For those who are studying for and who have already taken NCLEX

critical thinker · Jul 16, 2009

I think you should while studying, focus on why a correct answer is correct. Everyone's experience is different, I found that the exam is more about critical thinking, and knowing how to come to the right conculsion.

allnurses Guide · Jul 16, 2009

You don't need to memorize IV solutions. If you understand hypotonic/hypertonic etc, then you can figure it out when they give you the concentration.

Know the labs (I knew them,, went in and wrote them on the scratch pad and then never need to look).

There really isn't a lot to "memorize", if you understand the concepts. I'm a foreign-trained nurse who took NCLEX for the first time after 12 years out of university, and I only used Saunders and did tons of practice questions on the cd. Passed with 75 qu's after 30 min test.

brem86 · Jul 16, 2009

thanks.. putting into perspective relieves some stress. i guess i'm just worried that i will miss something because of a minor detail.

shoegalRN, RN · Jul 16, 2009

I didnt study a ton of content when I prepared for NCLEX. The only thing I memorized was lab values and drug classifications.

I prepared with Kaplan and Saunders. I used Kaplan mostly. I only used Saunders for content on areas I was weak in.

I did 150-200 questions a day just in Kaplan. When I got tired of Kaplan, I did questions in Medspub, Saunders, Lippincott, and NCLEX 3500. But the majority of my studying was focusing on Kaplan and I only used the other programs to apply the Kaplan methods.

Also, I really focused on the rationales. I wrote down all the ones I got wrong. By the time it was all said and done, I had over 50 pages of notes, front and back.

And I passed with 75 questions.

I found Kaplan to be harder than NCLEX, actually.

brem86 · Jul 16, 2009

thanks that really helped me!!

labs and meds to be memorized..

Will the meds on NCLEX have the med classification stated as well? if it has the med with the classification then studying classifications will be sufficient..

your thoughts?

laura11 · Jul 16, 2009

I just did mine today. They give you the the name of the meds but not the classification. To tell u the truth nothing really prepares u for the meds as everything look alike.

drugstorecowgirl214 · Jul 17, 2009

I found Kaplan to be harder than NCLEX, actually.

I have to agree with that!!! Also, I had several med questions and out of those probably 2 I couldn't even break down into what classification they would have been in. As far as labs I was told that to be SURE you know the values of sodium, mag, calcium, potassium, albumin, and ABG's, that those are probably the only ones that you may see on NCLEX.

kinipela7 · Jul 17, 2009

i have to agree with knowing your lab values and drug classificiations. i also had a couple of questions ong ABGs, so know these values as well.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

I memorized my lab values. Thank God I did because they were all over my NCLEX-PN. I have to agree with a previous poster memorization isn't really good to memorize questions and answers since they're totally different from what you actually studied. What you want to memorize is your rationales, even if you got the answer right. What I liked about Saunders is that it gave you content to read besides the chapter. But as a previous poster had posted in another thread, it was really easy compared to the NCLEX. The Saunders book did help. I also did some Kaplan questions and answers and there weren't many, but I found them to also be helpful. Good Luck

NewAggieGrad09 · Jul 17, 2009

Yeah me and labs haven't gotten along over the years, except for the most common ones (BUN, potassium, calcium, WBC, etc). Everytime I find a question about labs, I make flash cards to study from, even if I get the answer right.

shoegalRN, RN · Jul 17, 2009

I have to agree with that!!! Also, I had several med questions and out of those probably 2 I couldn't even break down into what classification they would have been in. As far as labs I was told that to be SURE you know the values of sodium, mag, calcium, potassium, albumin, and ABG's, that those are probably the only ones that you may see on NCLEX.

Yeah, I had an ABG interpetation on my NCLEX. But it wasnt just giving me the ABG values and asking to interpet them. It was a whole nother type of question with the ABG values listed as the answers. I had to work through each one until I got the right answer for what the question was asking.

I had quite a few common meds, only a couple I have never heard of before.