Thursday, February 18
Twas the night before NCLEX and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for the nursing student in the basement who couldn't sleep and had anxiety so badly that she felt as though an elephant was sitting on her chest. When sleep finally came so did nightmares of sleeping in and missing her test appointment. Not a very restful night.
Friday, February 19
Test time 0800, arrive 30 minutes early to allow for time to fill out paper work. With a click of the mouse the countdown begins. Six hours is all you get to take this test. At least 75 questions and up to 265 at most. The more questions you get right, the harder they get. When the computer is 95% confident you're competent the test clicks off and the test is over. 90 minutes and 130 questions later the computer screen went black. 0930 walked out of the testing center pretty certain I had failed. Then the waiting began....
Saturday, February 20
Utah Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing is closed. No results will be posted. Zumba in the morning to work out some of the anxiety that comes with waiting. Off to work...a nice distraction.
Sunday, February 21
DOPL is still closed. Loving friends and family start to say things like, "I know you'll pass." "Have you heard anything yet?" "Don't worry, DOPL opens tomorrow and it'll post." Unless it didn't. I felt as though the test had chewed me up and spit me back out. I came to the conclusions it wasn't called a CAT test for nothing...It was a big ugly black cat hissing with claws bared.
Monday, February 22
0730: Check DOPL website. No results posted. Off to school to pass the time.
0900: Check DOPL website during a break between classes. No results posted.
1130: Home from school. Check DOPL website. No results posted.
1330: Check one more time before leaving for work. No results posted.
1331: Give in and pay $7.95 to receive Quick Results. Best money ever spent, for there on the screen it read: PASSED!
I let out a whispered shock, "I passed!?!" Then at the top of my lungs, "I PASSED!" Then I started to cry.
Friday, February 19
Test time 0800, arrive 30 minutes early to allow for time to fill out paper work. With a click of the mouse the countdown begins. Six hours is all you get to take this test. At least 75 questions and up to 265 at most. The more questions you get right, the harder they get. When the computer is 95% confident you're competent the test clicks off and the test is over. 90 minutes and 130 questions later the computer screen went black. 0930 walked out of the testing center pretty certain I had failed. Then the waiting began....
Saturday, February 20
Utah Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing is closed. No results will be posted. Zumba in the morning to work out some of the anxiety that comes with waiting. Off to work...a nice distraction.
Sunday, February 21
DOPL is still closed. Loving friends and family start to say things like, "I know you'll pass." "Have you heard anything yet?" "Don't worry, DOPL opens tomorrow and it'll post." Unless it didn't. I felt as though the test had chewed me up and spit me back out. I came to the conclusions it wasn't called a CAT test for nothing...It was a big ugly black cat hissing with claws bared.
Monday, February 22
0730: Check DOPL website. No results posted. Off to school to pass the time.
0900: Check DOPL website during a break between classes. No results posted.
1130: Home from school. Check DOPL website. No results posted.
1330: Check one more time before leaving for work. No results posted.
1331: Give in and pay $7.95 to receive Quick Results. Best money ever spent, for there on the screen it read: PASSED!
I let out a whispered shock, "I passed!?!" Then at the top of my lungs, "I PASSED!" Then I started to cry.
I Passed The NCLEX!
Somerset Smith, R.N.
Somerset Smith, R.N.
