Failed PAX twice — what finally worked for me the third time

by Brian Y. 11 views3 replies
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Brian Y.OP
May 27, 2026

So I've been trying to get into the nursing program at my community college for the past year and a half, and the PAX has been the thing standing between me and my future. First attempt I scored a 68 composite, needed a 75. Second attempt, same story — 69. I was devastated and honestly considered giving up on nursing altogether.

What changed for the third attempt was actually being strategic instead of just "studying harder." I found a solid PAX practice test that broke down the verbal, math, and science sections separately, which helped me see that my science score was dragging everything down. I'd been spending most of my time on math when biology and chemistry were my real weak spots.

I also got a structured study guide that had me doing timed sections instead of just reading through content. Eight weeks of about 90 minutes daily, focused mostly on human body systems and basic chemistry. Passed with an 81. Happy to share what specifically helped if anyone's going through the same thing.

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Preethi N.
May 28, 2026
I went through something similar. What nobody told me before my first attempt was that the PAX verbal section is way more vocabulary-heavy than reading comprehension. I kept practicing reading passages when I should've been drilling medical and academic vocabulary. Flipped my approach on attempt two and jumped 8 points on verbal alone. Exam tips like that are buried in forums like this — they should put it on the official prep materials.
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emily_w
May 28, 2026
This is so encouraging to read, thank you for sharing. I'm scheduled for my first attempt in six weeks and I'm terrified of the science section. Can I ask — did you focus more on biology or chemistry? My background is pretty weak in both and I'm trying to figure out where to put my limited time. Also, what was your study guide? The one I'm using feels really shallow on the nursing science content.
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Mike_T
May 28, 2026
Congrats on passing! 81 is a great score. The timed practice thing is underrated — I didn't realize how slow I was until I started timing myself and almost didn't finish the math section on test day.

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