Any Advice on studying for this Test!! NCLEX RN Content Areas

lilacsparkles · Feb 2, 2008

Do you have the Saunder's Comprehensive Review? It has little red triangles throughout the book which signify areas the NCLEX is big on. I found it quite truthful. I did the tests at the end of the sections, the test at the end and I did lots of q's from the CD that comes with it (it provides great rationales).

You obviously need to know your labs and your content (patho) in order to answer the priority and SATA questions. Saunder's helped me with that more than anything.

I wish I would have brushed up on some basics like teaching a patient how to use certain things. I also wish I'd studied nutrition and positioning better. Review equipment, just the safety stuff like when is it malfunctioning, etc. I got some "easy" questions wrong! :grn:

I passed but felt terrible after the test. I did a lot of practice questions but if I had to do it over again I would have hit content hard on the last week and put the questions aside.

Taking the NCLEX was the worst experience ever! As I drove home all I could recall were the questions I was "iffy" on.....I looked them up at home and realized I got most of them wrong!!! I had such anxiety about it afterwards (and during the test) that I sat down and jotted down q's I knew I got right to make myself feel better. I had NO IDEA if I had gotten my priority q's or the 10 SATA q's right so I really was worried. It was hard to remember the "right" q's....all I wanted to do was rehash my mistakes.

Good Luck to you! :)

hannah111 · Feb 3, 2008

Hello All,
I'm New here and need everyone's help!!!
Just Received my performance Report from my Nclex-RN, which was taken on The 21st of January. I failed the Second time around and the first time I actually did much better. This time I had Above passing, near passing and actually two below passing standard for Management of care and Psychosocial Integrity. Management of Care was one of my strongest area and now I've gone below. I did notice I had a lot of who would you see first etc. Are there any suggestions on studying for these content areas???. I'm very frustrated right about now and need all the help I can get.
Thanks so much!

i didnt study at all before i took my boards. the computer stopped me at 75 questions so i knew i had passed. try not to stress about it too much. just read the question carefully and chose the best answer. there is such a thing as studying too much and u may be trying to overanalyze the topic. relax u can do it. :cheers:

richajul · Feb 3, 2008

The Kaplan Review Course is also great to study with. I owe my success to them. They are great about breaking down the NCLEX blueprint (which are those categories) and with their qbank you can focus on just those areas you are weak in. You can create your own test that will only ask you questions in the categories you scored low in. It was great for me! I think it is important to continue to do as many practice questions as you can. Kaplan's questions were very similar to NCLEX and the more comfortable you get with the questions the greater it is to succeed. Good Luck!

CoralNurse78 · Feb 3, 2008

hello lilacsparkles

thanks for your quick response..... congratulations on passing this monster test. i took twice and failed. second time scoring was worst, although i did get above passing but there were also near passing and two below passing as opposed to no "below" the first time. management of care was one of my strongest areas now i have to find some way to get back to the top with this area. had a lot of who would you see first and patient teaching. this time it wasn't further teaching but how do you know statement is correct. i hate those questions and i know the computer realized that too. however, i tried my best with them.

i do have the saunders 3rd edition and also saunders q&a. i will utilize these two books. do you think studying from too many books can be an issue? i get really confused and tend to open a lot of different books and confuse myself even more. in regards to pharmacology, surprisingly i went above passing standard as opposed to first time i was near. i thought i did bad on pharmacology but to my surprise, i didn't. i just don't know how to study for this test anymore.

i'm also very stressed and frustrated about not passing it. as majority of test takers on this site says, they received straight a's in school and can't pass the nclex. i feel this way too. i am not good at standardized testing and i have test anxiety. when i left the testing center, i knew that i messed up and could kick myself for making so many mistakes.:angryfire:angryfire i went home and started going through the books i studied from. when i saw how many mistakes i had made, i said lord only you can make me pass. so yes this test do have a lot to do with content but the strategies are very much important.

once again, thanks a million, will utilize your tips and advice. will let you know when i do pass this test;)

CoralNurse78 · Feb 3, 2008

i didnt study at all before i took my boards. the computer stopped me at 75 questions so i knew i had passed. try not to stress about it too much. just read the question carefully and chose the best answer. there is such a thing as studying too much and u may be trying to overanalyze the topic. relax u can do it. :cheers:

