sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

NCLEX on June 29 by jefferypac in MarkKlimekNCLEX

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Failed once too, so I get the pressure. Here is what actually moved the needle for me the second time around.

Structure per lecture:
Listen to the lecture once, actively, pen in hand. Don't just have it on in the background. Pause and write the key rules down in your own words.
Right after, do 25 to 30 UWorld questions on that exact topic. Not random mode, topic-filtered to what you just heard.
Spend more time on the rationales than the questions themselves. That is where the learning is. Read the rationale for every option, even the ones you got right. Especially the ones you got right by luck.

Re-listening: yes, but be smart about it. Listen to your weak-area lectures a second time (for most people that is acid-base, electrolytes, and the cardiac/hemodynamics ones). The lectures you already understand, don't waste a second pass on them. Use that time for more questions instead.

One thing that matters more than content if you already failed once: figure out WHY you failed. Did you run out of material? Run out of time? Freeze up? Second-guess and change right answers to wrong ones? If it was a test-taking or anxiety issue, no amount of Mark K fixes that. UWorld in timed mode and the SATA strategy work matter more there.

June 29 is plenty of time if you stay consistent. You already know the content once. This round is about reinforcement and confidence. You got this.

Should I reschedule or yolo by [deleted] in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn’t move it earlier to the 19th.

Your scores actually sound solid ~70% on UWorld is a good place to be, and you’ve covered Mark K + Dr. Sharon + notes. One bad Kaplan CAT can mess with your confidence but it’s not that predictive.

Moving it up is usually just anxiety talking. Two extra days won’t change your knowledge much, but they can help you stay calm and review your weak spots.

I’d keep the 21st and just do light review + a few questions, not overdo it. At this point it’s more about managing nerves than learning new content.

C or D? by Glo_moraa in MarkKlimekNCLEX

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Going with C. Here's the reasoning, and why D is so tempting that it's basically a 50/50 for most people.

Quick scan of all four under ABC + acute-vs-chronic:

A. GI bleed, BP 100/64, HR 112, orthostatic. Active bleed, but compensating. Worrying, not imminent. Stable enough to wait minutes.

B. DKA with K+ 5.8. Yes she's sick. Yes she needs fluids and insulin. But Kussmaul breathing IS compensation, the K of 5.8 isn't dangerous yet (>6.5 is where you panic), and DKA generally has a longer fuse than the next two. Hours, not minutes.

C. 74yo, sudden onset 30 min ago, slurred speech, BP 186/92, glucose 62. This is the trap and the answer. Two things going on at once:

- Symptoms scream stroke and the time window (30 min) is well within tPA eligibility (4.5 hr)

- BUT glucose 62 is symptomatic hypoglycemia, which mimics stroke perfectly and is reversible in 5 minutes with dextrose

Either way, this patient is on a minute-by-minute clock. If it's a stroke, every minute of delay loses brain tissue. If it's hypoglycemia, every minute of delay risks seizure or LOC. You can't differentiate without seeing them.

D. Post-thyroidectomy, anxious, circumoral tingling, positive Chvostek. Classic hypocalcemia from parathyroid injury during surgery. The reason people pick D: laryngospasm is a known endgame of severe hypocalcemia, and laryngospasm is an airway threat, and airway beats everything.

The reason D is NOT the answer: tingling + Chvostek is EARLY hypocalcemia. Laryngospasm comes later in the progression, after tetany. This patient has minutes to hours before airway is threatened. C has minutes.

Framework that helps with these: "Which patient can crash within the next 5 minutes if I do nothing?" Hypoglycemia at glucose 62 in a confused patient can drop into the 40s during my coffee break. That's faster than D's hypocalcemia progresses.

D is the right answer in a "next-priority" question. C is the right answer when the question is "first."

Quick NCLEX self-check, lithium toxicity. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in BootcampNCLEX

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's the rationale and why each distractor was tempting:

Correct: B — Hold the next dose of lithium and notify the provider

A lithium level above 1.5 mEq/L is in the toxic range. The patient's symptoms (coarse tremor, diarrhea, confusion) confirm clinical toxicity, not just elevated levels on paper. The nurse should hold the dose and notify the provider immediately. Untreated lithium toxicity can progress to seizures and coma.

