Taking What’s Yours – California Nurse Reflects on Arduous NCLEX Journey

By Jeffrey K. Lyles

“Every time I sat in that chair, I could hear my heartbeat. I’m sweating and getting so confused. I calmed myself down because I didn’t want to have any problems with my anxiety and I started taking my NCLEX and told myself, Eunice, you got this.”

Chimezie (Eunice) Opara had faced the stress and anxiety of taking the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) three times before. The 44-year-old mother of three got close to passing, but the culmination of her nursing journey kept feeling out of reach.

Opara was diligent in her studies using different training modules to best prepare for the exam. But after three attempts she realized she needed to take advantage of Nightingale College’s NCLEX coaching program.

In addition to the mental stress of taking the NCLEX repeatedly, the financial cost can quickly become burdensome as well. UWorld Nursing estimated that each repeated NCLEX can cost up to $600 depending on specific state requirements.

Fighting through anxiety and some early registration complications took their toll, and Opara failed in her first attempt as her test cut off at 85 questions. The test can have a maximum of 150 questions, but if a candidate is trending under a passing threshold, they are likely unable to overcome; the test cuts off at 85 questions.

“Still, I was not discouraged, and I continued to study,” said Opara, who like many aspiring RNs juggled her studies with her part-time role working as a licensed vocational nurse.

Utilizing study tools like UWorld, Simple Nursing and Archer, Opara did make it to the end with 150 questions but was unsuccessful in passing it on her second attempt.

After Opara’s third unsuccessful attempt in fall 2025 where her exam cut off at 85 questions, she started working with Faye Fairchild, DNP, RN, CNE, one of the three Nightingale coaches who work with graduates on their NCLEX journey.

One coach provides aid immediately after graduation while another works with graduates who have not taken the exam after graduation. Fairchild assists graduates who have failed the test.  Nightingale has a licensure reimbursement policy where graduates can get their NCLEX exam fees (not including state fees) reimbursed provided they show proof of passing and submit a reimbursement form.

“I’ve never heard of another college working this diligently with graduates and it’s a real neat thing,” Fairchild said.

Fairchild met with Opara in November 2025 and said Opara’s challenge was an interesting one.

“On the first attempt she did 85 questions, which means she was down [below the passing line] pretty quick and couldn’t get back above. Many times, that tells me there could be a content issue or it could be test anxiety,” Fairchild said. “I looked at her Candidate Performance Report, and it was probably more content. With her second one she went all the way to 150. She was in it till the end and you could see improvement on her scores.”

Fairchild surmised Opara probably didn’t give herself enough time before taking the NCLEX the third time. Candidates can retake the exam 45 days after their previous attempt.

“She had a lot of life circumstances going on at that time and probably if I’d been meeting with her, I would have said let’s just postpone this,” Fairchild said.

In addition to juggling her LVN role and studying for the NCLEX, Opara is also the mother of seven-year-old twins and a nine-year-old.

“When I listened to everything that she had going on in her life, I was like well right there is enough that could have easily been the issue versus her knowledge of the information,” Fairchild said.

Opara’s persistence bucks the national trend, per the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) 10-year data comparing first-time NCLEX RN candidates to repeat test-takers. First time candidates averaged an 86.4% pass rate with a high of 91.2% in 2024 compared to 46.6% for repeat candidates with a low of 43% in 2020.

“Once graduates fail twice, the likelihood of them passing is down to 42%,” Fairchild said. “It’s a marker that we know is an uphill battle.”

From her experience, Fairchild said graduates largely fail for one of three reasons.

• The first — and easiest to address— is a knowledge gap where they can hone their training on weaker subject areas using the available resources.
• In some instances, English as a Second Language learners may struggle with medical terminology.
• Some graduates don’t do a lot of preparatory work beforehand.

There is some reason for encouragement for those who don’t pass on their first NCLEX attempt. Over the last three years, the average success rate has climbed to 51.6%, according to the NCSBN.

“I taught her how to do a four-step question process where she has to learn to manage a question, so the question doesn’t manage her,” Fairchild said. “She was always open to trying what you asked her to do.”

Opara worked on a study plan with Fairchild, combining the Bootcamp training module and Nightingale’s own version of Bootcamp in January 2026. The four-day session breaks down various aspects of the NCLEX including how the test is scored, essential content to know, the importance of certain concepts and the best way to answer questions.

Nightingale’s NCLEX coaching assistance is available at no extra cost to learners and includes group study sessions, individual NCLEX areas of need tutoring and a Saunders NCLEX-RN Comprehensive Review Study Guide.

“That really helped me,” Opara said. “I watched the videos countless times. Everything they taught me was so amazing.”

If graduates aren’t sure if they want to pore over all the resources available as part of the coaching assistance, Fairchild said she makes sure to walk them through the Bootcamp offerings and the study resources section with various case studies and the Elsevier Adaptive Quizzing (EAQ) practice with more than 3,000 questions.

As the anxiety started to creep back in during her fourth NCLEX attempt, Opara said she recalled the advice she received from the Bootcamp videos.

“I said no. This license belongs to me,” Opara said. “Anxiety you can never conquer me this time around. I am here to take what belongs to me.”

Fairchild said she jumped up and did a happy dance when Opara contacted her to let her know she passed the NCLEX.

“It really makes your day, and it reinforces that Nightingale is doing the right thing trying to help their graduates be successful,” Fairchild said.