Any help on calming down

[sstars]

Hi everyone.

I am taking my Nclex in 10 days...n i have been studying. I just dont know how to calm down. Everytime I think about the test, I get extremely anxious...NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[littlenursemom]

Hi,

Thanks for your comment. Glad to see that I'm not the only one freaking out! I'm taking the Nclex-RN on March 11th and I have been anxious and not sleeping well before I even graduated nursing school in December 2007. Go figure!!

I'm sure we'll all do well. I have been practicing with ATI Testing and wonder if I should also get the Kaplan Qbank. Any advice anyone?

Thanks.

As hard as it is i think Kaplan is an excellent choice, especially for critical thinking questions!!

[al7139, ASN, RN]

Hi there!

I know how you are feeling! I took the NCLEX in August '07. We really were not prepared for it in school. The job I took paid for prep courses, but I was not able to get into classes, since they were filled quickly.

All I can tell you is to realize that you will never know every question on the test. The material is randomly selected, and the questions get harder the more in that subject you get right. On the other hand, if you get a certain question wrong, you will get an easier question on the same subject. Also no two people get the same questions, or types of questions. It depends on your answers what you get. Some people I know got tons of pharm questions, while others got one or two. Some got lots of dosage, others none. If you get a question you don't know the answer to: break it down and analyze it. Think about all you know on the subject (e.g. Diabetes). Think about the physiology of the disease and the disease process. Think about the meds used to treat it as well as the diet, education, and what happens if it is an emergent situation, like hypoglycemia. Most of the time you are able to eliminate the wrong answers, and come up with the right answer.

Also, remember, in the test there are 15 questions that are being tested for the database. You are not graded on these, they just want to know if the question is answerable by a new grad.

You are not expected to know as much as a nurse with 10 years experience, or even two years experience. They just want to know if you are at the level of competency expected for a new nurse, and can perform your duties in a safe manner.

Don't try to memorize your drug book. Know the important classes, and some of the more common side effects, teaching, and a general idea of how they work.

Remember that the most important priority with a pt is the ABC's with airway being the most important.

Normal value ranges for common labs is important as well as your electrolyte imbalances (symptoms of hyper/hypo).

You know more than you think you do right now. You have a good base from school, and thats all you need to pass.

Study, but take some time for yourself too. Try (I know it's hard) to relax. You will be fine.

Get sleep the night before, know where you are going, and how long it takes before the day, and get there early. Get all your paperwork together the night before.

If they offer earplugs or headphones, take them, it cuts out alot of the distraction.

Lastly, don't worry if the test cuts off at 75. Most of the people I know didn't get much more than that. I only had 75 and, lots of them were questions I had no idea of the answer to. I was convinced when I left the test site I had failed. But, I passed, so no worries. Most people feel this way after the test.

The main thing is to expect the anxiety, and use it to your advantage...a little anxiety helps you focus better.

Let us know how you do...Hope this helped.

Amy

[caring102]

Just take deep breaths and calm dowm, I took my NCLEX in Jan and found out two days later I did not pass, so take my advise dont be nervous and let your anxiety get to you , its just a test and its not testing you to see if you will be a great nurse for the rest of your life , it is just testing you to see if you are safe enough to practice, since the test , I have purchased Kaplan review and it really is a help, one of the study guides that are more like the questions on the NCLEX , i mean i feel like each time I answer questions they are like what I did on the nclex, I have saw with more and more practice my scores are improving, :nuke: with that bing said I can tell you that my nerves got to me the first time, I remember feeling my heart pund out my chest and couldnt think about any of the questions, i mean i was really nervous, so you pick up and learn from that, so the biggest thing that has helped me is praying that god gives me PEACE, and he has i cant explain it but I am not worried about the test at all because i know everything happens for a reason and I will be fine next time, strange but I am taking it next week for the 2nd time and I am so excited about it:yeah:, I feel like thisa time is for me and I WILL PASS

[onyx77]

So, how did the NCLEX go?