Failed NCLEX more than once? Do this.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I just don't know what I am doing wrong.. I've studied all kinds of stuff I've used Kaplan, RN mastery app!! I just don't know what to do or what to study.. I'm starting to feel defeated..

She asked what she could possible do different..and this is the answer: she needed to stop focusing on memorization and start focusing on meanings, rationales, understanding the WHY of every fact she knew.

NCLEX (and nursing) expects you'll have some level of baseline fact knowledge, of course, but is much more concerned that you know how to think about using them when you have them.

Do you need to get more information? Why?

Do you understand what's important in a scenario or question, and what's not? Why?

Do you know what's expected? Why?

Do you know the effect of a drug? Why do we care?

Do you know what a lab value means? Why do we care?

So many more whys...

Why, why, why... it's the basis of everything we do, it's the foundation of critical thinking in three little letters. It's not something you have to do just to pass NCLEX, it's something every nurse has to do every day of a professional life.

Anyway, that's what I told her. And today I got an email telling me that she stopped memorizing and started thinking about her critical thinking, and found herself on Monday going into the testing center calm and confident. And like the mayonnaise: cool but not frozen. And she passed.

:anpom: :anpom: :anpom: :anpom: :anpom: :anpom: :anpom:

[SWM2009]

This is great advice for all NCLEX takers. This post should be made into a sticky post, IMO.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Yes, you are so right. It's not about which book you use ... or how many questions per day you do. It's about whether or not you know the stuff. Do you really understand it? Do you understand it well enough to apply it? etc.

I would also add .... Do you have the intellectual ability to transfer the knowledge you have to new and different situations? That's one aspect of intelligence that I think some of these folks are lacking. They may understand the answer once they have seen it ... and can repeat it when they see a similar test question or scenario ... but they can't transfer the knowledge to an unfamiliar scenario. That "ability to transfer knowledge" is an important part of critical thinking that we don't see discussed very often.

[TeeZee]

I hope this advice sticks with me when it's my turn to take the test! THank you!

[letitiald16]

Test, just a test

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

This is great advice for all NCLEX takers. This post should be made into a sticky post, IMO.

This.

It's all a about the WHAT and the WHY.

[jenniferfromri]

Thanks for sharing this information like me, I failed 3 times and i need this information for my next exam.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Bump.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Bump.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Bump.

[Jregens7810]

Great advice.THANKS.I failed twice and hopefully next month will be the 3rd and last.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

You're welcome!

Now BUMP... and I wish people would look around a bit before posting the umpty-umpth iteration of "How do I study" or "Now what do I do?" or "..." well, you get the idea.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is precious little new under the sun! Look around here for your answers for a bit and see if you can't identify a thread that already covers it and has a lot of great perspectives from people who have already been there, done that.