Hesi is NOT an indication of NCLEX-RN success

I just finished an ASN program, which required we pass the Hesi with an 850 or higher in order to graduate. I'd heard the Hesi was a good indication of who would be successful on the NCLEX and that it was actually harder than the NCLEX. So, when I passed the Hesi on the first try (which was difficult), I felt I'd jumped the highest hurdle and would more than likely be successful on the NCLEX. In fact, I stressed taking the Hesi way more than taking the NCLEX.

Of course, there were several in our class who passed Hesi the first time and several who didn't and had to test again, up to 4 times.

Fast forward to today, several of those same people who passed Hesi on the first try were NOT successful in passing the NCLEX on their first attempt and a few who had to take the Hesi a few times, WERE successful in passing NCLEX on their first attempt. Interestingly, the people who took short cuts (didn't keep up on their reading and who were rumored to be cheating) passed Hesi but haven't passed NCLEX.

With this being said, I want to warn current nursing students not to rest on your laurels thinking you'll be A-OK on NCLEX because you passed the Hesi. That's the mistake I almost made (I say almost because I was LUCKY enough to pass NCLEX on my first try). I thought NCLEX was way harder than Hesi!

In my opinion, the very best way to pass both tests is to have a good foundation of knowledge (i.e. DON'T take any shortcuts in nursing school! I know life is busy and there's a lot of reading demands but taking shortcuts will come back to bite you). Reviews are great (I highly recommend Hurst) but there's no substitute for "getting it," with focus on the mechanisms of action and the pathophysiology of disease processes and the body in general. There isn't a review in the world that will prepare you for critical thinking and anticipating what the next problem will be, based on labs and vitals, than just doing your reading, studying and asking a lot of questions while still in your nursing program. The most important question when studying should be WHY? WHY does the body react the way it does when X is going on? If you ask the WHY questions in school (and not just the WHAT questions, like what intervention?) and dig for the answers, you'll be leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else when it comes time to study for a take the NCLEX.

Good luck to everyone. This is a long, hard road with many hurdles to jump, that I know. I'm wishing all my fellow nurses-to-be the very best...