I told myself after I passed nclex I would post what I thought found to be helpful since I pretty much went on this site everyday during my studies for nclex.
First off BREATHE! You have made it this far you can do it. I would be in bed and start having panic attacks thinking about my nclex exam and would wake up in the middle of the night because i would be dreaming that i failed nclex. After reading many post I found that being CONFIDENT is the biggest KEY! I told myself everyday I will pass the nclex! I will pass the nclex i would even write it down all over my notes lol. Hey, anything that can help right? Also I utilized deep breathing and meditation exercises. It taught me how to take control over the situation and not let the situation control you. For example, hitting start the day of the exam i thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. But i did some deep breathing refocused my thoughts and even wrote I WILL PASS NCLEX on the white board they give you. And ofcourse i prayed and prayed and prayed.
Okay now to the content review.
I passed in 75q with 0 math questions, 25-30 select all that apply, 5 Meds and the remaining being delegation/priority/infection control. I wasn't that A student but I was a very hard worker. If you put the time into studying you can achieve what ever you desire.
I initially bought Kaplan since my school was offering it but as the lectures went on i was realizing that kaplan wasn't for me. Dont get me wrong i loved the qbank and glad i bought it for that reason but the decision tree wasn't clicking.
I LOVED hurst review. IF you feel like you need some content review then i highly recommend taking this course. When I was taking the exam I could literally recall so many things that were taught during the video lectures that i was flying by the select all that apply. They also give a lot of good material for infection control which was a big part of my test. Not just droplet/airbrone but immunizations.
I treated studying like it was my job for about 2 months. I Would wake up everyday at 9 and go to the library. I would do content review in the morning and then questions later in the day. I would do anywhere from 100-200 questions per day. Don't worry too much about the grade you are receiving its all about learning why you got it wrong and understanding the WHY behind it.
For select all that apply I used the Saunders 5e CD. I found those questions to be helpful maybe not at difficult as NCLEX but it deff is a good review. I also looked over that study guide that floats around all nurses. It was 32 pages and found that to be helpful to review the day before exam.
So to wrap that all up. First off have confidence in yourself. You can do it!! Your mind is so powerful fill it up with all positivity and take all worries and negative thoughts to God.
Second, review any weak areas you might have and understand the why, dont memorize but understand why things are happening.
Third, keep doing questions and read why you get it wrong.
When I left the exam I called my mom up crying not because I thought I failed but because i knew i PASSED. After keeping myself locked up in the library for 2 months and having only the library regulars as my friends it was such a relief. With hard work anything is possible. So keep on working hard everyone. It will all be worth it in the end!!
