NCLEX Experience June '17

[AMR1]

Graduated in May 2017 with my BSN. Took my NCLEX-RN in June 2017. Scheduled my exam on a Thursday and took my exam on the following Monday. Yes, I technically only had 4 days to get in "test mode". However, I had planned to take my exam ASAP after getting my ATT, which I did. If you plan to do this too make sure you are studying A TON so when you get your ATT you are ready to go take that exam! I studied for weeks leading up to my exam.

Resources I used to prepare:

SAUNDERS:

I used Saunders NCLEX book throughout nursing school. Throughout each course, I would go through the Saunders chapter that coordinated with it. It was a good review while learning the material. I also did all the online questions that came with the access code.

HURST:

I did the HURST live in-person review. It was AMAZING! Better than my nursing school lectures! It reviews core content, has 1,000 practice questions, and 4 125-question practice NCLEX exams. It also has recorded lectures on the website. I did used every resource this organization offered and studied the way they told me. Btw HURST does NOT teach test-taking strategy, only content. Personally, I liked this. If you want to use ONLY 1 resource than I highly recommend HURST! The online lectures the exact same in-person (word from word).

Uworld:

Ah, the famous Uworld. Great resource! Great rationales! I bought the 2-month option. I did ALL the questions and the 2 75-question practice NCLEX exams that came with it. Both of my practice exams told me I was "strongly likely" to pass the NCLEX. And it was right! Read all the rationales. And use the "make note" feature. I also marked the questions that had the best rationales so I could read them again later. God bless the people at Uworld for creating this! LOOOVED the questions. If you only want to buy 1 resource, this is the one to buy!

Kaplan Q-Bank:

I did NOT like Kaplan's Q-bank. I bought the 1 month option which was cheaper than any other resource I bought. However, the questions seemed to be out-of-date. Also, there were also no rationales. Many rationales said "this is the incorrect answer" instead of explaining why. Personally, I do not recommend this resource. I did about half the questions in the Q-Bank. However, if you already bought it then you might as well do all the questions to get your money's worth. More questions you do, the better.

My notes:

I made a binder full of material I knew I needed to review during my last semester. This binder included charts, lab values, diagrams, math problems, formulas, etc. I also had a notebook full of information from topics that I kept getting wrong when during practice questions. I read through this binder 2-4 times a week until my exam date.

NCLEX STUDY SCHEDULE:

I studied my butt-off of during nursing school. I did practice NCLEX questions prior to every school exam. For example, during my OB class I would do OB practice questions. I highly recommended doing this if you are still in school! This helped me because I felt more confident while preparing for the NCLEX.

Post graduation is when I got into NCLEX study mode. I studied for 4-6 hours every day for 4 weeks. My plan was to study hard so whenever I got my ATT I could sign up for the next possible NCLEX date. I had a job waiting for me and I wanted to hurry up and get my test done with it!

DAY BEFORE EXAM:

• I tried to "relax" but honestly, I haven't relaxed in 4 yrs because of Nursing school lol. So I ended up pacing a lot and trying to watch Netflix. Finally, I gave up and looked over some lab values.
• I did not sleep the night before. I was nervous and my house was SO hot from the summer. I was sweating through my sheets. I ended up watching funny Youtube videos to calm my nerves. It didn't really help but it passed the time.

EXAM DAY:

• I finally got to sleep for 30 mins. Then woke up and starting having chest pain like no other! I was so nervous. I took a cold shower and it kind of helped.
• Got to Pearson Vue 2 hours early (it was in an unfamiliar city so I wanted to take my time driving) and they took me back right away!
• I had 75 questions in 40 minutes (I timed myself during my practice tests so I wasn't shocked when it took me 40 minutes. However, I was shocked I only got 75 questions!)
• I had chest pain and a migraine between my exam schedule date and getting my results. I never felt pain like that before. I was so anxious and I was scared I had failed after the exam. Also, I have a job lined up and I DID NOT want to lose it.

I got home and about 8 hrs later I did the PVT trick. I got the "bad" pop up. I do not recommend the Pearson Vue Trick, it will only make you more nervous. I panicked when I tried to calm down because it is called a "trick" for a reason..it is not an official result. Thankfully, my results were up within 24 hours and it said "license active" I was SO HAPPY. My mom nearly jumped through the roof! And now I am officially a Registered Nurse!

Moral of the story: YOU CAN DO IT! I freaked out but I also studied hard. I focused all my energy on using my resources and it helped! Do not freak out the day of the test like me! Relax, go on a walk the day before. You've made it through nursing school so you can make it through ONE LAST EXAM! Study now, celebrate later.

If you have any questions please let me know! I wish you all the very best!