How I passed the NCLEX in 75 questions using UWorld (for my fellow hyper-organizers)

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Hi everyone!

This site has been such a great resource for me, that I promised myself if/when I passed the NCLEX I would try and help others and share my experience.

My academic background:

I was a pretty middle of the road in nursing school. I scored a mostly B average, and study best through the use of writing things over and over, and the use of visual aids. For me, it is CRITICAL that information is organized, if I hope to retain it.

My study aids:

I bought a subscription through UWorld. I was also given (as graduation gifts) the Saunders NCLEX review book, as well as the LaCharity prioritization book. I also purchased a month on Kaplan.

Thoughts on my study aids:

I ended up studying only the UWorld question bank. Kaplan frustrated me to no end, and I felt like their explanations weren't teaching me anything, so I stopped spending time with it. The Saunders book was excellent, but I found 99% of the information in the UWorld question bank, and I discovered the same thing with LaCharity.

How I studied:

I did blocks of 75 questions with UWorld on timed mode. I would allow myself a short break after completing the 75 questions to use the restroom, get some water, etc. I would then come back and remediate the 75 questions. Remediating, if done properly, will take you HOURS, so I always allowed myself the option for another bathroom/water/snack/stretch break after getting to question #35 during remediation. In the beginning, I would do 75 questions a day, and as my test date got closer I started doing two 75 question tests a day. It would take me about 5-6 hours to remediate one 75 question test.

How I remediated:

I bought a 3" binder and split it into different sections with notebook tab dividers. My topic sections are as follows:

Neuro

Cardiac

Respiratory

GI

Renal

Hepatic

Reproductive

Endocrine

Ortho

Hematology

Oncology

OB

Peds

Critical Care Concepts (includes vents, trachs, etc, pre and post op education/emergencies)

Psych

Integumentary

Nursing Management (includes professional issues, nursing ethics, delegation, diagnostic tests)

Public Health/Environmental

Gerontology

Ophthalmic

Pharmacology

Electrolytes/IV

Labs

Isolation Precautions

When remediating, I would then make packets for each section. I used blank printer paper and used a three hole puncher and those awesome little circle sticker/reinforcers for the papers. I would scribble, draw, jot down things, etc. in the corresponding packet while remediating. When taking notes about a specific disease (ie Addison's disease) I would leave lots of room on the page to add in more information as I came across it in later questions and remediation (ie another remediation was about Addisonian crisis, etc). I would periodically go through each packet and re-write them to organize them more thoroughly based on related disease processes, and to make them look nicer and clearer to read. I used colored pens to indicate pertinent information (ie signs and symptoms were ALWAYS in red, treatment was ALWAYS in light blue). The hardest part about this was that it was time consuming and initially hard to find the right packet and information, but as I got more and more familiar with my information and my packets I was able to quickly find information in the packets to add to at the drop of a hat while I was remediating.

I also designated the first page of each packet for EMERGENCIES "at a glance."

Example: "Respiratory Emergencies At A Glance" is the first page of my respiratory packet. It includes a list of respiratory emergencies such as

1. inhalation injures

2. ARDS

3. lung contusion

4. CO poisoning

5. Epiglottitis

(etc etc)

On the following page, I then put the corresponding number and emergency, signs and symptoms, and immediate life saving interventions and treatment. The goal is to pull up a packet for a specific system, see at a glance a list of the most important life threatening emergencies, be able to quiz myself on s/s and tx, and then on the following page have the answers. The start of EVERY PACKET for EVERY SYSTEM was designated for emergencies. After that, I put the standard information learned from remediation. This included all the "non emergent" information that was organized from my remediation.

I remediated every single question in the UWorld bank, whether I got it right or wrong. My averages for the UWorld quizzes went from mid 50% to mid/upper 70% on some of the last quizzes I made to finish out the question bank. I would also "mark" questions that I really struggled with, and for the last two days before taking my NCLEX I studied and remediated those questions only.

For pharmacology, instead of studying each medication class, I studied and made a packet for side effects/interactions. For instance, I had an entire page for "drugs that can cause orthostatic hypotension" and another for "drugs that can cause hyperkalemia" or "ototoxic" or "needs yearly eye exams" or "don't drink grapefruit juice" or "take in the morning on an empty stomach" or "take at night" followed by a list of drugs to watch out for. I also made a page for "drug drug interactions"

For me, this was an easier way to organize the information and helped me to see patterns.

In the end, I know that many of you may read this and think that it's way too much work. But, to be honest, I'm so thankful I did it like this. Plus, I now have a 3" binder organized by system, with a plethora of incredible information (basically, the whole UWorld question bank/remediation information) that I can use as a resource as I go into the field of nursing. I intend to add to it as I progress and learn more.

Anyways, hopefully at least one person finds this to be helpful. Good luck, everyone!

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Congrats on passing the NCLEX!! Did you study you "binder" full of notes before another 75 questions or after a new set?

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
Congrats on passing the NCLEX!! Did you study you "binder" full of notes before another 75 questions or after a new set?

Hey! Thanks!! :)

That's such a great question! I didn't study the binder before another 75 questions, but I would study parts of it every couple of days when I knew I had a weak spot. For instance, there were a few days where I kept scoring below the average on OB, so the next morning before taking my 75 question test I studied my OB packet.

If I was going to look at a packet, I would always make sure to study it first thing in the morning because by the end of a long remediation day my brain would start feeling a little fried lol.

The #1 thing I think the packets were useful for was when remediating and adding more information, I could see what I had already reviewed. If I'm not careful, I waste my time by constantly reading and re-reading the same information over and over but continuing to make the same mistakes because the information wouldn't stick. This gave me the opportunity to get a "snapshot" over everything that I already knew and had learned, and so it cut down my repeat mistakes. It also helped me see the "bigger picture" for each disease process or system.

