Another NCLEX anxiety/Kaplan post

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Specializes in Postpartum, PICU.

Hi everyone. Please bear with me on a long post.

I'm taking the NCLEX for the 1st time next week and I have never been more anxious in my life!!! I usually don't get test anxiety and if I do it's never this bad. I've been studying for a little under a month and a half now mainly via Kaplan. My school paid for our course so I stuck with it. I had also downloaded the NCLEX mastery app while in school. So far my Kaplan scores are as follows:

QT1: 56%

QT2: 63%

QT3: 52% -internet connectivity issues kept suspending my test

QT4: 54%- got very distracted during it

QT5: 63%

QT6: 60%

QT7: will take 2 days before the NCLEX

Readiness: Will take tomorrow!

Other important mentions: Sample test 3 (all prioritization q's) I got 80%. Sample test 4 (mostly SATA/alt format, I got an 18%-was completely devastated at this).

I've currently only done ~770 QBank Questions, but I anticipate doing at least 1,000 by the time I take the test. I've done about 420 NCLEX mastery app questions and borrowed a friend's UWorld for a few days and did ~150 questions. I've really just been focusing on reviewing rationales, hence why I haven't done so many questions. I loved UWorld but could not afford to get my own subscription at the moment. I also reviewed content last since I wanted to identify what I kept getting wrong from questions first.

Now the reason I am anxious is because I've been reading around here and people usually finish the entire Kaplan QBanks or do tons of questions. I'm afraid I didn't prep enough. I did calculate all the questions from QT's, sample tests..etc I've done plus the ones I anticipate getting done and it added up to ~3000 questions. But I still feel like that's not enough compared to everyone else's prep.

Add in the fact that apparently I'm horrible at SATAs and my Kaplan is kind of all over the place. I'm afraid everything I studied won't be on the test and everything I didn't study will! I don't know what to do :(

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

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First - take a deep breath! It sounds like you've been preparing diligently for NCLEX! You're doing an awesome job!

Although Kaplan wasn't my platform of choice when it came to studying (I used UWorld and Hurst and passed in 80Q's) several of my friends from nursing school used Kaplan and passed, one at 75Q's and one at 85Q's. From my understanding, Kaplan's questions are WELL above the passing level questions you will get on NCLEX. One of my friends that I mentioned didn't complete the entire bank, she only did the QTrainers. Even when I took mine, I felt that NCLEX questions were much more broad and at times, easier than most of the practice questions I had done on UWorld.

Focus on reviewing the rationales and understanding your core content material, scores across most platforms are only a guide to help you out, but are not by any means a solidification of your skills and knowledge. Hang in there, you will get through it and blow your exam out of the water :)

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Specializes in Postpartum, PICU.

@Priori-Incantatem thank you for the kind words of encouragement! I really hope I pass. Most of my friends have been doing thousands of questions but I personally feel like I can't move on until I understand the rationales behind them! I'm also really afraid of SATAs, but I'm hoping for the best and preparing for the worst!

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@Priori-Incantatem thank you for the kind words of encouragement! I really hope I pass. Most of my friends have been doing thousands of questions but I personally feel like I can't move on until I understand the rationales behind them! I'm also really afraid of SATAs, but I'm hoping for the best and preparing for the worst!

Uworld really helped me become very proficient at SATA. I was on autopilot for SATA after a week or so of doing uworld questions (150-200 per day). If I were you, I would heavily concentrate on uworld questions for the next week or so. Try to do 150-200 per day in tutor mode. Read the rationales thoroughly after each question, but don't overdo it. Trust your brain is absorbing it. It worked for me. I passed in 75 q and at least 1/3 of my test was SATA.

Personally, I think the NCLEX is heavy on testing critical thinking. I would focus on that aspect and any obvious content weakness area. You will never learn enough content. Heck, my entire exam was educated guessing. Uworld was instrumental in helping me to approach and answer questions in the right way.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Postpartum, PICU.

@anneaw Thank you so much for your input! Unfortunately my friend's UWorld expired and I don't really have the financial means of paying for a UWorld subscription right now, especially when I'd possibly pay for 1 month and only use a week's worth since my test is next week. I really did like UWorld much more than Kaplan though. Their rationales are amazing! I just took my Kaplan Readiness Test and got a 71%, which correlates with a 99.3% probability of passing! That eased me down a little, but let's see how it goes on the big day :(

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@anneaw Thank you so much for your input! Unfortunately my friend's UWorld expired and I don't really have the financial means of paying for a UWorld subscription right now, especially when I'd possibly pay for 1 month and only use a week's worth since my test is next week. I really did like UWorld much more than Kaplan though. Their rationales are amazing! I just took my Kaplan Readiness Test and got a 71%, which correlates with a 99.3% probability of passing! That eased me down a little, but let's see how it goes on the big day :(

That is a great score. Good luck to you. :)

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Specializes in Emergency / Disaster.

I just had major test anxiety and it turns out that once the test was in front of me - I knew a lot more than I thought I did (not NCLEX though). My best advice is to make sure you continue to study - but get enough rest and remember to eat properly. Someone once told me that you only learn what you cram in your brain once you go to sleep. Its hokey (and probably not true) but it makes me stop and sleep. I focus better once I'm rested and I do actually feel like what I studied the night before is a little more committed in my brain.

You've got this!!

Good Luck.

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Specializes in Postpartum, PICU.
That is a great score. Good luck to you. :)

Thank you so much!!

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Specializes in Postpartum, PICU.
I just had major test anxiety and it turns out that once the test was in front of me - I knew a lot more than I thought I did (not NCLEX though). My best advice is to make sure you continue to study - but get enough rest and remember to eat properly. Someone once told me that you only learn what you cram in your brain once you go to sleep. Its hokey (and probably not true) but it makes me stop and sleep. I focus better once I'm rested and I do actually feel like what I studied the night before is a little more committed in my brain.

You've got this!!

Good Luck.

Thank you for words! You're 100% right. I've noticed that once I'm tired, nothing sticks anymore. I definitely know more than I think I know, I just can't help but get anxiety over this!

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I never did a Kaplan but I hear it's fabulous. Practice your questions endlessly. The day before give yourself some You-Time; have a nice dinner with a little nightcap, sleep well, and dress for success on test day.

you have the knowledge but are lacking the confidence! You Got This!

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Specializes in Postpartum, PICU.
I never did a Kaplan but I hear it's fabulous. Practice your questions endlessly. The day before give yourself some You-Time; have a nice dinner with a little nightcap, sleep well, and dress for success on test day.

you have the knowledge but are lacking the confidence! You Got This!

Thank you so much for the encouragement!! I 100% agree! I realized I need to be positive and confident and that is exactly what I am trying to do from now until test day :)

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