Margaret Luukkonen, RN, BSN

I took my state board test for nursing, the NCLEX, this Wednesday.

The test is taken on a computer, it can be anywhere from 75-265 questions (depending on how you do at the beginning), and they give you 6 hours to complete it. Before you go into the testing room, they fingerprint you a couple times, and you have to have your ID with you at all times. Someone escorts you to your computer, and if you need anything, including a new dry erase board or “scratch paper”, you raise your hand and wait for the proctor to come to you. I got 75 questions and was finished in 1 1/2 hours. I praise God for that, because that computer screen was hard on the eyes! My reaction right after the test was, “Why was that so different from any of my reviews?? Why did all those questions seem so stinking hard??!! Why do I feel so stupid??” Sometimes being the first one done can be a little scary. But, I obviously did well enough, because I found my name listed on the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) website as the holder of an RN license! I don’t expect to receive the “official” results for about 4 weeks, because they are reviewed and then sent out by mail. But, the BRN has this nifty website where you can search for any name to see if that person holds an RN license. Apparently, I do!