Don't despair, not every nurse will pass the first time. Some have even had to take it three or four times! Any number of factors can affect whether you pass. One of the most important reasons for taking practice tests as you go along and then again in final preparation for the NCLEX, is that they help you to know and understand your weaknesses and strengths. This allows you to spend more time brushing up on areas you don't know as well. But don't forget to take one last quick review of your strong areas.

As soon as you walk out of the test, you should have a good idea of what you nailed and what areas you struggled with. Write down the things that you immediately remember having had difficulty with. Whether you pass, you need to review these things to improve your knowledge base.

If you didn't pass, you know what you need to concentrate on for next time. Take a break and don't beat yourself up. Try to examine the outside factors that may have influenced your performance. Did you have something to eat before the test? What time of day did you take the test? Was that a peak performance time of the day for you? Did you have a fight with your significant other? Were you rushed to get to the test site? Did you get lost or have a hard time finding parking? All these things could have been enough to distract you if even just a little so that you were not at your best.

Everyone is nervous, but were you especially so? What could you have done to help yourself relax a little more? Examine all these factors and see which ones you can better control next time. Make a mental note or write them down for yourself.

Learn from your mistakes. Take the opportunity to seek out patients and scenarios that were troublesome for you and understand why your answers were incorrect.

You won't receive a copy of your test so you will have to rely on your memory of what was difficult for you. You should also double-check anything you felt you nailed to be sure you did.

In a few days, begin to study again. Go to the bookstores and look through all the preparation guide materials. Maybe a different source will pose questions or scenarios in a different way and help you to understand and remember them better.

If you have been working as a GN, you won't be able to continue at this status. Perhaps your hospital or facility will allow you to stay on as a nursing assistant. This would be valuable as you can continue to observe procedures and scenarios that will help you to learn and to review for your next testing session. As you will have seen, the NCLEX tests your knowledge of facts as well as the nursing process. If you have struggled with the nursing process, then you really need to spend time in patient care to get a good foundation of how it works. Even if you have to take on another role such as an EKG tech, you should be observing the nursing process from every angle and imagining what and how you would do in the same situation.