At what point do you say enough

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I have NCLEX in the next couple of days, and I am absolutely miserable. I want to study right up until the last minute, but I realize that there is no way to ever know EVERYTHING. How do you recommend I spend the next couple of days? Questions or reading? At what point do you feel confident that you will be ok with what you already know? :confused:

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I know the feeling, I can only relate and offer self LOL

I would just practice questions, at least 100 a day so you get acclimated to sitting there concentrating on questions for a long period of time. If you are doing well on practice questions (65% or better) then youre on the right track.

What are ur weaknesses? Mine is medications, so for the next week Im just doing meds, nothing else.

Good luck, there is not gonna be a perfect answer. The day before the exam is YOUR big day, relax!!! night before the exam, put the books away go to bed early. The stuff is in your head, you just need to get through a few challenging questions and thats it! You are done my friend.

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I agree with Natingale. I did questions the last couple of days, looked over labs, infection control and LaCharity case studies. I found this website on meds. The drug chapters have a NCLEX review of 10 questions for the drugs in that chapter. There is like 30 or so chapters and each one has a small quiz. If you submit it, it will give you your score. Rationale is only on wrong answers.

http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_adams_pharmacology_1/17/4583/1173501.cw/index.html

You CAN answer a bunch of questions. I took my time. Think through each question. There is plenty of time to do the questions, so don't freak about the time.

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You should be focusing your studies. Make notecards on major things that you still need to review and focus on them. For me I made notecards on infection precautions, labs, meds, and endocrine disorders. You can do questions but I agree with you that at this point you know what you know. Just try to focus your studies and relax, take questions for the next couple days for practice and the day before just relax.

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I got questions right because I read/reviewed in my car for an hour at the site waiting for my test. You should be studying harder as the test approaches not backing off, I don't know anyone who did the opposite during Nursing School for nursing school tests ... why break that cycle now.

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Most people take the final day to relax and unwind before the test. Some people take two days to do this. Practice your relaxation techniques. Good luck.

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Rednights, I think the idea behind the relaxation is that as the test approaches, especially the day/night before, you start to think of everything you DON'T know, and you start to panic. If you keep doing questions, every time you miss one, you'll freak out even more, and the cycle gets worse. Then, walking into the test, you remember everything you don't know and set yourself up to second guess everything you do know. I don't know if you've taken the test or not, but the NCLEX is nothing like nursing school tests. None of those would have the same consequences, so this test brings on a whole new level of stress that likely didn't happen during school. If it didn't for you, great, but most of us cannot say that.

I DID take the day off, for the most part. I did look over a few last things. To be honest, it didn't matter anyway. The only thing on the test that studying helped me with at all was the SPIDERMAN mnemonic, as infection control showed up everywhere, and you just have to know it. Yes, I passed the first time, but honestly, I can't imagine how. I wasn't even sure about the answer to the FIRST question. Talk about a stress-inducer!

Now, if you haven't studied at all, then by all means, cram it in before. But if you prepared well (like the six weeks I did questions, day and night), then do take the day off. If you know it, you know it, so don't cause yourself any undue stress right before the test.

Good luck!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I studied up until I walked into the testing center. That's what decreases my test anxiety: to feel like I've used every last second! You have to do what puts you into your comfort zone. Good luck!

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Rednights, I think the idea behind the relaxation is that as the test approaches, especially the day/night before, you start to think of everything you DON'T know, and you start to panic.

I understand people have testing anxiety, my advice is for those who do not. It's just from my own experience during nursing school and NCLEX itself, is that I got questions right from studying/reviewing up to the moment we were handed our test. I know people here will give the relaxation advice predominately, therefore I am trying to give a different perspective on how to manage time.

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I'm studying until the very end!! I'm so worked up for this exam!

I remember when I took my PN boards 10 years ago, I didn't study at all except for on the way there! Ha! My friend was driving me and I decided to review 'diets' on the car ride. Oh, to be 20 again and have the ability to recall information!

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This is just me...but I would quit studying. If you aren't feeling it anymore, there's no point because it probably won't stick. I felt confident I knew what I knew. When I did Hurst, I was able to complete the teacher's sentences as she walked us through the book during the live review. That made me realize I still knew a lot from school, plus I had the added benefit of being an extern for a year and put a lot of things into a real life situation. And I was the same way in school, the morning of the tests...everyone would be freaking out throwing random facts off each other, and it would drive me CRAZY. Because a lot of times you hear someone say something wrong or they get confused. So I would just sit in the hallway or room before we went into the computer lab, laying on the floor listening to my music or eating. Anxiety sucks up all the knowledge you know! If you start freaking out 2 days before your test, you'll do what some people do...focus 100% on the material for the next 2 days, and forget a lot of what you already know because of anxiety.

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The day before the test would be a day for relaxation. You must empty your mind from anxieties:barf01:, have a good rest:zzzzz and prayers:saint: are all you need. Think positive and you will make it. Goodluck to all of us! Hugs! :hug:

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