How hard can it be?

Nurses General Nursing

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I will be taking the NCLEX in a few weeks and am very anxious. I am in the midst of taking the Kaplan online prepratory course but I am still deathly afraid of the big F. Any advice?

My advice: RELAX!!!! I know, easier said than done. Everything you have done to become a nurse will help you pass the test. By now, you either know it or you don't, and I'll bet you do, you just don't know that yourself yet. If it makes you feel better, take another prep course closer to the exam and study areas where you feel you need it between now and then. Good Luck and congrats on getting this far!! You'll make it!

Relax! You can't really study for NCLEX either you know it or you don't. I purchased a Kaplan study guide, it was very helpful in teaching how to answer multiple choice questions. Just take a deep breath and read the questions carefully watch out for those key words like all, never, always, and except! Those drive me crazy but can trip you up if you are not paying attention. When you get one of those who are you going to see first questions just think of ABC airway breathing and circulation. I think you will be okay please keep us posted. Good luck.

I agree with the the above. I found a good review book and reviewed systems as well. One will never know everything. I took my boards a little over a year ago. I remember a lot of my questions were about prioritizing. I was really scared because I didn't do as well as I had hoped on the practice tests that my school gave us.

I stressed out so much about this that I did my research paper on what student factors predicted success on the NCLEX-RN. :-)

I just did a basic review of the highlights of the various areas of nursing (ob/gyn, med-surg, psych, peds, safety issues, etc.), and along with a review of various disease processes. Be sure to brush up on diabetes care.

What I mean is review, don't go overboard and make yourself crazy. You have made it through this far. You have to be pretty on the ball to accomplish what you have done thus far. Be sure to take time to be good to yourself. Draw a line in the sand as to how long you are going to study for. I got to the point where I felt I reached the saturation level. Did I know it all? NO! But my brain was full and I was done. And best of all, I passed! Be gentle with yourself and watch a funny movie the night before the test. You will do wonderfully! Remember that we are all here for you. Take care and God Bless.

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Hi Huggietoes,

I agree. Just relax and take your time---and don't forget to breathe.

The Kaplan course helped me with my test-taking skills. It taught me how to look at each question and figure out what was being asked. The program helped me feel a bit more confident going into the exam. If you have the practice test program for your computer, use it. The practice test is very close to the NCLEX. That may help you feel a little more comfortable. Most of my classmates and my coworkers said that it wasn't that they didn't know the information but that they were anxious or nervous (about failing) and that interfered with their concentration.

The questions asked are on what you've learned in school. I was told by an instructor that nursing school teaches you what you need to pass the boards, the rest you learn on the job. The NCLEX tests to see if you know the basics.

Best Wishes and Good Luck! :)

And welcome to our world!!!!!!

Kendra

What score do you need to pass the NCLEX?

Not sure about the NCLEX (my country has a different system entirely) but this is my approach to exams in general. KISS - Keep it simple stupid. There's no use sweating the small stuff...you've done 2-4yrs of study to get to this point so you must know something right? Just keep your cool and stay relaxed. Go with your first instinct. If something sounds ridiculous, then chances are it probably is.

And while this may seem harsh, I say the same thing to all of my peers at uni (I've returned to study after six years) - if you fail, there's usually a good reason for it and that by having to repeat the exam/course/unit, you'll be a better person for it.

If you understand the general concepts of everything, then you'll be fine. When you study, focus on the main concepts. It's when you get caught up in the 'small stuff' that everything will begin to unravel on you.

Best of luck to you....

Just a quick tip, I am sure you will do fine. NCLEX shuts off when you are answering 50% right and 50% wrong, then bases your compentency on the difficulty level you achieved before hitting the 50/50 mark so many students feel they have failed because they are not used to taking an exam that does that, I mean when was the last time you got a 50 on an exam. SO don't be surprised if you feel this way..

What if you never get to the 50/50 mark? Does it go indefinitely or does it come to an end eventually?

Sorry, NCLEX is very new to me...

It ends after three hours and you fail if you never met the competent level.

Specializes in ICU, nutrition.

Also remember that safety (mainly patient safety) is the number one priority after ABCs. Also, another tip I was given by a test review class was that "Reassess in 15 min." is never the correct answer because you are not treating a problem for 15 min. "Check vital signs" is usually wrong, too, because it shows that you really don't know what to do, so you'll check the patient's vital signs.

But I think the best thing to do is to relax and to go to the test center by yourself (don't schedule at the same time as friends/classmate) and preferably go to one where you don't know anyone. That way it won't psyche you out when your buddies finish before you. Make sure you eat breakfast and get some glucose in your system.

Good luck!

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