Earplugs during NCLEX?

[lvcourtneyy]

Hey all,

I know this may seem like a silly question that isn't that vital to taking NCLEX, but I'm curious to know how people feel about using the earplugs. Our Kaplan instructor told us definitely to take them and that people often wish they had. However, I've been doing my practice questions with them and they're just way too annoying for me!

Any thoughts/opinions on the matter?

Thanks!

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I will definitely take advantage of earplugs or headphones that are provided. Small noises around me are very distracting. I use earplugs while in the library and I get a lot more done than without them.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Just to throw something out there for anyone interested....at the time I tested, I had a nagging, irritating dry cough. Had been taking Tesslon pearls, but they can make you drowsy and I couldn't bring them in anyway. So here I was with a cough that would absolutely drive anyone nuts who could hear me!

I told the person at the desk when I was signing in about it, what to do?? She said there was a small room, glass enclosed within the testing room, either soundproof or as close as you could get. I don't remember the reason for having this "booth" or what the criteria for using it was supposed to be, but it was just what I needed: no one could be disturbed by my cough, AND I couldn't hear anything outside the box either. It was just on the other side of the wall going into the large room, so I could be observed from the desk as well.

Anyway, keep it in mind if you absolutely think you'll lose it if you hear anything from anyone, LOL....my cough actually helped me focus on my test, rather than worrying about other people being distracted BY me.

[JJCakesVN]

I took the ear plugs offered just incase but did not need them it was VERY quite at the testing center.