Best Way to Prep For NCLEX?

Nursing Students NCLEX

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Hello,

I am a pre-nursing student and I am currently in my second year of a four year program to get my BSN. I was just curious if anyone had any tips or advice about how to prep for the NCLEX and if it is as hard as everyone says. My instructors keep telling us to start studying for the NCLEX and I was just wondering what ways other nurses found effective. For example, books with prep questions, phone apps that give you a question a day, etc.

Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in Maternal Newborn.

Very honestly, it will be hard for you to study for NCLEX during nursing school. Though your courses and tests should help prepare you. Does your school give you NCLEX type exams (NCLEX questions)? If so, this is a big benefit. During school, absorb it all - medical surgical is key though every specialty (Maternity, Ped's, Critical Care) may be on your NCLEX in one form or another - teaching, priortization, med's, etc. Also, does your school prep you with ATI or HESI tests for each course/specialty area you take in school? These programs use NCLEX type questions and test you on your knowledge.

Overall, I wouldn't stress about NCLEX now - though toward the end of your program. Oh, NCLEX is a broad test and yes, a little tricky to study for. However, that said if you know content, strategies and practice q's during school and during your NCLEX prep time (before you take the test) you should be ready and pass!

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Specializes in NICU.

You can start answering questions from an NCLEX review book such as Saunders on the areas that you are having classes in, such as Maternity questions while taking maternity class. It does you no good for you to answer questions that you have no class room knowledge on.

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As others said, it is too soon to worry about NCLEX now, you will have enough on your plate studying for exams in all of your nursing courses. Most good nursing schools do have some sort of prep course throughout nursing school. My school did ATI-we had to test out of every course. They have since switched to Kaplan. We also had to buy the Saunders book first year and it is helpful to take the quizzes on each course as you have the course as art of your prep. After you graduate you will want to take a good prep course. You will have at least a month before your NCLEX because you have to have official transcripts to send to the state BON before you can register and for some reason schools are painfully slow sending them.

Yes, NCLEX is hard, but if you are well prepared, you will do fine. Look online, see what your school's first time pass rate is. That will give you a good idea of how well they will prepare you. 86% of US educated nurses pass the first time so it must not be as hard as it seems.

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