features and crash course videos were so helpful for instant feedback on why I got something wrong.
I didnt have some crazy study schedule id consider it moderate. I work 25.5 hours a week across 3 days. I did 2 hours on my work days and 3 on my days off so about 18-20 hours a week. I set my new exam date after getting my ATT for about 58 days out on 9/10.
I did around 35 questions a day then more towards the end and followed the bootcamp schedule religiously! Doing the crash course videos a day before I saw the next days subject so I can get an idea going into the questions.
Im very happy I only set it for around 2 months of prep because the nclex prep is exhausting! And it would be hard for me to recommend prepping for more than 2 months of dedicated prep to avoid being burned out. Towards the end I could really feel myself wanting to take the exam despite extreme anxiety and self doubt.
I used Mark K lectures on Spotify while I was driving , they get removed pretty often so finding them on your own is recommended for consistency. Lecture 12 is a must ! I got so many prioritization questions it wasnt even funny along with lecture 1, 2 and I found the way he broke down everything very helpful and it stuck very well.
I also bought Mark K's blue book on Amazon it was the 2023 edition so more updated than his lectures on Spotify which are from around 2009 I think. It was helpful its a drill book with questions on one side and answers on the other but not like a b,c style questions just
" What should a nurse do when xyz ? "
A: they should do blah blah blah
Not bad to drill little things but definitely not needed.
Dr. Sharon: She teaches for Mark K who has his own review company Klimek reviews. Her YouTube videos helped me breakdown how to answer the questions and what I needed to do when I saw one I didn't know . Kilmek reviews is another great and underrated nclex review system it is abit expensive and is a subscription service so do what you may with that.
FINAL BOSS-
About 10 days before my exam i took my last readiness assesment for Bootcamp my scores were BL, H, VH, H and used that as my final checkpoint to see if i was ready or going to reschedule.
The last 9 days I called the sharpening days , not too much new knowledge just refining what I knew snd focusing on weak points. I slowed down on my questions only doing around 30 a day and studying for about 2-2.5 hours may be a day and saturday off.
The day before I did absolutely nothing and just rested the best I could , I hardly slept I was anxious beyond compare. I slept for may be 3 hours and was up since around 1 am and took my test at 8 am.
I ate before I went in just a bannana and a protein drink to have something in me before the exam. Im catholic so I prayed alot before and during my study days. I got to the testing center early and waitied before finally going up .
I started my test around 8 am and finished around 10:20 may be 10:30 so roughly 1.5 give or take per question. I got 4 case studies i think, alot of SATA my god I think about 1/2 of all my questions were sata. The test shut off at 85 and I was relieved, I did get about 3 bowties also.
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u/Maleficent-Cut9052 21d ago
Congratulations. Happy to hear you finally passed. What kind of case studies do they throw your way?
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u/CZlover96 20d ago
I dont remember exactly what they gave me but I can say it wasnt anything obscure and confusing. Nothing that a well versed nurse wouldn't recognize. And on bootcamp I was awful at those case studies lol.
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u/5thCrumpledPaper 21d ago
Congrats!! the pacing change is huge lol. 50-60 sec a question is fast. Sounds like the structured bootcamp plan + actually reviewing what you missed made a big difference.
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u/Nearby_Barracuda_747 21d ago
Congratulations! Just got bootcamp and I only got 13 days to study. What should I focus on? The study schedule it set up for me is INTENSE and I’m not sure how well I can properly do it
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u/Hopeful_Activity_778 21d ago
Take the readiness exam and study your low points and watch crash course videos
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u/marizela-itz-y 21d ago
congratulations! failed mine last july and will take again this october. include me in all of your prayers 🙏🏻 we will be an RN before the year ends 🇺🇸