I'm scheduled to take the Nclex in 2 weeks. It's been about 9 months since I graduated and was not able to take the exam due to personal circumstances. I have been on and off studying for a while but only seriously studying for the past 20 days or so. I'm so nervous and I don't know if I'm ready... I've been doing practice questions and scoring in the 60-70% range. Anybody out there that can relate? I'm looking for any tips or suggestions you can throw my way.
What youre doing sounds perfect. I used this website- http://libtc.utmb.edu/nclexrn3500/mainMenu.do;jsessionid=1D6E4F24D79707A143799E5916159482 - See if that link works, if you go to Review, then Nursing topics, you can choose what areas to cover & I learned a lot from this site. The questions are more similar to NCLEX style than other resources I used. The answers are all similar, like you mentioned you like, & it provides great explanations as to why the wrong answers are wrong. That's what I always found the most helpful.
Definitely just keep doing questions, you'll learn about the content that way anyway. My only advice is to relax & try not to worry about the exam or the outcome... all you can do is be prepared & do your best. If you worry about how you'll do, it will only hinder your performance. Use the time after the exam to worry about how you did! Good Luck!!
Guys, thanks for all the encouragement you offer on this site. Sometimes you come across people (many are family members too) who just don't understand what the anxiety of NCLEX is about and think that it is unwarranted. If only the could understand....Also thanks for all the PRAYERS.
@ Starkyss: Thanks a bunch! I really appreciate all your help. I'll definitely try to take your advice and relax a bit. Hopefully all will be well! One last question for you. Once you've taken the exam, do you just wait a couple days to do a 'license lookup' on your state board of nursing's website? My state doesn't have quick results. And I believe the official results get mailed out. So the 'license lookup' is the nonofficial way of checking right?
@ winsome08: I can totally relate. We will all be much happier people after we pass this exam!
Thats how I found out. I live in PA & wasnt sure if other states had the license look up available. I took my exam at 8am Thursday morning and was able to see on the state website by noon on Friday that my temporary practice permit was null & void, and that I now possessed a nursing license. Perhaps it would be on there by the morning, but I was too scared to get out of bed to look! I never sent in money for the quick results either, I trust the website. & the official results should come in the mail in between 1-3 weeks.
I am not sure that I have ever met anyone that feels 100% ready. Although I am sure that there is. I took my NCLEX last week Friday. Up until then I can honestly say that I did about 5000+ questions. I consistently ranged in the high sixties, very low seventies on all of the practice exams. I decided that I was not going to pick up any material the day before the test. I left it at home. When I got to the exam center there were a couple of people that were scurring through their Kaplan Books (bad idea, they actually got scolded a little for bringing them into the test center). When you go into the exam remember that you got through Nursing School, that is a huge accomplishment on it's own. I think that is what you should me most proud of. I was incredibly anxious the week before the exam. Relaxation techniques did not work, running, cleaning...nothing seemed to calm my nerves. If you are truly feeling out of your control with your anxiety see your doc and get something to help you relax. I was prescribed Allopurinol. I took just a couple. The day of the exam I felt calm, without taking anything. Stay positive, remember you have already accomplished something to be proud of. Take a deep breath and believe in yourself!!!
Starkyss
16 Posts
Thanks! I finally feel like I can relax...
What youre doing sounds perfect. I used this website- http://libtc.utmb.edu/nclexrn3500/mainMenu.do;jsessionid=1D6E4F24D79707A143799E5916159482 - See if that link works, if you go to Review, then Nursing topics, you can choose what areas to cover & I learned a lot from this site. The questions are more similar to NCLEX style than other resources I used. The answers are all similar, like you mentioned you like, & it provides great explanations as to why the wrong answers are wrong. That's what I always found the most helpful.
Definitely just keep doing questions, you'll learn about the content that way anyway. My only advice is to relax & try not to worry about the exam or the outcome... all you can do is be prepared & do your best. If you worry about how you'll do, it will only hinder your performance. Use the time after the exam to worry about how you did! Good Luck!!