Hi everyone im 24, I graduated nursing school in new jersey May 2009, still haven't taken my nclex due to family issues. I stopped my life picked up and moved in with my grandparents in Brooklyn, NY in order to take care of them they are both ill and there is no one else to do so plus my grandmother has alzheimer's. So i have become the primary caretaker for them. It's a big responsibility and very stressful at times and feel i have no support. I really would like to study, take my NCLEX and find a job already and move foward with my life before it is too late. But realistically, is it too late for me? Has too much time passed from graduation that i will not be able to find a job now?? PLEASE help and let me know :-/ thank you so much for reading..

Of course it's not too late! It's just gonna be really hard getting back into and studying for the NCLEX with this time off. It's possible i think, i would take a review like Kaplan or Hurst before you take it. Good Luck!

Take a refresher course to get yourself in the swing of things and then take your nclex. It is never to late.

Check with your state BON. In OK, if you do not take NCLEX w/in 2 years of graduation, you are required to take the $2500 refresher course. I took Boards 4 months after graduation, and did not use Kaplan, etc., or a refresher & passed on the first pass. If you felt as though you knew your stuff, and if you are w/in the window, you could conceivably just walk in and do it.

IIRC, the gist of Kaplan is use the Maslow and Erickson filters for every test question (prioritization). Hurst is a general skills, more practicum oriented plan. Kaplan teaches you to take the test; Hurst refreshes your fundamentals.

thank you for your response! yes ive finally opened my books back up to study and already am so overwhelmed dont know where to even begin! does anyone have any suggestions??? i do have a kaplan nclex book as well as a couple other ones like mosby, and nclex made easy, cd's, etc. should i concentrate stictly on the nclex review books or go back into my nursing school notes and study???

The question is: do you feel confident in performing the skills, and how do you feel about the "critical thinking" questions?

Again, if you need to bone up on skills, use Kaplan. I would also practice questions from several NCLEX books, for overall practice.

For "testing purposes", remember Maslow- which answer best satisfies

Physiological

Safety

Social (love/Belonging)

(I'd be darn surprised to see Esteem & Self-Actualization, but remember them)

and/or Erickson- which answer is both age/stage appropriate and "positive"?