I graduated in December and took -- and passed -- NCLEX last week in 75 questions. I know there are plenty of posts about studying for and passing NCLEX but I wanted to add what worked for me. Granted, most of what I'm about to post won't help those who have already graduated but for those of you just starting out, I hope it will help you!
1) I started thinking about passing NCLEX before I even started nursing school! When looking at nursing schools, I looked at first time NCLEX pass rates. The school I chose has a consistent 96-98% pass rate with every graduating class, which equals 2-3 students not passing each time....which means 60-65 DO pass each time. I LOVE those odds!
2) From my very first day in 101, I included NCLEX-style questions in my studying. I LOVE the Success books -- they make one for every class: Fundamentals, Med-Surg, Pediatric, Maternity, Behaviorial. By reading the rationales for ALL of the answers (right and wrong), it reinforced content and I learned how to taking nursing tests. I did ALL of the Success books throughout school.
3) I used free apps like NCLEX Mastery, Ultimate RN, and ATI Lite throughout school and included them in my studying.
99% of my NCLEX preparation was done BEFORE I graduated! So what did I do AFTER graduation to get ready for NCLEX? Not a whole lot.
1) My school offered a 3 day ATI review taught by one of our instructors. Since it was included in our tuition, I went all 3 days. She offered some great tips about how to figure out how to answer questions, especially when you have no idea. Very helpful.
2) I aimed for 100-150 questions/day but there were plenty of days when I didn't do any. I did them while watching TV, waiting in line, cooking dinner. I didn't block out time to "study for NCLEX" because I had been studying for NCLEX for 2 years already! If I came across something I didn't remember (stages of labor, peds vitals, etc) I did a quick review.
3) I used a variety of resources (all free - I didn't pay for anything) -- ATI, free Lippincott 2 week trial, a Kaplan book, e-books that were shared on FB groups, free apps, free resources online. I wanted exposure to a variety of questions.
4) I didn't do any Kaplan Q trainers -- I still don't even know what those are!
5) I didn't do Saunders or LaCharity. Yes, you can pass without doing them!
The morning of NCLEX I did the same things I did before exams in school -- same breakfast, etc. Although I was a bit nervous, I felt prepared. I had been preparing for it for 2 years! There were plenty of questions that had me thinking "I HAVE NO IDEA!" but I didn't freak out -- I methodically read the question and asked myself "what would a nurse do in this situation?" The screen turned blue after my 75th question and I was done.
When classmates ask me what they can do to prepare for it, I tell them they're already prepared. We graduated from a nursing program that prepared us extremely well for NCLEX and beyond. So far, everyone who has taken it from my class has passed.
