by NCINDASUN

Well, I take my NCLEX Thursday and I'm beginning to panic. Others in my class have taken it and have had everything from 75 to 265 questions. They also said that some of the questions came from left field and they had no clue as to what it was asking.

For all of you who have taken it, what would you suggest I focus on for the next 4 days? I took the Kaplan review and have been doing nothing but questions and reading rationales in Mosby and glancing at Frye's 3000. I think I've finally narrowed down how to take tests but now I'm worried that I'm focusing just on how to narrow it down to 2. But some of the questions seem so simple I begin to think that the actual questions are going to be so-o-o-o-much harder and ...

I'm really starting to get nervous. I've accepted a position that I REALLY wanted and now I'm freaking out about how to tell them if I don't pass.

In addition to telling me to calm down (my husband has tried - maybe I'll believe it when I hear it from you) what should I do for the next couple of days.

Thanks!

(PS - I have a history of test anxiety)

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

I took NCLEX this past Friday and I have to say that I was as prepared on Friday as I was on the day I graduated (Dec. 15). I studied using Saunders and I also reviewed the Kaplan plan. The Kaplan techniques were incredible IF YOU ARE ANSWERING KAPLAN QUESTIONS, but I did not have ONE, not ONE, question were I was able to use anything from Kaplan to help me answer an NCLEX question. After the test was done, it shut off at 75, I felt so drained but my first thought was that if I had payed the 395.00 to take the Kaplan course (I used the 32.00 book) I would have went straight to the Kaplan building and kicked some A**. Suzanne is 100% correct when she says to use the Saunders NCLEX review. If you go into the test with the correct knowledge then you do not need the ill advised Kaplan bullcrap. DO NOT make this test more than it is, do not be nervous, but take the next three days to review Saunders. Panicking at this point is nothing but a waste of your time. If you graduated then you have the knowledge right now to pass NCLEX.

Just my opinion

Rachel

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

Originally Posted by hyperstudent

I took NCLEX this past Friday and I have to say that I was as prepared on Friday as I was on the day I graduated (Dec. 15). I studied using Saunders and I also reviewed the Kaplan plan. The Kaplan techniques were incredible IF YOU ARE ANSWERING KAPLAN QUESTIONS, but I did not have ONE, not ONE, question were I was able to use anything from Kaplan to help me answer an NCLEX question. After the test was done, it shut off at 75, I felt so drained but my first thought was that if I had payed the 395.00 to take the Kaplan course (I used the 32.00 book) I would have went straight to the Kaplan building and kicked some A**. Suzanne is 100% correct when she says to use the Saunders NCLEX review. If you go into the test with the correct knowledge then you do not need the ill advised Kaplan bullcrap. DO NOT make this test more than it is, do not be nervous, but take the next three days to review Saunders. Panicking at this point is nothing but a waste of your time. If you graduated then you have the knowledge right now to pass NCLEX.

Just my opinion

Rachel

Wow. I think I'll be spending most of my time in my Saunders book for the next couple days/weeks. Three days, though, wouldn't make much difference.

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

Well first of all don't panic (easier said then done) it seems you have done all you can do --I took my nclex just over a month ago and passed at 75 questions --I swear that I felt as if I failed and it took 2 days for me to convince myself that I may have passed and low and behold I did ! God gets all the glory for that one!!! Many of the questions seemed to be out of left field - I got no renal, cardiac , med calc questions--many ob questions and many that seemed so simple and stupid that they must have been trick ones.... what it came down to was my ability to reason through a situation in many of them --utilizing alot of critical reasoning that I had learned during school -- I had reviewed Saunders extensively but never felt I had learned enough and thats where the critical reasoning part comes in.
take a deep breath and give it your best shot and remeber its a "perfect" world in NCLEX land --you always have the right equipment the right staff and the perfect hospital to work in. I'll be praying for you

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

Thanks everyone (and anyone else who wishes to comment). I went out last night and bought the Saunders and will spend the next couple of days reviewing it and doing more questions.

I'm praying that my critical thinking skills will hold up. I scored 95% on the NLN compaired to a sad 78% on the HESI. I think the big difference was the knowledge that the HESI was part of my graduation requirements and I panicked.

On an interesting note - my 17 year-old was reviewing some of the questions with me and I was amazed at her ability to think through the questions and pick the right answer on many of them. Even with just an anatomy and a sports medicine course, she was able to critical think through them. She used some innate Kaplan-esque ability that she must have gotten from her father

Wish me luck, pray for me, and let me know if you think of anything else I should be doing. Thursday seems to be coming at lightspeed.

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

NCINDASUN I like you have had awful problems in the past with test anxiety etc. I did practice tests over and over again even the night before, by the morning of the test was unusually calm had studied like you long and hard and believed i could do no more, I also took someones advice and for 48 hrs before the test stopped all stimulants i.e caffeine etc but really believed this helped.
Actually didn't panic until the computer turned of after Q-75 Got outside and sat against a wall head in hands crying, must have looked like a right idiot. Everyone I know told me I'd passed but I didn't believe it till I got my results a week later
Like people have said you graduated you have all the skills in place and you will be surprised how much you know.
Oh another nurse told me to remember this mantra and keep rpt this in your head
as each question appears KIS KIS

Keep
It
Simple

Keep
It
Stupid

Hope this helps, keep us informed.

Good luck

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

the biggest thing is don't freak out! some have 75, I had 265 and passed...

just go slow and read the question...and answer the question, don't debate, just go with your first answer

you'll do fine, just relax

linda

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

I'm taking my board on Thursday the 26th as well. I have been using Saunders up to two weeks ago. Then I switch to NCLEX Learning Extension Online course. I paid 49 bucks for it. The questions are way way harder than Saunders but the rationales were not as good.
I'll be praying for you and myself.
good luck

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

Thanks for the advice, I have been reviewing the Qbank on Kaplan and the questions really are not based on knowledge, my question is if so many people used Saunders and many used Kaplan which is best, they are very different type of questions, please advise. Thanks I am making myself nuts with this Nclex stuff.

Re: 4 Days and counting (and panicking)

I did it! Just got my results and you can add RN to my name. It took 25 years but I did it.

Came out of the test feeling numb after 82 questions. Wasn't until I heard someone else in my class failed with 88 that I began to panic. It was a very long weekend, but now it's time to celebrate. Too bad dear husband is away on business.

Start my dream job on Monday. Can't wait to get back to work and not worry about studying. Don't know what I'll do with my free time - oh yeah, I can get back to being a mom and a wife!

Thanks to everyone who gave such encouragement, either directly or through other threads. For those still waiting to take the exam, remember to just take it one question at a time, celebrate the ones you nail, and most importantly - BREATHE.

Good Luck!