NCLEX Test Review Websites and Test Taking Tips

Nursing Students NCLEX

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just wondering if any of you guys know a website that have a test review question.

Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
Cay said:
I am in my first semester of FON and really struggling as several of my class mates are too. We were "A:" students before nursing and realized how difficult our classes would be in addition to dedicating ourselves five straight semesters to nursing school. We study hard, answer all our study guide questions, definitions, fill out our work book.............Where do these questions come from? They are not what we studied! If this is critical thinking we need help as I, we, need more help that we can get at school. I am open to replies of just what to study from and how to go about it. We are not fresh out of high school, but seasoned adults. HELP!!!

Thanks,

Cay

Something that may help is Bloom's Taxonomy - This is the guide to gauging critical thinking in the cognitive domain.

The cognitive domain, according to Bloom, is divided into 6 levels of difficulty: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Most students (outside of nursing) are used to multiple choice questions written on the knowledge level, which is "simple" memorization of facts, or at the level of comprehension, which advances one step further toward understanding. The instructor lectures the material, and the student simply "regurgitates" it back on a test.

Critical thinking, according to Bloom, is only accessed on the "higher" levels of application and above. To encourage critical thinking, therefore, the majority of the questions you will encounter in nursing school will be at the level of application and analysis. Also, the majority of the questions on the NCLEX-RN are written at the level of application and analysis. Very few NCLEX questions are "mere" knowledge questions.

For some of these types of questions (especially analysis), there will be more than one "right" answer; you will need to choose the "best" or "top priority" answer. These "higher order" type questions create quite a culture shock for the first semester nursing student. There are many students with 4.0 averages prior to nursing school, who barely squeak by with a "C."

Here are some examples of questions (concerning diabetes) written at different levels of Bloom's. Can you see the advancing level of difficulty?

Knowledge question

The nurse is monitoring blood glucose levels for a group of clients. Which of the following ranges represents a normal fasting blood glucose level?

1. 60-100 mg/dl*

2. 101-140 mg/dl

3. 141-180 mg/dl

4. 181-220 mg/dl

Comprehension question

The nurse is evaluating a client who is diabetic and on insulin. Which of the following statements by the client would indicate that the client may be experiencing a reaction to insulin?

1. "I am feeling sweaty and nervous."*

2. "I have ringing constantly in my ears."

3. "I feel hot and thirsty."

4. "Things look yellow and blurry to me."

Application question

The nurse concludes that a client newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus needs additional teaching, when she states:

a. "I will rotate my insulin injection sites to avoid tissue damage."

b. "I will check my blood glucose several times daily and keep a record."

c. "If I feel faint or sweaty, it means my insulin level is low."*

d. "It is important to eat three meals and two snacks at scheduled times."

Analysis

The client has a serum glucose of 600 with positive serum ketones. The nurse understands it is MOST important to monitor this client's:

a. hydration status.

b. level of consciousness.

c. serum electrolytes.*

d. oxygenation status.

Something that may help you is purchasing a good NCLEX review book - One that is broken down into subject matter. Saunders Comprehensive Review is excellent - We recommend this to our students. With a good NCLEX review book, you can "practice" going through these "higher order" types of questions, over and over again. It is important to review each possible answer for each question, along with the rationales. After awhile, you will develop an instinct as to which answer is correct. Hope this helps. Best wishes to you ?

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le0128 said:
just wondering if any of you guys know a website that have a test review question.

What you should do is buy Saunders RN-NCLEX reviewers book cost only $42.00 its a CD on it. It's worth investing for. Also, you can looged in to ATI Testing.com. I feel your pain and I am on it too but not too soon as probably you are. Just bought Saunders book for myself. Good Luck.

1 Votes
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

The NCLEX-RN is emphasizing prioritization and delegation and you will undoubtedly encounter these types of questions in nursing school.

Prioritization questions may be written as:

The nurse (charge nurse) is overseeing care of ___ clients on __________. Or, concerning which of the following patient-care situations should the nurse notify the physician FIRST?

An example of prioritization question from this template:

The charge nurse is overseeing care of 10 clients on a general obstetrical floor. Concerning which of the following patient-care situations should the nurse notify the physician FIRST?

a. Prenatal client at 7 weeks gestation with nausea and vomiting and a whitish lady partsl discharge.

b. A gravida 2 para 1 client at 28 weeks gestation with brownish facial blotches and +1 glucose and trace protein in a random urinalysis.

c. Seventeen-year-old client at 15 weeks gestation with missed abortion and bleeding from IV site.

d. Rh-negative client at 38 weeks gestation with blood pressure of 150/105, brisk reflexes, and generalized edema in hands and ankles.

Prioritization may also take this form on a question (written from a different angle):

You are the charge nurse on a unit and need to make a bed available for a new admission. Which of the following patients are you going to discharge FIRST?

For delegation, you will often encounter questions asking which patient care tasks/ roles can be delegated to the unlicensed personnel or to the LPN.

Here is an example of the delegation type of question:

The registered nurse has asked the unlicensed assistant to help with admitting an elderly client who has been diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. Which of the following activities is appropriate for the nurse to ask the assistant to perform?

a. Assess the client's lung sounds.

b. Collect nursing history and assessment data.

c. Obtain the client's height and weight.

d. Evaluate the client's respiratory status.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Free NCLEX practice test: https://www.testprepreview.com/modules/nclex.htm

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THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I just wanted to take this time to thank all of the staff here at allnurses.com. Your passion to continue to educate is infectious and greatly appreciated.

Because of this, I am addicted to this site. Its 2am, and I am still up and studying very hard.

I hope to be someday, to be a part of your entitlement.

Again, Thank You so much!

1 Votes
Specializes in NICU.
4rom2bRN said:
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I just wanted to take this time to thank all of the staff here at allnurses.com. Your passion to continue to educate is infectious and greatly appreciated.

Because of this, I am addicted to this site. Its 2am, and I am still up and studying very hard.

I hope to be someday, to be a part of your entitlement.

Again, Thank You so much!

Yeah this place is a bit addicting

Good luck to you, I wish you all the best!!

1 Votes
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

best wishes to you, 4rom2brn! glad you have found these resources helpful :)

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much thanks-brantaf

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need maternity test quizz online..any idea?

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Hi, does anyone know of any free websites that have critical thinking exercises, quizzes, practice tests, etc.

Thanks, ---pami:nurse:

1 Votes
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