For instance, I had a ton of questions on Addisons vs Cushings. I had these two as side by side pages in the packet. When remediating a new question about Addison's disease, I would open to that page and as I was adding to it that simple act in itself was a reinforcement of everything I had already reviewed on the disease because I was looking at all my previous notes. I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but it definitely worked for me! haha

If you think that the packets are too much, I encourage you to at least do the Emergencies! I can't even being to say how helpful that was for me on the NCLEX!

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Hi!

I know this is an old post, but I just came across this now so hopefully you are still checking this.

I was wondering, how many months prior to taking your NCLEX did you start using UWorld?

Thank you

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On 8/1/2017 at 3:59 PM, HermioneG said:

Hi everyone!

This site has been such a great resource for me, that I promised myself if/when I passed the NCLEX I would try and help others and share my experience.

My academic background:

I was a pretty middle of the road in nursing school. I scored a mostly B average, and study best through the use of writing things over and over, and the use of visual aids. For me, it is CRITICAL that information is organized, if I hope to retain it.

My study aids:

I bought a subscription through UWorld. I was also given (as graduation gifts) the Saunders NCLEX review book, as well as the LaCharity prioritization book. I also purchased a month on Kaplan.

Thoughts on my study aids:

I ended up studying only the UWorld question bank. Kaplan frustrated me to no end, and I felt like their explanations weren't teaching me anything, so I stopped spending time with it. The Saunders book was excellent, but I found 99% of the information in the UWorld question bank, and I discovered the same thing with LaCharity.

How I studied:

I did blocks of 75 questions with UWorld on timed mode. I would allow myself a short break after completing the 75 questions to use the restroom, get some water, etc. I would then come back and remediate the 75 questions. Remediating, if done properly, will take you HOURS, so I always allowed myself the option for another bathroom/water/snack/stretch break after getting to question #35 during remediation. In the beginning, I would do 75 questions a day, and as my test date got closer I started doing two 75 question tests a day. It would take me about 5-6 hours to remediate one 75 question test.

How I remediated:

I bought a 3" binder and split it into different sections with notebook tab dividers. My topic sections are as follows:

Neuro

Cardiac

Respiratory

GI

Renal

Hepatic

Reproductive

Endocrine

Ortho

Hematology

Oncology

OB

Peds

Critical Care Concepts (includes vents, trachs, etc, pre and post op education/emergencies)

Psych

Integumentary

Nursing Management (includes professional issues, nursing ethics, delegation, diagnostic tests)

Public Health/Environmental

Gerontology

Ophthalmic

Pharmacology

Electrolytes/IV

Labs

Isolation Precautions

When remediating, I would then make packets for each section. I used blank printer paper and used a three hole puncher and those awesome little circle sticker/reinforcers for the papers. I would scribble, draw, jot down things, etc. in the corresponding packet while remediating. When taking notes about a specific disease (ie Addison's disease) I would leave lots of room on the page to add in more information as I came across it in later questions and remediation (ie another remediation was about Addisonian crisis, etc). I would periodically go through each packet and re-write them to organize them more thoroughly based on related disease processes, and to make them look nicer and clearer to read. I used colored pens to indicate pertinent information (ie signs and symptoms were ALWAYS in red, treatment was ALWAYS in light blue). The hardest part about this was that it was time consuming and initially hard to find the right packet and information, but as I got more and more familiar with my information and my packets I was able to quickly find information in the packets to add to at the drop of a hat while I was remediating.

I also designated the first page of each packet for EMERGENCIES "at a glance."

Example: "Respiratory Emergencies At A Glance" is the first page of my respiratory packet. It includes a list of respiratory emergencies such as

1. inhalation injures

2. ARDS

3. lung contusion

4. CO poisoning

5. Epiglottitis

(etc etc)

On the following page, I then put the corresponding number and emergency, signs and symptoms, and immediate life saving interventions and treatment. The goal is to pull up a packet for a specific system, see at a glance a list of the most important life threatening emergencies, be able to quiz myself on s/s and tx, and then on the following page have the answers. The start of EVERY PACKET for EVERY SYSTEM was designated for emergencies. After that, I put the standard information learned from remediation. This included all the "non emergent" information that was organized from my remediation.

I remediated every single question in the UWorld bank, whether I got it right or wrong. My averages for the UWorld quizzes went from mid 50% to mid/upper 70% on some of the last quizzes I made to finish out the question bank. I would also "mark" questions that I really struggled with, and for the last two days before taking my NCLEX I studied and remediated those questions only.

For pharmacology, instead of studying each medication class, I studied and made a packet for side effects/interactions. For instance, I had an entire page for "drugs that can cause orthostatic hypotension" and another for "drugs that can cause hyperkalemia" or "ototoxic" or "needs yearly eye exams" or "don't drink grapefruit juice" or "take in the morning on an empty stomach" or "take at night" followed by a list of drugs to watch out for. I also made a page for "drug drug interactions"

For me, this was an easier way to organize the information and helped me to see patterns.

In the end, I know that many of you may read this and think that it's way too much work. But, to be honest, I'm so thankful I did it like this. Plus, I now have a 3" binder organized by system, with a plethora of incredible information (basically, the whole UWorld question bank/remediation information) that I can use as a resource as I go into the field of nursing. I intend to add to it as I progress and learn more.

Anyways, hopefully at least one person finds this to be helpful. Good luck, everyone!

WOW!! I just want to be your BFF and see your binder haha. ☹️

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