How I Passed My NCLEX-RN

Hello Everyone!

I have used this forum throughout my entire nursing school career and vowed to share my tips once I graduated/passed Nclex/got a job. It's quite long, so here it goes:

I graduated with my BSN in May 2013, and planned to take my boards the 15th of July. I gave myself the middle of June and a little over into July to prepare/study approx. 4 weeks.

First, my school utilized Hurst Review: both the live lectures and the online review (which is basically the live lectures online), this was extremely helpful in learning CORE content, without knowing the basics, you're screwed. This book will be your bible, read it inside and out! Also print out the 5th day materials and attach each page to the correlating section in the book. IE cardiac/HTN meds paperclip to the cardiac section in the book, that way you're guaranteed to read them.

Next I used/read/answered questions in three books:

HESI Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN Examination: I originally bought this for my exit HESI, great book for RN interventions and clinical manifestations. I would read this book after reading a section in HURST (ex. read fluid and electrolytes in Hurst and then fluid and electrolytes in HESI, for extra information)

Kaplan 2011-2012 NCLEX-RN strategies, practice and review w/ CD and online: This book came with about 600 questions, if you included the CD, I however lost it, so I completed each section and read rationales and completed both practice exams (75 questions each) scoring 75% and 71%. This book seemed fairly easy, the SATA questions were not challenging AT ALL, and the rationales were too basic. This book is good to carry with you when you have spare time to do some questions. I WOULD NOT rely on this book.

Davis's Q&A for the NCLEX-RN Examination w/ CD: This book is full of over 2000 questions and 3 practice exams (265 questions each). I again lost the CD, so I have no idea if the questions repeated. However, the SATA questions were much harder. I struggled with this book on certain areas because the answers were on specifics of a certain body process/manifestations. I would recommend this book because if you are doing great answering these, the NCLEX should be no problem! FYI I only completed 1 exam out of this book, didn't feel like doing the others lol.

Now my study plan:

The first two weeks were strictly preparation: I read through the Hurst book with the online lectures and made sure there were no missing blanks I also completed the last section in the book. Next I read the 5th day materials and highlighted key facts.

Then I printed out the 'huge studyguide' found on this site, I'm sure if you Google it, it will pop up. Read it and highlighted. It repeats a lot but you'll remember it!

Lastly at the end of week 2 I took a 265 question exam with the Davis's Q&A and got my score 56% just to see where I was at.

Now I studied( weeks 3-4):

Depending on how bad you want it honestly, the stricter you have to control yourself. Now I studied 9a-9p with obvious breaks for the two weeks except for on the weekends when I worked. I would read a day in hurst, (the book is sectioned by days) and then follow with a section in the Kaplan book 25-30 questions and about 100 in the QA book. So about 125-150 questions a day. And then repeat. More questions if I epically failed a topic in the QA book.

By my last week (week 4) I would be able to actually lecture a topic in the HURST book anf that is what you want! If you can talk about it correctly, you know it! As far as labs there is basically a page of important lab values in every NCLEX book, print it, memorize it.

Also for leadership and delegation I didn't buy a book because my course in my last semester was great, my advice would be to think that all the work falls on the RN, do not delegate what you can EAT (Evaluate, Assess. Teach) the LPN can do RN basics, and the UAPs can do things that a patient ordinarily would, bath, ambulate (unless it's a fresh post op or severely unstable, feed unless their dysphagic).

Basically pick the answer that will kill the patient or pick the least stable patient.

Hurst does come with sample exams that are out of 125, if it matters I took 3 of the 6 exams and my scores were 86, 94, 97. They say that if your average is 84 your fine.

I took my exam and passed with 75 questions in 75 minutes. My exam breakdown was as follows: 5-10 SATAs, 1 exhibit, 1 EKG. The rest were multiple choice with topics like Maternity, knowing critical lab values and when to call doctor, and prioritization.

Good luck future nurses!!