How I passed NCLEX in 104 questions!

Hello everyone,

I made an account to tell everyone that's posted on AN thank you for all of the advice and support throughout the process of nursing school and the dreaded NCLEX! I feel like I stalked the NCLEX forum everyday the day after I graduated (May 2015) because I was terrified of the NCLEX. So I just wanted to share my story to hopefully help someone out there! (Sorry if this is long!)

How I beat the NCLEX beast:

• I scheduled out my test in the end of June to give me plenty of time to study!
  
• Hurst Review Services- this was a great review, I took it twice and would go over sections and then do questions on them to make sure I knew content. Knowing content is what helped me on my NCLEX. I felt my test was a mix of content and the Hurst Review really helped. My Q reviews ranged from high 60's to 80's. The Q reviews are supposed to be hard, don't get discouraged!
  
• PDA by Linda Lacharity- This book was literally a life-saver! If you don't want to buy an expensive review this book helped so much with priority and SATA questions! I did each chapter after a section in Hurst to reinforce learning. I thought the questions were sometimes tough but I think this resource was the best decision I made. I rented it off of Amazon for less than 20 dollars.
  
• NCLEX mastery app- I would do this app when I had free time. I paid 30 dollars for the full app and I loved it. It had helpful mnemonics and great rationales for each question. It had every section broken down so you could pick what questions you would want to focus on for the day.
  
• The 35 page study guide floating around AN! I only read through it a few time but it had great ways to remember certain details I kept forgetting!
  
• For Pharm- Hurst had great materials on Pharm but I didn't want to try to remember ALL of it so this website really helped: drug prefixes, roots, and suffixes, drug terms, drug terminology I wrote them down on flashcards to study. But I didn't focus too much on pharm.
  
• The power of prayer: I prayed everyday to pass the NCLEX. I prayed when I got frustrated or thinking that I might fail. Prayer and reflecting really gave me strength to get through.
  
• THE DAY BEFORE THE TEST: I studied. I studied because I'm the type of person that likes to review everything right before the test. I also did something fun that day and went to bed early. I still couldn't believe I was taking the test the next day and was nervous.
  
• THE DAY OF THE TEST: My test was 2 pm because I'm not a morning person! I literally had breakfast, looked over lab values, ate a small lunch (since my stomach was going crazy with nerves) and my boyfriend drove me to the testing center. In the car I listened to the Beatles to calm my nerves and get my confidence up! I figured I can't learn anything new now! The testing site people were very nice and the process went very smoothly. When I got seated to start the test I prayed and wrote down: You can do it! and ABC's on top of my whiteboard. When I got to question 74 I prayed for mine to shut down at 75. But it didn't. I didn't panic, I just kept thinking I'm still in the game! I took my two hour break and went to the bathroom and had my snack and I got myself really confident before going back in. I literally answered a few questions and BAM! The screen went blue! My first thought was: OMG I either did horribly and failed or kicked it's butt. I walked out of the testing center and had no idea what to think. I had lots of Med-surg, some OB and peds and psych, no EKGs, only a couple meds, 1 drag and drop and lots of priority.
  

I paid for my quick results 48 hours later and found out I had PASSED!!! It felt like such a huge relief that my hard work paid off! I can proudly put those R.N. initials next to my name! I was so scared that mine cut off at a random number but don't be afraid!! Confidence is key in taking the NCLEX. Trust me, I know it's hard not to be nervous especially when you have a job waiting for you or your family and friends keep asking if you've passed yet, etc. You won't ever feel totally prepared but truth be told, noone ever is! If you are preparing for the NCLEX I wish you much luck, you CAN do it!

You have beaten nursing school, you can beat the NCLEX beast!