The 5 AM Jollibee Breakfast & Pre-Exam Jitters
Finally, the big day arrived!
In the early hours of that morning, I couldn’t sleep because I was overthinking everything. So, I started scrolling through posts in one of the NCLEX review groups I had joined.
One particular post caught my attention. Someone had just taken her exam and was surprised that she hadn’t encountered as many case studies as she had expected. Instead, she had received plenty of standalone questions about prioritisation and delegation — a topic I was struggling with during my review.
Then it hit me.
I hadn’t even finished the Prioritisation and Delegation lecture from INAP (International Nurses Academy of the Philippines)!
So, I watched the video and tried answering the questions covered in the lecture. Honestly, it helped me understand the topic so much better. Sir Balicha’s lecture on prioritisation and delegation was a gamechanger!
After that last-minute review session, I managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up at around 5 AM to shower and get ready. My exam was scheduled for 7 AM that morning.
My hubby woke up early, too, and bought me a Jollibee breakfast because he wanted me to have a proper, filling meal before my exam. 😂❤️
We booked a cab to Trident Tower, and I spent the entire ride praying about the exam that lay ahead.
We arrived very early — around 5:30 AM — only to discover that the building was still closed!
So, we headed to the nearest 7-Eleven and waited while having coffee.
I managed to take just one photo that day: a picture of me and my hubby. I had wanted to take more photos to document my exam day, but my nerves were getting the better of me, and I couldn’t bring myself to take any more.
Little did I know that this would become one of those days I would look back on years later.
High Security & Vanishing Composure
When Trident Tower finally opened, the friendly security guard directed me to the testing area.
Once inside the testing centre, I quickly realised just how seriously everything was taken.
The Double Phone Dilemma: Since I was in the Philippines, I had brought a backup phone for my local SIM card and left my main New Zealand iPhone at the hotel. Naturally, I had a mini-crisis trying to figure out how to turn the backup phone off! 😅
Biometric Verification: The staff verified our identities individually using our passports before proceeding with biometric scans.
The Locker Cleanout: We had to remove all our jewellery, including our watches, and secure our personal belongings in lockers.
Constant Surveillance: The staff explained that cameras monitored the testing area to prevent cheating. Even going to the toilet required a staff escort. Everything was closely monitored. 😅
I had been feeling relatively composed because I had deliberately taken it easy the day before.
But the moment I was asked to enter the testing room, all that composure disappeared.
I started coughing and felt as though I was about to throw up. 😅
So much for being composed!
Before looking at the first question, I closed my eyes, prayed, and surrendered everything to God.
And then, it was time to begin.
Inside the Testing Room: The Mental Rollercoaster
My first question was a Select All That Apply (SATA) item about an endocrine disorder. I breathed a huge sigh of relief because I actually knew the answer.
Then came Question 2, which asked about a specific cranial nerve.
I completely blanked. 😂
I essentially had to guess.
The first ten questions were incredibly tough, covering concepts I hadn’t encountered during my preparation. As I progressed through the exam, the questions continued to challenge me until I reached my first case study, which covered psychiatric nursing.
From there, it was a whirlwind of obstetrics, paediatrics, psychiatry, and medical-surgical nursing.
I encountered three to four case studies, alongside a massive wave of standalone questions on prioritisation and delegation. I was incredibly grateful that I had finished Sir Balicha’s lecture that morning because the strategies I learned helped me work through those questions.
At one point, I started overthinking everything.
The exam didn’t seem quite as brutal as the horror stories I had read. Was I actually passing, or was I failing miserably?
I had prepared myself for the worst, but I kept going.
Then I reached Question 75.
It was a case study about a maternal condition. I convinced myself that I was answering the questions incorrectly and began to panic. Would the computer even shut down at the minimum number of questions?
To make things even more interesting, I encountered questions on nursing informatics — a topic I hadn’t even studied!
After about two hours, the screen asked whether I wanted to take a break.
I clicked “No.”
Why? Because I was actively manifesting that the end was near. 😂
Looking back, that was quite a gamble. Had the exam continued all the way to the maximum of 150 questions, I might have ended up hungry, exhausted, and completely drained.
But at that moment, I was determined to keep going.
Then the screen advanced to Question 85.
“I’m going to keep fighting, even if I have to answer all 150 questions.”
And then, to my utter shock…
The computer screen went completely black!
Until the Next Chapter…
The system prompted me to complete a feedback form about the testing centre, but I just sat there, staring blankly at the reflection on the screen.
What just happened? 😅
And just like that, my NCLEX was over.
But did I pass?
Well, that’s a story for another day.
The next 48 hours were filled with the kind of mental torture that only comes from waiting for an exam result that could change your life. Every thought, every doubt, and every what-if deserved a chapter of its own!
Until then, remember that sometimes, all we can do is prepare, pray, and keep fighting — even when we have no idea what the outcome will be.
Love,
Maica 🩺💜
A Little Disclaimer from Maica 💜
This post is based on my personal experience taking the NCLEX-RN in the Philippines. The examination format, testing-centre procedures, and types of questions may vary depending on the candidate, examination date, and applicable testing policies.
The topics and questions mentioned reflect my recollection of the experience and are not intended to represent the actual examination content or predict what other candidates may encounter. This post is for informational and educational purposes only and should not replace official NCLEX resources or current instructions from the relevant regulatory and testing authorities.
Some images in this post are AI-generated illustrations inspired by my personal memories and are not photographs of actual events. 💜
No comments:
Post a Comment