ATI vs. UWORLD & NCLEX advice

[LittleTeacup]

This past Thursday, I took the NCLEX- the hardest exam I have ever taken before. But DO NOT let that scare you. I studied for 3-4 weeks both during and after I had graduated. I used ATI tutor until I received the "green light". I was earning an average of about 62-70%. I had 2 grades under 60 (but only by 1 or 2 points). I did not remediate using the "focused review". I only remediated with the questions the tutor gave me, and studied what I thought was weak on my own by doing research on the internet if I did not recognize a concept. Pictures helped me visualize the material. At my school, I took the RN comprehensive predictor test and received a 96% chance of passing, and I took the ATI tutor predictor and received the same grade. ATI definitely helped, but I would highly suggest taking another resource as well.

Uworld: This resource helped me in a different way than ATI did. ATI was good for recognizing concepts that were definitely on the nclex, but uworld helped me remediate on material that I was not getting with ATI. It has pictures, lengthy but concise descriptions and I really liked it. My average score was 57%. However, I was not taking tests with all of the questions included. I concentrated on areas that I had a very difficult time in. My average for an all inclusive test was 65%. On the first uworld predictor I scored in the 78th percentile with a "very high chance of passing" nclex. My second predictor, I was feeling anxiety right before the nclex, and scored in the 33rd percentile with a 52%- "borderline chance of passing."

This ALL made me incredibly nervous, and anxiety ridden all the way up until and through the test. My advice- write positive words on the top of your sheet to remind yourself of how far you have come. And be prepared to feel like you failed. I got to the 160th question and walked out feeling on the fence, but the more I thought about the more I was convinced that I failed. I do not think I answered the last question correctly. I received a lot of SATA. There are also a lot of questions about priority patients, (personally I had a lot of cardiac). Know your isolation precautions and communicable diseases such as Hep A. While you are studying- concentrate on the SAFETY of patients. Trust in yourself, and the knowledge you have gathered. Today I found out I passed the NCLEX. The wait is over! I hope this helps someone who is as anxious as I was.

[MedictoRn72]

Congrats on passing LittleTeacup! I've been doing pretty much the same thing you've described. Our school uses ATI and I'm in the process of finishing that. I've been using Uworld and NCLEX mastery for questions and some assessments. The Saunders NCLEX review study guide is also a great resource when you want to focus on one area you might have missed. Hopefully I'll be taking my NCLEX the first two weeks of July. I've heard from others that have taken the test that if you get a lot of SATA and priority questions you're doing really well. Congrats again!