The Dreaded NCLEX!

I started this post about two weeks ago and then things got crazy (I'll explain in the next post! ;) ), so I am barely finishing it up! And I debated on whether to post about the Nclex or not but I knew if I didn't I would forget how "fun" it was! (I kind of already have :/ )

So you know how you do something or go through something that really sucks during the time but then as time goes on you start to forget and your like ehh it wasn't that bad.. (that's why we continue to get pregnant and have babies ;) ), after I took the Nclex I was determined that I would Never feel like that about the Nclex! I would never forget how much "fun" it was! But I have.. so I'm glad I got most of it documented before I went "ehhh it wasn't that bad!" ;)

Tommy and I went up to Boise the night before since by test was at 8am, I would be totally stressed driving from Twin that early! We went to the hotel and I stayed and studied while he went to a fishing store. When he got back we went to find a place to eat and everywhere had like an hour or even two hour wait! And I definitely could not handle waiting that long when I could be studying! Major Stressor! Haha so we finally found a place that only had a 20 minute wait and ate there, it was a really good BBQ place. Got back to the hotel and practiced some final questions and went to bed... to only be awake at 3am! And not being able to go back to sleep! I really thought about just getting up and studying some more but I knew that would make me really tired when it came to test time.. So I finally got back to sleep for a couple hours. We had to get up earlier than I wanted because the hotel didn't offer comp breakfast! :( Seriously who does that! Anyways so we had to go eat at I-hop.

Went and took the test... The Hardest Test of My Life!.. while Tommy went to Cabelas. I was done by 10 so we went to the mall and walked around a little bit, but I was seriously so drained I just wanted to go home. We started on our way home stopping at a scrub store to pick up some navy blues in hopes that I passed the test and could start working :) Ate some pizza, got a rocky mt apple and headed home, in which I slept to decrease my stress level for a bit, since I had to wait 48 hours to know if I passed or not! Talk about major stress for 2 days!


This is me after the test!

So the nclex, is the state test nursing grads have to take to get their license to actually practice nursing. I think it consists of like 235 or 250 questions or so, I can't remember, and gives you 5-6 hours (I cant remember that either-I'm washing my brain clean of this experience!) But it can shut off at any question if you reach the passing mark, or can shut of at any question if you reach the failing mark.. so you can never really tell! I took the test in about 100 questions (stopped watching which question I was on after about 85) and it took me 2 hours before it shut off.............. haha that's how I felt.. but I was GLAD to be DONE!

I won't try and explain what the test was like because I have tried several times and can't.. but I'll tell ya this, it was like no other test I have ever taken before... worst test of my life... a test that made me doubt myself more than I ever have.. and nothing I studied was on it! So on the subject of doubt, the more the day(s) went on, the more I doubted myself. I told Tommy, "I don't even know if I passed" and "If I didn't pass, I seriously wont be surprised" so it was not a healthy 48 hours!

But after 48 hours of feeling sick to my stomach, doubting myself, worrying about what I would tell my new job I just got hired at, exc, exc, I was getting ready to go to the gym one morning at about 7:30 and it hadn't quite been 48 hours yet but I decided to check real quick and my results were in! You had to purchase your results if you wanted them early (totally worth it! Why have 10 days of stress?!) so I entered my card info probably about 7-8 times because I was so nervous and shaking! I finally got it entered and..

Holy Smokes! Was I sooo relieved! and happy!! I immediately texted Tommy and absolutely loved his reaction!


He was a doubter ;)

So I jumped up and down and screamed a few times and then went to the gym to get all my energy out :)

When I got home there was a knock on my door and it was no other than my amazing, amazing in-laws with a surprise congratulations gift for me! Made my Whole day!!

I was glad I passed because I did NOT want to take that test again!! And I had no idea how I would have studied for the second go round.

So there it is, in a nutshell, (A big nutshell!), documentation of the biggest test of my life before I forgot what it was like!

Sincerely,
Kylie McMurdie RN ;)