Testing? Testing?

**This is the wall in front of my bed**

As I continue to sift through my stack of nursing notes in preparation for the NCLEX, my fears eb and flow like the sea.  At times I feel completely prepared, if not over prepared and at other times I don't think any amount of studying will ever truly prepare me for this f*ckin' thing! 

The test is based on what a new nurse knows.  Who is this person?  I don't know half the stuff she knows.  She had to be the chic that ruined the curve in school and had no life -- b#tch probably never bonged a beer in her life or trained for a marathon.

The test is computer adaptive, so depending on how I answer the first question will determine my next question and so forth.  The idea is to get a bunch of the easy ones right (about 15-20) and get up above the competency line then if I miss a few I am still above the competency line. 

The minimum I can take is 75 and the max is 265 questions.  I have 6 hours, which is way too long.  If I am not out in less than two hours it's probably not a good sign.  Shutting off at 75 doesn't tell me if I passed or failed.  If I make it past 75 questions that means I am still competent and the computer has not yet gauged my knowledge base (it's not that big--snicker, snicker).  If the test shuts off at 76+ questions and I got the last one right, I passed, if it shuts off on one I missed, I failed.  No pressure. 

The minimum also includes 15 questions that don't count for or against my score, of course I don't know which ones they are.  The state boards are trying to determine if the information is being taught in nursing schools yet and it should be a valid question they can utilize on future NCLEX exams (like we don't already have to know too much information). 

There are also these questions called "Multiple Multiples."  They suck!!!  The question will be something like ...

A client takes HCTZ for treatment of essential hypertension.  The nurse should instruct the client to report which of the folloing.  Select ALL that apply.

a. muscle twitching
b. abdominal cramping
c. diarrhea
d. confusion
e. lethargy
f. muscle weakness

You don't know how many you need to pick, you just know if you don't pick all the right answers -- it's wrong and if you pick all the right answers + a wrong answer -- it's wrong.  The good thing is these questions indicate high competency and if I get them I way above the competency line and I will pass.

UPDATE: There were 30 of us in my cohort in the fall of 2009.  One quit after 8 weeks, one failed out the 3rd semester and one dropped down to the traditional program after the third semester.  Twenty-seven of us made it through the acclerated program and of those twenty-seven, five of us have taken the test and passed.  Here's hoping I join those ranks shortly!!