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Failed NCLEX-PN twice — what finally helped me pass on attempt three

by emily_w 33 views3 replies
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emily_wOP
May 27, 2026

I'm not going to sugarcoat it — I failed the NCLEX-PN twice and I was absolutely devastated. After my second attempt I seriously considered just walking away from nursing altogether. I'd been studying for months, grinding through a massive study guide that felt like it was written for robots, and still couldn't break through. My weak spots were pharmacology and prioritization questions, which of course show up constantly.

What finally turned things around for me was switching up my approach entirely. I stopped reading and started doing. I found a solid LPN practice test site that actually explained the rationale behind every wrong answer — not just telling me I got it wrong but WHY. That clicked for me in a way passive reading never did. I was doing 75-100 questions a day for about six weeks leading up to my third attempt.

Anyone else struggle this long before passing? I want to hear what exam tips worked for you, especially around prioritization and infection control. Those two areas cost me on both failed attempts and I'm determined not to let that happen again.

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emily_w
May 27, 2026
Three attempts here too, so trust me you're not alone. The rationale thing is huge — I didn't get serious about reading explanations until my second prep cycle. Also, don't sleep on Maslow's hierarchy for prioritization questions. Once I started filtering every priority question through that lens, my pass rate on those jumped from like 45% to over 70% in practice. Hang in there.
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Daniel M.
May 28, 2026
Pharmacology was my nemesis as well. What helped me was grouping drugs by suffix instead of trying to memorize everything individually. Like once you know what -olols do, half the beta blocker questions become manageable. I also made myself write out the top 10 high-alert meds every morning for two weeks. Tedious but it stuck. Also what practice test bank were you using? Some are way better than others for NCLEX-style critical thinking.
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Carlos B.
May 28, 2026
Infection control — airborne vs. droplet vs. contact. Print a chart, put it on your bathroom mirror, look at it every single morning. I know it sounds dumb but it genuinely worked for me. You've already shown a ton of grit getting back up twice. Third time's yours.

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