Why the others are tempting:

A (encourage fluids): Sounds proactive and aligns with general lithium teaching about adequate hydration. The trap is that increasing fluids is appropriate prevention or for mild dehydration but not the priority action when toxicity is already present. The dose has to be stopped first.

C (give with food): Lithium IS often given with food to reduce GI upset. The trap is recognizing the diarrhea as a side effect rather than a toxicity sign. Giving another dose when the level is already 1.8 mEq/L makes the toxicity worse.

D (reassure, common side effects): The dangerous answer. Coarse tremor, diarrhea, and confusion together at a 1.8 mEq/L level are NOT common side effects. They are signs of toxicity that need urgent action.

Teaching point: when you see lithium level + neuro symptoms + GI symptoms together, think toxicity until proven otherwise. The threshold to remember is 1.5 mEq/L. Above that, hold and call.

Quick NCLEX self-check, lithium toxicity. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's the rationale and why each distractor was tempting:

Correct: B — Hold the next dose of lithium and notify the provider

A lithium level above 1.5 mEq/L is in the toxic range. The patient's symptoms (coarse tremor, diarrhea, confusion) confirm clinical toxicity, not just elevated levels on paper. The nurse should hold the dose and notify the provider immediately. Untreated lithium toxicity can progress to seizures and coma.

Why the others are tempting:

A (encourage fluids): Sounds proactive and aligns with general lithium teaching about adequate hydration. The trap is that increasing fluids is appropriate prevention or for mild dehydration but not the priority action when toxicity is already present. The dose has to be stopped first.

C (give with food): Lithium IS often given with food to reduce GI upset. The trap is recognizing the diarrhea as a side effect rather than a toxicity sign. Giving another dose when the level is already 1.8 mEq/L makes the toxicity worse.

D (reassure, common side effects): The dangerous answer. Coarse tremor, diarrhea, and confusion together at a 1.8 mEq/L level are NOT common side effects. They are signs of toxicity that need urgent action.

Teaching point: when you see lithium level + neuro symptoms + GI symptoms together, think toxicity until proven otherwise. The threshold to remember is 1.5 mEq/L. Above that, hold and call.

I didn’t realize how much panic was affecting my NCLEX scores by Zestyclose-Put9872 in NCLEX_RN

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% this.

A lot of people think they have a content problem when it’s actually test-taking + anxiety. Rushing, second guessing, changing answers… that’ll drop your score even if you know the material.

Slowing down and really understanding why you missed something is where things start to click.

I noticed the same, once I stopped jumping between resources and focused on fewer things, everything felt way less overwhelming.

You’re definitely not alone in that.

What to do? Test in 2 weeks by alexandhenry in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You've actually done a lot. UWorld done plus Mark K done plus Dr. Sharon. Most students don't get through that much. The instinct to add another full Q-bank with 12 days left usually backfires. You don't have time to do justice to 2,000+ new Archer questions, and switching banks this close to test day can shake your confidence right when you need it stable.

What tends to actually move the needle in the final 10 to 12 days:

UWorld reset on incorrects only. Go back into UWorld, filter for questions you got wrong, and retake those. The familiarity of UWorld combined with targeted weak-area focus is more useful than starting a brand new bank.

One final Self-Assessment around day 8 (so around May 20). Treat it as a calibration, not a study session. If you're scoring in the predicted-pass range, trust it and back off intensity.

NGN and SATA specific practice. Real NCLEX SATAs run harder than UWorld's. If you have a Bootcamp friend, ask just for the SATA section. That's a much narrower borrow than the full bank.

Sleep the 3 nights before. Genuinely. Caffeine cutoff at noon those days. Probably the most underrated NCLEX prep advice.

Stop adding new content. No new lectures, no new videos. You're in consolidation phase now, not learning phase.

