Help with Test Questions!!

nikisashabell · Jun 6, 2011

there is a series of "success" books they have good strats for test questions. One is test success another is the davis nclex practice book. hope that helps

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · Jun 10, 2011

Get a good NCLEX book that had lots of questions and rationals. Studying the section that represents the topic you need may help. I always liked Lippincott's

Get A's in _____ (fill in the topic you need to study).

PinkNBlue, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2011

I have a hard time with the questions too. I am great in clinical but horrible at test taking though I understand the concepts and study like it's going out of style. Some things people have told me; do not overthink the question. Cover the answers and see if you can come up with the answer before looking at the choices. Write down the key points that you remember about the topic that the question is asking about (your test will look like a piece of paper with graffiti all over it from all of your notes lol). Eliminate the choices you absolutely know do not fit with the question (literally cross them out) and I even will write WHY they're not correct (different lab value, lab value is WNL, specific word included such as 'always' or 'never' etc). Always choose Airway choices first... then breathing and then circulation. If none of those are the choices move to safety. Sometimes what YOU would do in a situation is not what the book you're reading from about the material would do so it's tough. I work in a hospital as a tech and it helps me in many different ways but also can hinder as well since I know how things are done in reality which can be different than what is recommended in the text (and then on the exam).

Buy an NCLEX book that has questions AND rationales for the questions so that when you go over questions and get them incorrect, you know WHY they're wrong and why the actual answer is the better choice. Easier said than done but when I started doing that, I improved a bit. Good luck to you. Just remember, whether you get A's or C's; they both equal RN. :)

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Jun 10, 2011

Get a good NCLEX book and practice! Most of them are broken down by body system as well as specialty (OB, mental health, peds) and just do practice questions that correspond with whatever you are studying at the moment.

I recommend either Saunders or Reviews & Rationales for NCLEX-RN by Pearson Prentice Hall. It will get you thinking in that "nursing" mindset and is also excellent practice to the NCLEX

CaliforniaRNnow · Jun 16, 2011

What I did was I didn't wait until the week before to start studying. I studied EVERY DAY since the first lecture of the test to start studying. Not kidding. Every little bit helps. That way you don't feel overwhelmed and pressured the week before. You start absorbing the information earlier and better.

And I also read all of the chapters. Write down a schedule and what to do for each day and FOLLOW IT. When I read each chapter, I underlined important points. And then when it came down to studying for the test, I re-read those important points that I underlined.

It works. I didn't have a life for 2 years, but it was worth it. I graduated with honors and passed the NCLEX. :)

KristeyK · Jun 21, 2011

Along with the above suggestions, I would also suggest learning how to read what the question is asking. Overly simple, right? NOT AT ALL! I read the question, look at the answers, then go back and reread the question and break it down by what it is I should be looking for.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Jun 21, 2011

What I did was I didn't wait until the week before to start studying. I studied EVERY DAY since the first lecture of the test to start studying. Not kidding. Every little bit helps. That way you don't feel overwhelmed and pressured the week before. You start absorbing the information earlier and better.
And I also read all of the chapters. Write down a schedule and what to do for each day and FOLLOW IT. When I read each chapter, I underlined important points. And then when it came down to studying for the test, I re-read those important points that I underlined.
It works. I didn't have a life for 2 years, but it was worth it. I graduated with honors and passed the NCLEX. :)

I did the same. I started reading and skimming the material before the lecture for an hour or so and found that really helped me get more out of the lecture.

I would suggest putting one "day off" into your schedule. But if you do this, you cannot slack on your other days.

Mike R, ADN, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2011

Along with the above suggestions, I would also suggest learning how to read what the question is asking. Overly simple, right? NOT AT ALL! I read the question, look at the answers, then go back and reread the question and break it down by what it is I should be looking for.

I gotta agree with this one. A lot of the students I talk to don't know how to interpret the questions. Whether it be what the stem of the question is or they don't know how to weed out the irrelevant facts.

Underline key words like "first" or "most important" (understand that there is a fundamental difference between the two)

Be fairly comfortable with priority Nursing Interventions with each disease/exam/situation and why they matter. IE: be comfortable with Pathophys. Like with Maternal child: when you have a variable decel on a FHR, the first thing you would probably do is reposition before applying O2 to the mother. Why? Because Variable decels are usually cord compression. If the cord is blocked, not matter how much O2 you pump in mommy, none of it is going to baby until you release pressure from the cord by repositioning.

Use ONLY the facts given in the scenario and DONT add any factors of your own. Pretend it's a game of cards. You only play with the cards that are dealt and that's it.

Here's an example: Per Physician's order, you are adminstering IV meds to a 4 year old who tolerates PO very well and is discharging later today. You notice his IV has just infiltrated. What is the likely priority Nursing Intervention?

A) Call the Dr and tell them what has just happened

B) Start a new IV and administer meds as ordered

C) Call the Pharmacy and get a PO form of the IV med

D) Call the Dr and request to change from IV to PO form.

You get a general idea of what the question is asking, but one might be asking: but it depends on what kind of med was it? When exactly are they discharging? Do we need to keep them under surveillance because of the med? How bad was the infiltration?

Who cares! You have a card in your hand that says "tolerates PO very well" and an infiltrated IV in a kiddo. Go with it your gut!

When you have a scenario that has words that denote a change for the worse in the patient, don't automatically select the answer that further assessess for the problem you know is forming. While your patient is deteriorating, you could be actively doing something for the better instead of being a sleuth as to the problem.

Example: Your child is supine in bed with increased work of breathing with subcostal retractions. What is your first Nursing Intervention?

A) Apply O2

B) Raise the head of the bed

C) Assess O2 Saturations

D) Assess Cap Refill

If you chose C or D, congratulations! You've just pointed out the obvious signs of Resp Distress while you could be intervening with ABC's. For A&B, positioning always comes before oxygen. Airway, airway, airway.... Pesky ABC's....

When you have a patient who's status is changing, please don't automatically call the Dr. Chances are there are more assessments you need to make before the Doc yells at you for waking him up at 2 am without all the facts. Pesky grumpy Docs....

Study diligently, and not just a week before like you said. Study a little bit every day but don't over do it to a point where your brain is mush. The night before the test is when I should feel most ready. If I'm still learning new junk the day of the test, to me it's a sign of "bad ju-ju"(the craps about to hit the fan).

I hope these ideas help you! Good luck in your studies!