Cramming for NCLEX??

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Specializes in Tele,CCU,ER.

Hi.

I know NCLEX is used to test for analytical and critical thinking skills, but trying to study for it has completely made me a wreck. I am doing Kaplan, but their course book is 600 pages and I feel like I am reading and reading. I am also doing the content videos they told us to watch...My scores have actually gone up, but I attribute this to knowing more content, which then allows me to pick the right answer. Once I know content, I can pick a good answer since I always do good in the analysis part of kaplan tests... Am I doing the right thing?? Im so lost...:banghead:

But I feel that the review books, such as Saunders, Kaplan, and Hurst just make us cram a bunch of content in our brains! Yet, everyone says dont cram and I know that it wont, I never did cram in nursing school, but Kaplan makes me feel like I am...anyone else feel like this???? Is this normal? By the way, my NCLEX exam is next week...any advice??

THANKS:redpinkhe:redpinkhe

CLARA

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Hi.

I know NCLEX is used to test for analytical and critical thinking skills, but trying to study for it has completely made me a wreck. I am doing Kaplan, but their course book is 600 pages and I feel like I am reading and reading. I am also doing the content videos they told us to watch...My scores have actually gone up, but I attribute this to knowing more content, which then allows me to pick the right answer. Once I know content, I can pick a good answer since I always do good in the analysis part of kaplan tests... Am I doing the right thing?? Im so lost...:banghead:

But I feel that the review books, such as Saunders, Kaplan, and Hurst just make us cram a bunch of content in our brains! Yet, everyone says dont cram and I know that it wont, I never did cram in nursing school, but Kaplan makes me feel like I am...anyone else feel like this???? Is this normal? By the way, my NCLEX exam is next week...any advice??

THANKS:redpinkhe:redpinkhe

CLARA

Yes I feel the same way. I am testing in CA. one week from today, and it is drivign me crazy. It's funny, as soon as I feel confident, I feel so nervous because the sooner I feel prepared, I start to think of the real thing and back down, thinking I am missing something. I don't have Qbank, so I am misadvantaged there. However, I am doing the nursing 3500 online for the SATA questions, Saunders for content (CD) book and practice tests. Kaplan trainers and I am between 60-69%. So we will see. How accurate are the percentages for Kaplan can it tell how well we do? :angryfire

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Specializes in Tele,CCU,ER.
Yes I feel the same way. I am testing in CA. one week from today, and it is drivign me crazy. It's funny, as soon as I feel confident, I feel so nervous because the sooner I feel prepared, I start to think of the real thing and back down, thinking I am missing something. I don't have Qbank, so I am misadvantaged there. However, I am doing the nursing 3500 online for the SATA questions, Saunders for content (CD) book and practice tests. Kaplan trainers and I am between 60-69%. So we will see. How accurate are the percentages for Kaplan can it tell how well we do? :angryfire

I feel the same way...You feel good and then you feel like your are missing something...I know that if you get more that a 60 on your QT you have 95% chance of passing...Your scores are better than mine though...I test next Tuesday in CA too...so I dont know how we will get our scores...Are you going to check online? I know it takes up to one month, but it doesnt hurt to check...

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Well, it takes between 3-10 days. We will be checking from time to time starting tuesday evening!!! lol.

Well, I am working on trainer 4 now. I just compelted 3. And just got a 59% (disappointed), but will keep trying. Do you know how the trainers are able to determine that? Is it the critical thinking or the content that it focuses on?

Thanks for the feedback....I need all I can get!:(:bluecry1:

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Hi,

I took the NCLEX-RN this past Friday 6/20. I really recommend that you DO NOT try to cram all of that content into your brain. The anxiety we go through when we sit for the test is already enough. When preparing for the NCLEX I didn't go back to cram any content after graduation. I took the Kaplan review, practiced Saunders Q&A 3rd Ed. and Kaplan QBank/question trainer questionsONLY, and ONLY reviewed topics that I either did not know or did not understand the rationale to. For example, when first starting the Saunders review book I did not know what Raynaud's disease was so I read the rationale to get a better understanding and just remembered that.

The day before my NCLEX exam I did questions on the Saunders cd-rom for the book and edition listed above (even though everyone says not to). I highly recommend that you review the medications on that cd-rom because it is a great review.