Hannah111, thanks so much for the advice. I am maybe reading too much into the questions as well. Please keep me in your prayers. :specs:

CoralNurse78 · Feb 3, 2008

The Kaplan Review Course is also great to study with. I owe my success to them. They are great about breaking down the NCLEX blueprint (which are those categories) and with their qbank you can focus on just those areas you are weak in. You can create your own test that will only ask you questions in the categories you scored low in. It was great for me! I think it is important to continue to do as many practice questions as you can. Kaplan's questions were very similar to NCLEX and the more comfortable you get with the questions the greater it is to succeed. Good Luck!

RichaJul

Thanks so much for your feedback. However, upon graduating from school, I did take the Kaplan Review course and the Readiness test said that I was ready to take the NCLEX, I took it and failed. I was very disappointed. The Q bank did help me in preparing tho, but I was still not what the NCLEX-RN was looking for. This test anxiety is a mess. Please keep me in your prayers so that I can pass next time I take the test.

Iowa_I_Care · Jun 3, 2008

After reading some posts on here, I'm now getting scared to take my NCLEX. I graduated May 9th and still have to send in my paperwork to take the test. I am usually a good test taker and I don't get test anxiety, but after reading this, I think I'm starting to. My big issue is not the stigma of not passing, it's the money!! I can barely afford to take it once, much less several times!!

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Jun 4, 2008

After reading some posts on here, I'm now getting scared to take my NCLEX. I graduated May 9th and still have to send in my paperwork to take the test. I am usually a good test taker and I don't get test anxiety, but after reading this, I think I'm starting to. My big issue is not the stigma of not passing, it's the money!! I can barely afford to take it once, much less several times!!

Please dont be scared to take NCLEX, it is the final leg of your nursing career...look at it as an honor to take, think how many people wish they could have gone as far as you have!!!

Also keep in mind that as much as I love this board and love all nurses, most people that come on to the Nclex section are here because they are either nervous about taking the exam or have unfortunately failed it. 15% of 1st time US schooled students do fail, but that means 85% pass on their 1st attempt!!!

I only took Nclex once, so I am not in any way an expert on the test, but I do know that all through out nursing school I heard people repeat horror stories of so and so threw up in the parking lot, or so and so cried for 3 days, all to only find out they passed. Then I had a nurse once tell me "oh Nclex was pretty easy, it wasnt that bad at all" and I thought thats how I want to be, I want to say Nclex was easy and not have all that stress. I have 4 kids a husband and a german shepherd--I have enough stress in my life!!!

So I studied like a mad woman, I made out a plan and stuck to it, and for about 3 weeks I lived breathed and ate Nclex. I knew driving up to the testing center that I had done all I could have possibly done to prepare for this test. i knew if I didnt know it at this point I never would. I left it up to god to keep me calm so that I could actually retrieve all the information I had learned the past 4 years and the last 3 weeks.

When my screen turned blue at 75 I knew I passed, I called everyone I knew and told them I just took Nclex and it turned off at 75 and I know I did well. I drove home with a huge smile on my face and never slept so soundly that night. Next morning I had a lic number to confirm all my hard work.

I am not saying you have to do thousands of questions, that is what worked for me, by doing all of the practice questions it actually calmed my nerves. I have had friends who have barely studied at all, and I mean barely...and they passed too. They were though some of the ones that will now tell the stories of how they left Pearson Vue and wanted to throw up.

So please dont be scared, the anxiety is way worse than the actual test. You can do it, you have made it this far and that is something to be very proud of. One more test, one more step and you will be a nurse!!!

Iowa_I_Care · Jun 8, 2008

Thank you so much for your reply!! It was just what I needed. I had an RN I work with that graduated last year tell me, "What you have to remember is that everyone thinks the test is horrible and that they feel they didn't pass when it was over. So go into the test knowing this is how you will feel. Don't let it overcome you. Know that most people think and feel this way and that is exactly what it is....a feeling. If you expect it and accept it it will not overtake you." This actually made sense to me!!