An NCLEX Success Story (Kaplan & ATI... scores included!)

Lots of people post how they prepped for NCLEX if they did well, so I thought I'd add my story to the mix. My grades weren't great and I was kind of a wreck, but I passed at 75. So I thought I'd throw out some good vibes to those of you who might be freaking out a bit (which may be all of you!)

First, you should know that I am a very anxious person, so I have been freaked out for the past two months. Like, really freaked out: vomiting, diarrhea, nightmares, spontaneous crying, picking at my skin. I didn't tell anyone my date, and I basically stopped talking to everyone for the last month except my poor boyfriend, who had to deal with all the crazy. I say this bcs I know how scared you are. Whether you did well in school, did great on your practice tests, and have every single person telling you you're going to be fine, etc, you still may be freaking out, convincing yourself you're going to let everyone down. And then you might get even more freaked out that you're going to blow it bcs you're freaking out. But it's ok. I promise you, it's ok. It's just a test. A test you can always take again. Your life does not hinge on this: it's just a test. I wish more people had told me that, instead of being like, "You'll do great! We have faith in you!" We're all proud of you no matter what. And if the worst should happen, we'll be even prouder when you get back on that horse and try again!

That being said, you want to pass the first time and not have to endure this diarrhea anymore, right? Right. So let me tell you what I did and how my scores were. I passed at 75 questions.

I did ATI in school, which I hated. If you're doing ATI, my recommendation is just read the books; the questions are basically from there. We took a test at the end and it gave me a 94% prediction of passing. Then we did the live Kaplan, which was great. The coach was super engaging and we learned about the wonderful, infamous Decision Tree.

ATI, I think, prepares you more for basic concepts, while Kaplan is more about test-taking strategies. However, the ATI questions have more variety as far as style goes--not just Select All That Apply (SATA), but also picture answers, hotspots, reorganizing steps, and "open this 'chart' and then make a decision" questions. Kaplan does not have as many of these. I was surprised because NCLEX definitely had them.

Otherwise, Kaplan content and layout mirrors NCLEX almost perfectly. I would say the questions were exactly as hard. A lot of people say they're easier, and some say harder. But it was really easy to convince myself that I was just taking another Kaplan test.

I had about 2 months. My schedule was 50 Qbank questions a day, and one QT every week or so. I did QT 7 a week before my test. I reviewed every single question--although not always right after the test, if I felt burned out. I only watched one of the vids. It was so BORING. It basically was just a woman reading the book. So I just read the book. Cover to freaking cover. And I wrote in the margins. If a page mentioned hypokalemia, I wrote out the range and symptoms of hypokalemia. If the next page mentioned hypokalemia, I wrote everything out again. I also made up cute mnemonics. I circled or underlined stuff. I drew the GU system so many times, I see it in my sleep. Gross.

And here were my scores:

Qbanks: 62 average. It never got higher than a 64!

Sample tests: 68, 56 (!), 70. That 56 was two days before the test (you can imagine how great THAT made me feel) and the 70 was the day before. So how insecure was I with all this inconsistency?

Diagnostic: 62.2

QT 1: 57.3

QT 2: 61.3

QT 3: 51.0

QT 4: 56.7

QT 5: 61.3

QT 6: 60.5

QT 7: 66.8

Readiness: 61.1

Check those numbers out. I wasn't exactly rocking it.

For ATI, there were WAY too many tests for me to post all my grades here. If you're doing ATI and want to know my specific grade for a specific test, PM me and I'll tell you how well I did (for as long as I have access). I averaged in the low-70s maybe high 60s. MedSurg and Leadership were the hardest. I got another 94% on my second diagnostic, but I didn't feel great about it.

Here's the thing with these questions. You almost always narrow it down to two. And then, you kind of have to guess. And if you're like me, every time you guess, even if you get it right, you don't count it as such. There is a right answer, obviously, and you didn't really know it. You feel like a fraud. But really, if you're getting that close, then chances are you're dealing with upper level questions. So even if you're guessing right only half the time (which is statistically what you should expect), you're still going to be at or near passing level, because those right answers are keeping you afloat. And the thing is, you're probably not right half the time; you're probably right way more than that! Because even when you end up guessing, there is a future nurse in you who is feeding your subconscious brain info! You HAVE the knowledge! And if you remember to think abut your answer and think about the outcome of your choice, it will help direct you to choose well!

The day before my test, I went to the sauna. Sitting in a scorching room so I couldn't even THINK about NCLEX, lol! That's not to say I still didn't study, but at that point it was just reviewing my lab values and A&P. And I watched the intro vids on Kaplan again, where they talk about the Decision Tree, etc. I HIGHLY recommend you do this if you're in Kaplan. Just so you have those test taking strategies in your head.

In the morning, I had a quinoa for breakfast and brought a freaking pharmacy along with me: ibuprofen, pepto-bismol, an Ensure, a Gatorade. I ended up taking the pepto and advil on the way over, but didn't need a snack. I was there for about an hour and a half.

As soon as I could, I wrote the Decision Tree down on my whiteboard. Not because I really needed it, but because it would serve as an anchor if I started panicking. Whenever I got a question where I was like, "WTF are they talking about?!" I would just read my Decision Tree. It would pull me back to reality and remind me that I had a strategy. The Decision Tree is your Yggdrasil; it supports you and guides you. Also you're a nerd if you got that reference.

Ok, so what types of questions did I get, since they must have been highish level?

• Tons of SATA. And not even ones with basic info. We're talking SATA with quotes as answers! My biggest criticism of Kaplan would be that they didn't have nearly enough SATA
  
• One EKG strip
  
• At least two of those "click to review the chart and then make a decision" questions
  
• One or two pictures (still multiple choice though, I didn't get any "hot spot" questions)
  

I obviously can't tell you what content stood out, but it really it ran the gamut. If you wrote this test, you still wouldn't feel prepared to take it. There is no way you'll know every single thing. So focus on the main stuff, remember your priorities, and be confident enough in the basics that you can see connections (ie, what is "really" happening). Don't obsess though. Accept that you're not going to know everything and keep moving.

I was a twitching wreck before the test, my Kaplan grades weren't stellar, and when I got the blue screen at 75, I felt totally neutral. I had no idea if I made it or not. But 24 hours later, I refreshed the BON, and there I was. :) And I can't wait to see your name there too!