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.
It really depends on your school and your state's BON. I'm my state (NV), the BON will accept an affidavit from a school stating that a certain student has met the requirement and has graduated. Other states require that the BON receives transcripts showing a degree which could take weeks to months to be sent. My state accepts the affidavits from the schools and some local schools have students who tested and were licensed within 2 weeks of graduation because they send the affidavit to the BON on the day of graduation. Other schools (such as mine) waited over 3 weeks before sending said affidavit to the BON so once I was authorized to test, I wasn't able to schedule until a month from then, which was 7.5 weeks after graduation because graduates from other schools had already taken up sooner spots. I was able to move my date up by 10 days since then so I will be testing 6 weeks out from graduation. Some people in my class were able to test this week but they stalked the scheduling website day and night to get those spots. So, the point of my rambling is that it really depends ������
Thanks! I haven't really looked into the process of registering for the NCLEX, so this was helpful (I also did a little research and saw more about how you have to get the authorization to test). Good luck!
Congrats! I have a question: how soon after you graduate can you take the NCLEX? Like, lets say there's a test the following week, I'm assuming you can take it? I'm hoping to follow your example and keep studying/doing NCLEX questions throughout the entire program so I don't have to spend months after preparing.
When you can test depends on how quickly your school submits the paperwork so you can get your ATT code, which you need to have in order to schedule NCLEX. I graduated on a Friday (Dec 12) and my school sent our records the following Monday. We had our ATT code several days later. I wanted to test in Dec but all the sites within a 6 hour radius were booked until early January. I booked the first available, which was Jan. 7.
Your story was wonderful and congratulations. I am an LPN I passed my test in 85 questions 1st time out. The school I went to prepared us very well and we did ATI also which I just loved. Now I am going for my RN and I use apps al the time so thanks for the new list of ones I can check out.
I'm hoping to follow your example and keep studying/doing NCLEX questions throughout the entire program so I don't have to spend months after preparing.
MurseJJ
2 Articles; 466 Posts
Thanks! I haven't really looked into the process of registering for the NCLEX, so this was helpful (I also did a little research and saw more about how you have to get the authorization to test). Good luck!