Hope this helped. And sorry for the long post

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Hi,

I took the NCLEX-RN this past Friday 6/20. I really recommend that you DO NOT try to cram all of that content into your brain. The anxiety we go through when we sit for the test is already enough. When preparing for the NCLEX I didn't go back to cram any content after graduation. I took the Kaplan review, practiced Saunders Q&A 3rd Ed. and Kaplan QBank/question trainer questionsONLY, and ONLY reviewed topics that I either did not know or did not understand the rationale to. For example, when first starting the Saunders review book I did not know what Raynaud's disease was so I read the rationale to get a better understanding and just remembered that.

The day before my NCLEX exam I did questions on the Saunders cd-rom for the book and edition listed above (even though everyone says not to). I highly recommend that you review the medications on that cd-rom because it is a great review.

Hope this helped. And sorry for the long post

Thanks for the feedback. I reviewed the 3rd edition of Saunders too. I am too close to the date to purchase the 4th edition. What did you do about the alternate and SATA questions?

How did you go over those, the Q bank?

Thanks.

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Specializes in Tele,CCU,ER.

believe09,

Thanks for the feedback. so you just went over your wrong questions?? I just don't want to get hit with a disease or med I don't know...I am just lightly touching on topics I don't know and watching the content videos...Hopefully that's good since I feel its to much...

Were the kaplan questions helpful??

Thank you so much.

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Specializes in Tele,CCU,ER.

jazzysmika,

According to my kaplan instructor, kaplan questions make you critically think and are designed to be like nclex, hopefully they are. and good luck...

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Cramming is the worst possible thing that anyone can do for the NCLEX exam. The exam is interested in knowing what you are going to do with the information that you already learned in school and should still have in your head. Not in you learning something new.

They want to see if you know what to do with the information that you already have learned in school, you need to know how to apply it as well as understand what the exam is looking for in an answer.

Cramming and all you do is memorize questions that are not going to be on the exam. And then is something is similar, one picks the incorrect answer as a word or two will be different.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Cramming is the worst possible thing that anyone can do for the NCLEX exam. The exam is interested in knowing what you are going to do with the information that you already learned in school and should still have in your head. Not in you learning something new.

They want to see if you know what to do with the information that you already have learned in school, you need to know how to apply it as well as understand what the exam is looking for in an answer.

Cramming and all you do is memorize questions that are not going to be on the exam. And then is something is similar, one picks the incorrect answer as a word or two will be different.

I totally agree with you completely. The purpose of the NCLEX-RN is to see if you can critically think through situations that they give to you while also practicing in a SAFE manner. It's all about about protecting the patient as well as yourself from harm of any kind.

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Hi,

I took the NCLEX-RN this past Friday 6/20. I really recommend that you DO NOT try to cram all of that content into your brain. The anxiety we go through when we sit for the test is already enough. When preparing for the NCLEX I didn't go back to cram any content after graduation. I took the Kaplan review, practiced Saunders Q&A 3rd Ed. and Kaplan QBank/question trainer questionsONLY, and ONLY reviewed topics that I either did not know or did not understand the rationale to. For example, when first starting the Saunders review book I did not know what Raynaud's disease was so I read the rationale to get a better understanding and just remembered that.

The day before my NCLEX exam I did questions on the Saunders cd-rom for the book and edition listed above (even though everyone says not to). I highly recommend that you review the medications on that cd-rom because it is a great review.

Hope this helped. And sorry for the long post

Did you at all feel good about using the 3rd edition of Saunders, now that you have taken the exam?

That's the one I have right now.

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Specializes in Tele,CCU,ER.
Cramming is the worst possible thing that anyone can do for the NCLEX exam. The exam is interested in knowing what you are going to do with the information that you already learned in school and should still have in your head. Not in you learning something new.

They want to see if you know what to do with the information that you already have learned in school, you need to know how to apply it as well as understand what the exam is looking for in an answer.

Cramming and all you do is memorize questions that are not going to be on the exam. And then is something is similar, one picks the incorrect answer as a word or two will be different.

Suzanne,

I know cramming is not going to help and Im not trying to do that since I have been studying for 6weeks...but I feel that Kaplan and all those reviews are making us do this by having us read a bunch of content in their books. They told me to write a bunch of index cards with and to me that sounds like cramming. I don't know how else to study after reading the kaplan 600 page book, watching videos and doing the questions for 6 weeks now. I'm just stuck and like I said I feel like I'm just cramming stuff into my brain. I have a week left so I will just review meds.

My scores have improved so maybe it has to do with learning test taking strategies. What do you think?

Clara

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