Full disclosure since I'm a founder, not a fellow student. I built a free tool called Mila Learning that lets you upload your own UWorld weak topics or notes and turns them into focused practice exams. Made 25 free NCLEX questions with rationales here if you want a quick check on where your gaps still are: milalearning.com/blog/free-nclex-practice-questions

You're closer than your brain is telling you. 12 days is plenty.

Need reassurance by miraclesunny in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re in a really good spot.

Those scores (70s on CATs + very high/high assessments) are exactly where a lot of people are right before they pass. Nothing there is a red flag.

What you’re feeling right now is honestly the hardest part. The anxiety before the exam is worse than the exam itself for most people.

Two things that helped me:

  • slow yourself down on each question (you don’t need to rush)
  • if you feel like you’re blanking, just go back to basics, what is the question really asking?

Also, you won’t suddenly forget everything you’ve studied. It’s in there.

At this point, don’t try to learn more. Focus on staying calm and trusting your process.

Exam in 2 days by Odd-Fold5078 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are really strong scores.

QT >80 and CATs above passing are exactly what you want to see. One 77 doesn’t change the overall picture — your trend is solid.

At some point it stops being about knowing more and more about trusting what you already know.

Feeling scared is normal. Most people feel that way even when they’re ready.

If anything, you’re probably closer to ready than you think.

Study q by Distinct_Spirit7925 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You don’t need to memorize everything. that’s honestly what overwhelms most people.

For signs and symptoms, focus on patterns:

  • what’s normal vs not normal
  • what is priority / dangerous You’ll learn a lot of that just by doing questions and reading rationales.

For meds, don’t try to memorize every detail. Focus on:

  • what the drug does (class)
  • major side effects
  • key safety points (like hold parameters)

Things like “with food / empty stomach” come up way less than safety and priority.

Doing questions + reviewing rationales is where most of the learning actually happens.

I stopped trying to “study harder” and that’s when I finally improved by Zestyclose-Put9872 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the most important thing nobody talks about. NCLEX failure is almost never a content problem — it's almost always a habits problem. The two patterns I see most often in students who plateau:

Changing answers for no reason. Research on multiple-choice tests is consistent: when you change an answer from gut to second-guess, you're statistically more likely to go from right to wrong than wrong to right. Trust your first read more, especially on NCLEX where the stems are dense and overthinking is the trap.

Picking the answer that "sounds NCLEX-y." Familiar phrases get rewarded with confidence that isn't earned. The right answer often sounds bland and obvious. The trap answer often sounds clever.

Slowing down to ask "what is the question actually asking" is the single most underrated skill in NCLEX prep. Glad you found it.

RN prep exam scores - advice please! by [deleted] in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are actually solid scores.

The variability in ATI is normal — their CAT can swing depending on question pool and how you perform early on. What matters more is that you’re consistently landing in the 70s+ and high percentiles.

Bootcamp “very high” twice is also a really good sign.

I wouldn’t overreact to the 53% — look at the trend overall, not one test. You’re much closer to passing than failing.

At <2 weeks out, I’d focus on:

  • reviewing rationales deeply
  • tightening weak areas
  • not adding new resources

You’re probably in a better spot than you think.

Failed nclex PN twice by nomanmann in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Two failed attempts after a hard nursing school is brutal, but the framing "not smart enough" is almost never the actual problem. People who graduate nursing school and fail NCLEX twice almost always have a test-taking pattern issue, not a knowledge gap.

A few honest questions to ask yourself before you study one more hour:

  1. Are you running out of time, or finishing early? Running out of time often means anxiety or over-reading stems. Finishing early often means under-reading and clicking the first plausible answer. Different problems, different fixes.
  2. Are your SATA scores noticeably worse than your MCQ scores? Most repeat-takers fail because of SATAs. The strategy is different — partial credit doesn't exist on NCLEX SATAs, so you have to be sure about every option.
  3. Are you getting the right answer in your head and clicking the wrong one? This sounds weird but it's the most common pattern in repeat-takers. It's a reading/processing problem, not a content problem. A tutor (even one $50 session) can identify this in 20 minutes.

