The night before I took my nursing boards, formally known as the NCLEX-RN exam, I was kept awake for most of the night by a Harley Davidson convention outside my motel room door. The testing center where I would take the NCLEX was pretty far away from home so I thought it would be better to head up Florida’s east coast the night before so I would arrive awake and refreshed for test day.

Without the biker convention that would have been an excellent plan. I even had my NCLEX study guides with me. As it turned out, I arrived at the testing center the next morning bleary eyed, on zero sleep and terrified that all my hard work during the past four years was for nothing. I don’t remember much about the actual exam except staring blankly at the computer monitor, attempting to make sense out of the multiple choice questions and choosing what seemed to be the most reasonable answer.

What I do remember is exiting the testing center. As I left with tears in my eyes, more than convinced of my impending NCLEX failure, the nice lady who checked me out sighed, smiled and said, “Relax – everybody cries.” Looking around at my fellow test takers I saw that she was right. It was a relief not being the only basket case in the room.

A few months later when I received my brand new RN license in the mail, the whole experience, bikers and all suddenly became worth it.

The NCLEX-RN exam is conducted by the National Council of State Boards for Nursing and applicants have up to three attempts to pass. After that, a remedial education program is required. Believe me when I say that there are some extremely competent, caring, successful nurses out there who used all three of those attempts.

As of this year, the average pass rate for nursing school graduates educated in the U.S. was 88% and 42% for students educated abroad, testing into the American workforce.  Statistics show that the most successful NCLEX test takers are those who take the exam as soon as possible following graduation, while the 2-4 years of test taking practice and notes are still fresh in their academic minds.

Accredited nursing programs start preparing their students to pass the NCLEX from day one. When their students have a low pass rate, it is a direct reflection on their program, professors and curriculum. Even if you are the world’s worst test-taker, I guarantee that by the time you graduate from nursing school, you will have taken so many NCLEX style multiple choice exams that you could get a job writing them.

Yes, it’s stressful and emotional and the culmination of your entire nursing school experience. But it’s also temporary, surmountable and absolutely worth it. Although you might find it wise to check for local biker conventions in the area the night before test day.