HELP with preparing for the NCLEX-RN!!!!!

Madhuri Dixit · Aug 31, 2005

I am scheduled to take the NCLEX-RN about 3 weeks from now. I have several review books with questions and I also have Saunder's, which seems to be highly recommended. As of right now, I do not feel prepared at all! I am debating on whether or not to purchase the Kaplan online package. I'm worried that 3 weeks may not be enough time to get my monies worth out of it, considering it is $418. I have the NCLEX Review 3000, along with many other CD-ROMS with several questions, so I am just wondering if using all of the material I currently have will be sufficient enough. I just don't want to have any regrets. I was told that the NCLEX isn't all knowledge-based, and that taking the Kaplan will help you learn how to answer the questions without necessarily knowing the correct answer. Is that true? Also, is 3 weeks a sufficient amount of time to prepare for this exam? I am not working right now, so I do have all day and night to study, but I'm not sure what the average amount of time people take to prepare for this is. Any advice that will help me would be greaty appreciated! Thanks!

3 weeks is enough!

NCLEX is very much knowledge based. You will never pass it without knowledge, unless God himself helps you to pick the right answers.

A lot of people think that if they read Kaplan and learn all the strategies, they can absolutely pass! That's a mistake. It's good to know the strategies, but it's not everything. And Kaplan, as a matter of fact tells you that:"... if you don't know where liver is located, you're in trouble..."

The best thing is to do Saunders only, every day. It has everything. All the necessary knowledge base and the strategies.

GN456 · Aug 31, 2005

3 weeks is enough!
NCLEX is very much knowledge based. You will never pass it without knowledge, unless God himself helps you to pick the right answers.
A lot of people think that if they read Kaplan and learn all the strategies, they can absolutely pass! That's a mistake. It's good to know the strategies, but it's not everything. And Kaplan, as a matter of fact tells you that:"... if you don't know where liver is located, you're in trouble..."
The best thing is to do Saunders only, every day. It has everything. All the necessary knowledge base and the strategies.

Thanks so much for replying! I will stick to Saunders! Any advice on what order to do the questions on the CD? Should I do a particular category each day or do a mixture each day? Also, do you believe that doing just the questions and reading and understanding the rationale is sufficient enough to prepare, or do I need to spend time flipping through the actual book? Thanks!

Madhuri Dixit · Aug 31, 2005

Thanks so much for replying! I will stick to Saunders! Any advice on what order to do the questions on the CD? Should I do a particular category each day or do a mixture each day? Also, do you believe that doing just the questions and reading and understanding the rationale is sufficient enough to prepare, or do I need to spend time flipping through the actual book? Thanks!

I think doing q and reading rationale is absolutely enough to pass.

Do particular category each day, so you don't get confused. Do 100-150q a day, so you aren't craming.

GN456 · Aug 31, 2005

I think doing q and reading rationale is absolutely enough to pass.
Do particular category each day, so you don't get confused. Do 100-150q a day, so you aren't craming.

Thanks so much for your advice!

pie123 · Aug 31, 2005

3 weeks is enough!
NCLEX is very much knowledge based. You will never pass it without knowledge, unless God himself helps you to pick the right answers.
A lot of people think that if they read Kaplan and learn all the strategies, they can absolutely pass! That's a mistake. It's good to know the strategies, but it's not everything. And Kaplan, as a matter of fact tells you that:"... if you don't know where liver is located, you're in trouble..."
The best thing is to do Saunders only, every day. It has everything. All the necessary knowledge base and the strategies.

I totally agree: NCLEX is knowledge-based and Saunders is awesome! Also, on my Kaplan Question trainer CD, their rationale consists of primarily telling what part of the nursing process the answer choice is. For example:

(a) incorrect: implementation.

(b) incorrect: evaluation, and so on.

They did not really provide the reasons WHY the answer was incorrect, other than using the nursing process (I guess they figure that if one has the text, they can find out for themselves WHY the answer is incorrect :)). What I like about Saunders is that not only do they provide what part of the nursing process is being used, but they also tell WHY the question is correct or incorrect, and they tell what level of knowledge the question is: analysis, comprehension, etc.

suzanne4, RN · Aug 31, 2005

Do not do anymore than 100 questions per day, you need to review the rationale behind each and every answer, both the correct, as well as incorrect answers. This is more important than even the questions in my view.

Doing more, you are not going to retain anything. You need to do at least 3000 to 4000 quesitons before the exam...........and you should be using the CD from the Comprehensive Review, not the Q and A book.

GN456 · Aug 31, 2005

Do not do anymore than 100 questions per day, you need to review the rationale behind each and every answer, both the correct, as well as incorrect answers. This is more important than even the questions in my view.
Doing more, you are not going to retain anything. You need to do at least 3000 to 4000 quesitons before the exam...........and you should be using the CD from the Comprehensive Review, not the Q and A book.

I'll take your advice. Thanks!

pie123 · Sep 1, 2005

Do not do anymore than 100 questions per day, you need to review the rationale behind each and every answer, both the correct, as well as incorrect answers. This is more important than even the questions in my view.
Doing more, you are not going to retain anything. You need to do at least 3000 to 4000 quesitons before the exam...........and you should be using the CD from the Comprehensive Review, not the Q and A book.

I agree! More than that would be serious overkill for me!