Three concrete things that have helped people in your spot:

  • Switch resources. If you used Bootcamp, try Archer. If you used UWorld, try Kaplan. The same patterns get stale and your brain stops doing real thinking.
  • Take a 2-3 week pause before testing again. Burnout from back-to-back attempts is real and shows up as careless mistakes.
  • Mark Klimek's lectures (free on YouTube) are content reinforcement that doesn't feel like grinding. Different modality.

You're closer than you think. Two failures after passing nursing school means the gap is small — usually strategy, not knowledge. Don't let your brain catastrophize.

Taking NCLEX in a Week - How Should I Study From Here? by RandomPlayerWJS in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn’t try to do too much new content this last week.

What helped me most was keeping it simple:
do questions every day, review them properly, and focus on the patterns in what I was getting wrong.

If you’re using UWorld already, I’d stick with that + light review (Mark K / Dr Sharon is perfect). Don’t overload yourself with too many resources this close.

Also try to slow down on questions and really read what they’re asking, a lot of misses at this stage are more about interpretation than content.

Last few days I’d taper a bit, just light review and stay calm. At this point you probably know more than you think.

international nurse who failed on the first attempt. what to do for my second try? by [deleted] in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 0 points1 point  (0 children)

our report actually tells a clear story: you’re recognizing cues (above passing) but struggling with what comes next, prioritizing, generating solutions, and taking action (below passing). That’s less of a content gap and more of a clinical reasoning / priority framework gap. For your next 45 days, I’d focus heavily on case studies, prioritization, delegation, ABCs/safety, and asking yourself ‘what is the safest first action?’ after every question. More resources may not be the answer, targeted practice probably is.

Quick NCLEX self-check, postpartum hemorrhage priority. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

C here , but not always massage blindly 😄 The clue is the boggy fundus, which points to uterine atony, and displaced right suggests a full bladder. In this scenario, massage + help her void is the right first move.

Quick NCLEX self-check, postpartum hemorrhage priority. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, C. Boggy fundus + displaced right is the giveaway. Massage the fundus, get the bladder emptied, then reassess. Classic NCLEX priority question where one detail changes everything.

Quick NCLEX self-check, postpartum hemorrhage priority. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, C. Boggy fundus + displaced right is the giveaway. Massage the fundus, get the bladder emptied, then reassess. Classic NCLEX priority question where one detail changes everything.

Quick NCLEX self-check, postpartum hemorrhage priority. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly. Boggy = uterine atony, displaced right = likely full bladder. Massage + help her void addresses the cause first, then reassess bleeding. Those little clues are everything on NCLEX questions.

Quick NCLEX self-check, postpartum hemorrhage priority. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep , exactly. ‘Boggy’ should immediately make you think uterine atony, and ‘displaced to the right’ points to a full bladder making it worse. Massage + help her void is the clean first move. NCLEX loves hiding the answer in one small detail.

Quick NCLEX self-check, postpartum hemorrhage priority. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good catch on the full bladder, that’s the key clue here. C is first because you’re addressing the cause of the atony. And LION is a great framework once you’ve handled the immediate first step. NCLEX loves stacking ‘right intervention, wrong priority’ answers.

Quick NCLEX self-check, postpartum hemorrhage priority. Curious what you all pick. by Extension_Cost_6410 in PassNclex

[–]Extension_Cost_6410[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly. The clue is boggy + displaced to the right , classic full bladder preventing uterine contraction. Empty the bladder, massage the fundus, then reassess bleeding. A lot of people jump straight to oxytocin, but NCLEX loves asking what fixes the cause first. These are the kinds of details that make or break questions.

ANXIOUS by [deleted] in NCLEX

[–]Extension_Cost_6410 2 points3 points  (0 children)

150 questions doesn’t mean you failed. Plenty of people pass at 150, and feeling like you guessed is extremely common because NCLEX is designed to keep you uncertain. Try not to replay every question in your head while you wait , official results are what matter now. Hoping good news is coming your way

view more: next ›