I am now an RN, my NCLEX experience...

Nursing Students NCLEX

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So the first thing I did was change my username now that I have passed the NCLEX!!! I tested last friday and my license showed as active on Sunday!!! This was THE MOST nerve racking experience of my entire life, I was more nervous for this than for my wedding or even the birth of my first child!

Anyway, it took me 82 questions and I was done. I had a TON of priority and SATA questions. It seemed to me that they definitely made up the majority of the test. Delegation and contact/droplet/airborne precautions too! I used the Kaplan book and the Lippincott Q&A. I went through the Kaplan book from beginning to end. But, as for the Lippincott book, I would read all of the rationales then go back and take the test. I know that seems kind of backwards, but I feel like it really reinforced a lot of the info for me. And, when I missed a few questions after reading all of the rationales, those are the questions I would really focus on and try to get a better understanding (obviously if I got them wrong even after reading the rationales, then I definitely needed work in that area). It took me 2 solid weeks to get through the entire Lippincott book and it was ~900 pages long, so start early! Good luck to everyone who is getting ready to take it, just breathe slow, try to relax, and get it!!

Congrats!! :-)

Congratulations man!!!!! haha How bad was it?

Congrats!! That's awesome I can't wait until we all can say that lol

It really wasn't as bad as what I thought it would be. To me, it seemed very similar to all of the practice questions I did, but I also did thousands. I was so burnt out at the end. I looked over all of my labs and cardiac rhythms/cardiac meds the night before the test for about an hour but I was pretty nervous, so it was a waste of time. I decided to sit back, relax and try to get a good nights sleep. I was pretty nervous in the waiting area, but I was number 3 in line so I didn't have to wait very long. Once the test started my nerves were completely gone by about the 5th question and it felt just like any other test I took while in nursing school. Overall, I Would say that there were about 5 questions that I felt like I had absolutely no clue on, but on all of the others I know I had at lease seen the material once. The SATA were the hardest for me since there is always that one answer that, to me, could swing either way. I got to #75 and took a deep breath before hitting next and it went to #76!!!! My heart sank, so I took a quick break and then got back at it. I finally got to question 82 (which I will NEVER forget that question) and I clicked next and the computer screen went blank. I was 100% sure I got the last question right, so I felt on top of the world when I left the testing center. The best piece of advice I can give is just read over as much material as you can, try not to spend too much time on one topic. And remember, this test is just an entry level test to guage safety. There is a 90% chance you will pass! Those are GREAT odds!

Thank you for your encouragement it eases my anxiety, I test on Friday. I did all of kaplan and did everything they wanted me too do. I don't know why I'm so nervous, maybe bc I'm sick of the same routine everyday as far as studying and not doing anything else besides work. That and my brain is dead. What do you recommended to do these last few days?

Congratulations..which source helped you a lot..??

It really wasn't as bad as what I thought it would be. To me it seemed very similar to all of the practice questions I did, but I also did thousands. I was so burnt out at the end. I looked over all of my labs and cardiac rhythms/cardiac meds the night before the test for about an hour but I was pretty nervous, so it was a waste of time. I decided to sit back, relax and try to get a good nights sleep. I was pretty nervous in the waiting area, but I was number 3 in line so I didn't have to wait very long. Once the test started my nerves were completely gone by about the 5th question and it felt just like any other test I took while in nursing school. Overall, I Would say that there were about 5 questions that I felt like I had absolutely no clue on, but on all of the others I know I had at lease seen the material once. The SATA were the hardest for me since there is always that one answer that, to me, could swing either way. I got to #75 and took a deep breath before hitting next and it went to #76!!!! My heart sank, so I took a quick break and then got back at it. I finally got to question 82 (which I will NEVER forget that question) and I clicked next and the computer screen went blank. I was 100% sure I got the last question right, so I felt on top of the world when I left the testing center. The best piece of advice I can give is just read over as much material as you can, try not to spend too much time on one topic. And remember, this test is just an entry level test to guage safety. There is a 90% chance you will pass! Those are GREAT odds![/quote']

I love your post! Congratulations! You exude confidence and it makes me feel confident in my ability to get through the NCLEX next week! Thanks for the post

I personally would not recommend studying the day before the exam. I tried it, but I was so nervous that it was a complete waste of time for me. In nursing school I Was the one who always had my books with me right before an exam, but it definitely was of no use this time around!

As for which resource helped me the most, I would definitely say the Lippincott Q&A. I felt like the questions were definitely similar to the NCLEX and the content was great. The Lippicott book has over 6000 questions if you count the CD, I went through the ENTIRE book and my brain was fried at the end but I really felt prepared.

Thank you to everyone for the support! And good luck on the NCLEX!

Specializes in Dialysis.

Congratulations, and Thank you for sharing your experience

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