NCLEX-RN Tips

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  1. by Mar 5, '12
    hello all,

    so i have passed my nclex-rn (1st time too) and now i just want to share a few tips with y'all. i'm so thankful to allnurses.com, and want to do a little something to give back to the community =). i will make it simple & short because no one likes to read long post right?

    first, i'll list all the resources that i used (cost: $0)

    1) saunders 4th edition (i read a few chapters that i was weak on, and used it to look anything that i was not familiar with. had to buy this when i was in nursing school.)
    2) ati comprehensive review (they came to our school to do a 3-days review, and gave each a book. i don't think it can be bought online. i read 1/2 of the book)

    4)kaplan's strategies practice and review (this was an eye opener!!!! after reading this book, i've improved so much on test taking skills! search in your local libraries!)
    5) nclex exam cram (can also be found in public libraries)
    6) google: "kaplan trainers" to find sample tests if you're out of questions!
    7) kaplan review mp3, google this (listen when you're out jogging, doing chores, driving to work)


    study plan:
    1) i did this in 3 weeks. (100qs/day for a week, then increase to 200qs/day) goal was 4000 qs by the end of 3 weeks. then rest the day before the test.
    2) remember, it's not about the amount of qs, but about the strategies used to get to the right answer, and the knowledge of course.


    drink a lot of water. & believe in the lord & his glory.
    repeat this before you go to sleep every night, and before the test. it'll help calm your nerves. "i can do everything through him who gives me strengths" - philippians 4:13.

    good luck 2012 nurses! i believe in you, so believe in yourself!
    Last edit by sirI on Sep 10, '12
    KbmRN, Cdeskins, amrita modh, and 6 others like this.
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  3. 9 Comments so far...

  4. Mar 5, '12 by
    Thanks for sharing. And Congrats to you RN!
  5. Mar 5, '12 by
    thank for the good source of nclex. congrat to you!
  6. Mar 5, '12 by
    Congrats!! How can I get this Kaplan MP3 download thing.
  7. Mar 5, '12 by
    Congrats! May Gods bless you more.
  8. Mar 5, '12 by
    congrats!!!!
  9. Mar 11, '12 by
    I would first off like to thank everyone that has posted to this website for success stories about the NCLEX-RN.
    I took the NCLEX the first time in January with 265 questions and failed. I was absolutely crushed. I took the HURST review course and felt confident that I would pass with 75 questions, but clearly I was wrong.
    I recentely retook the NCLEX on March 7 with 76 questions and found out that I passed!
    I'll keep this short and sweet, because I remember looking through post simply looking for ways to do things differently the second time around in efforts to pass. So...
    THINGS I DID DIFFERENTLY THE 2nd TIME:
    -I bought the Que Test on the Kaplan website for $299. I did ALL of the questions (about 1300). I usually did about 50-150 questions a day. My scores were ranging in the 60's. Kaplan says they want you to be in this range. The last quiz I took I got a 75 and was thrilled. I felt this was a definite indicator I was ready!
    -I did the 45 day remedial course from Kaplan. On the days I would work (I was working full time), instead of doing que questions, I would just review a section, whether it was endocrine or respiratory. I would go over the section 3 or 4 times, then answer the questions from the remedial packet.
    -I purchased LIPPINCOTT'S REVIEW FOR NCLEX RN book.This book was WONDERFUL! When I would go over a section such as Oncology in the Hurst book, I would go over the same chapter in this book to do review questions. This helped me apply the core information and to see exactly what the NCLEX thought was important.
    -I purchased LaCharity's Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment book. I had trouble on the first time on these topics and this book HELPED A LOT!

    -I went over infection control. On my first test, I didn't review this at all. So I remembered this little saying to remember the precautions to take.

    AIRBORNE PRECAUTION
    My - Measles
    Chicken - Chickenpox
    Hez - Herpes Zoster (Disseminated)
    TB - TB

    Private room
    Negative pressure with 6-12 air exchanges per hour
    UV
    Mask
    N95 Mask for TB

    DROPLET PRECAUTION
    think of SPIDERMAN!
    S - Sepsis
    S - Scarlet fever
    S - Streptococcal pharyngitis
    P - Parvovirus B19
    P - Pertussis
    P - Pneumonia
    I - Influenza
    D - Diptheria (Pharyngeal)
    E - Epiglottitis
    R - Rubella
    M - Mumps
    M - Meningitis
    M - Mycoplasma or meningeal pneumonia
    An - Adenovirus

    Private room
    Mask


    CONTACT PRECAUTION
    MRS.WEE
    M - Multidrug resistant organism
    R - Respiratory infection - RSV
    S - Skin infections
    W - Wound infections
    E - Enteric infections - clostridium defficile
    E - Eye infections

    Skin Infections:
    V - Varicella zoster
    C - Cutaneous diptheria
    H - Herpes simplex
    I - Impetigo
    P - Pediculosis
    S - Scabies, Staphylococcus

    Private room
    Gloves
    Gown

    When I finally was ready to retake the NCLEX, and my 45 day waiting period was over, I signed up for another test. This time, however, I signed up at a completely different testing center. I wanted to be at a completely different place, not thinking of what happened last time.
    The day before the test, I didn't do ANYTHING. I simply relaxed. It was a pretty day outside, so I took a walk. I watched a few tv shows. This time, I didn't tell ANYONE I was taking the test, so I wasn't getting any text the day before telling me "good luck." I did this on purpose because I didn't want this too add to my anxiety.
    -IF YOU HAVENT READ ANYTHING ELSE, PLEASE REMEMBER THIS STEP:
    PRAY! I was very specific in my prayer. I asked God to allow me to have 75 questions. I'm not good with Pharm, SATA, or math questions so I asked to not have very many questions on those, but if I had to have some, I prayed it would be something I knew like the back of my hand.
    I ended up getting 0 math questions. The pharm questions were ok. I was able to guess based on the ending of the name of the drug.
    Whenever I would feel discouraged and overwhelmed, I would say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
    A few days before my test, I saw a poster with the words "You can't worry and pray." I felt like the Lord was speaking to me. I had been praying all along and worrying at the same time. From that day on, I told myself to have faith.
    By repeating scriptures and having faith, God allowed me to pass my test on the 2nd try.
    I am now a registered nurse!
    Don't give up! Praise Him in Advance!
    countryboy09, GotDrumer, KbmRN, and 4 others like this.
  10. Mar 11, '12 by
    @futurern34 Thank you. I don't remember how I got it. I typed in 'Kaplan mp3 torrent' & it showed up on Google. Hope that helps!
  11. Apr 10, '12 by
    Congrats HelloM1M1 & RNTN!! This post is awesome. Thank you everyone for the helpful reviews & tips. I will be sitting for NCLEX next week, I'll let you know how it goes, but until then just keep PRAYING PRAYING PRAYING!
  12. Jul 12, '12 by
    Hi I m Amrita ..I took my nclex rn exam..I don't pass..now taking Kaplan course but not having confident about exam bz of 1 failure result..and I don't know how to read and wht to read..bz so tired and not getting good grade in my practice test at home ...so wht I do???plzzz. Guide me and help me out..