75 doesn't feel as positive as I once thought!

Sorry for not posting in a while. I have started my new job and am on the floor now. I have also been studying for NCLEX every night that I haven't had church. But yesterday, Lindsey, Kim and Leigh Ann (another girl from our nursing class) picked me up from work and we drove to Mobile. We ate a good supper and then went to find the testing center where we'd take the hardest test of our lives. We stayed in Mobile last night and got to sleep in (which was wonderful!). We went to bed fairly early (probably about 11:30 or so). I'd worked 12 hr shifts for the past two days so I was asleep before my head hit the pillow good. I set my alarm for 11am and just about sleep solid til then. Our exam was scheduled for 2pm, so we ate a good CrackerBarrel breakfast/lunch before we went to the testing center. We had been talking and laughing since we left Hattiesburg yesterday, but once we left lunch, our mood became much more somber. No more laughing or joking. Got the testing center and a couple of the girls were going to stay outside for a few more minutes (we got there about ten minutes early). I went on in. I was able to register immediately, and got started on my test by 1:30. I started the tutorial which tells you about the different question types. Then had to start the test.

Wow! What a test it was. There were a few that I absolutely knew the answer to--like 3 or 4. There were some that I could narrow down to 2 or even one that I could answer because I knew that 3 of the answers were wrong. But overall--that was the hardest test I've ever taken. I got to number 75 and answered it. I hesitated before hitting the "next" button because it would either shut off or I'd have to keep going. I got my guts up and hit "next". My test shut off. So now I know that I either passed it really well or failed it really badly! I used to say, "If I get 75 questions, I'll know I passed. I've studied and done the things I knew to do. I surely can't fail it that bad." But now that I've taken it, I'm not so sure about 75 questions. All four of us got 75 questions before the test shut off. Now we wait. I'll be checking the Board of Nursing website OFTEN!!! When I know--You'll know.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement! I feel a huge sense of relief! At least now I don't have to come home to study anymore. No more care plans for school. No more NCLEX practice tests. Now its the real world. I'll write another post about the job this weekend. I'm going to go chill for a while now.

Stay tuned...