Hi! I promised myself to make a post after I passed because honestly, this site has helped me A LOT throughout my NCLEX-RN journey and I want to help those who are about to take their exam!
A little bit about me: I was an average (B and Cs, rarely A) student from Canada. For those who didn't know, they changed the licensing exam to NCLEX this year Jan 2015 , previously it was the CRNE. I was TERRIFIED because my classmates and teachers would tell us how much more we needed to know (i.e. reading ECG, and the SATA). After graduating, i didn't study, I took around 5 months off to focus on myself and my family. Needless to say I probably forgot some things I learned and just wasn't focused enough to study. But I had to complete the exam because I remember one of my professors said, "that diploma is just another piece of paper if you don't have a license" As bad as how she made it sound, It REALLY motivated me, in fact if was one of the only things that motivated me to study.
What I did: Hardest part was getting started. I didn't know where to being, what to study, what i need to know and how to go upon learning everything. I didn't want to buy a lot of text books because it was SO EXPENSIVE! and I didn't know which one to use! So I went to the public library and borrowed as many recent NCLEX-RN related books as I could. Here is what I found most helpful.
Saunders comprehensive review for the nclex-rn examination 6th edition: I found this a lot better than the MOSBY's book. This one has more content and lists everything in an orderly and understandable fashion. I did go through (just reading mostly) ALMOST the whole book bc i just read through it, didn't really make notes. The questions in here were too easy in my opinion and it wasn't really like NCLEX style questions... but thats just what I thought. I did them anyways (usually do the question section before I begin reading the chapter) I found doing he questions made me understand the content better and it also showed me which areas I lacked. And let me tell you, I pretty much lacked EVERY SINGLE TOPIC LOL It was horrible, didn't think I could've made it. One tip, do not MEMORIZE, understand! the human body tries to help itself, so everything it does tries to help in some what. Sometimes for the worst, sometimes for the better.
Saunders q&a review for the nclex-rn examination: I only looked over this book VERY briefly (like 20 pages max) because it was overdue haha but if I could, I would go through it all. They had great questions and rationales. If you are not good with answering questions, this one is a good book. NOT GOING TO LIE, the only reason I borrowed this book was because I read one AllNurses user post that she had a couple questions word for word from there. Did I see any from the 20 pages I did? NO but I did learn quite a bit for sure!
UWORLD (disclamer* I was NOT paid to write this): I couldn't thank my friend (and all nurses) enough for informing me about this. I've used question banks from books (mosby) and found a couple mistakes in it so I don't know how much I trust them... BUT UWORLD IS A GAME CHANGER. It was probably the best $50 I've ever spent (since the books were borrowed lol) So if you don't like spending a lot of money, SPEND IT ON UWORLD. Let me explain why it is good. First off, I HAD A QUESTIONS WORD FOR WORD ON THE NCLEX THAT WAS ALSO ON UWORLD! WHAT?! When I saw it I couldn't believe it, I know for sure I got at least one right. Secondly, the formate was THE SAME as the NCLEX formate so no surprises at all. I found this comforting. The questions were HARD! I started with 30% and ended with 61% total score. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED by your score. Understand WHY your choice is wrong and read all the rationals, understand it, and make notes where you need to. I read ALL the rationales even if I got them right because my learning was more important than the score I got. I did about 75 questions a day for a week or two (in the morning i would review Saunders, and then after lunch did 75 questions, took a break, ate dinner and reviewed the questions and went to bed) A week before my exam, for 5 days, I did 150 questions and reviewed them. It was intense and I studied for 10-12 hours (because I'm a slow learner i guess haha) The questions were HARD but it was good. I learned way more then I did in school and they always update their information so it is always current. Haven't tried any other Qbanks but for all of my friends who did Uworld, they passed so it is pretty good.
YOUTUBE VIDEOS: I relied on as many youtube videos as i could (watching them when I have free time) especially Simple Nursing and khan academy. I made a list of all the videos I wanted to watch and played them when I had spare time. I found watching videos made me learn so much faster then just reading! It was a good overview of whatever I was learning about BUT sometimes, they lack detail or information so it is important to go over it with another textbook just to be sure.
GOOGLE & Pinterest: I had a huge issue with meds, I mean there were SO MANY! Did they really expect us to remember every med in the world? haha of course...not...i hope! So i found googled "NCLEX Pharmacology PDF" and just found a bunch of documents that had meds, class, mechanism of action, side effects, contraindications. It was really helpful! I also used Pinterest and search the same thing and the whole KAPLAN pharmacology book showed up lol very unexpected! I didn't go over it all because I didn't have time but if you have the time, look through it, It's pretty good too.
ALL NURSES STUDY GUIDE: you will definitely be able to find it on this site, it goes around a lot. I reviewed that the day before my exam and it was a good refresher.
What I did 1-2 days before my exam: OKAYYY so I didn't relax before my exam but i will explain. It was one of my good friend's birthday a week before my exam and she really wanted me to go to her party so I went out and partied then so I couldn't relax before my exam (did that already haha) But if you can, try to do something relaxing before the exam, its good mentally! I did study but I mainly just reviewed my Uworld notes, the Medication documents I found online, and the 35pg all nurses study guide. I also read and watched a lot about test taking strategies because I think I lacked them. Did it help? It was okay, I felt like I knew most of them...
Day of exam: I was not nervous, took the test at 12pm because I knew I was not going to wake up early, all groggy and tired to do this exam. I need all the energy I could get! But for some reason I didn't have an appetite so I ate a banana, packed a sandwich and went. I got to the testing centre at 11am, waiting and sat in the lobby, texted my friends for moral support, did not go over any notes because I didn't want to overwhelm myself. When It was time for my test, I had to put my stuff away in the locker, turn my phone off and seal it in a bag which they provide, scan my hand and take my picture. The people were nice and friendly! When It was time for the test, I thought, here goes nothing!
THE EXAM!!!: IT WAS NOT LIKE UWORLD! I think the questions were actually easier than UWorld BUT the options to select from was REALLY REALLY BAD and not as good as Uworld. Most times, I'm either torn between two options or didn't like any of the options! I had >10 SATA, 2 infection & precaution, 3-4 meds which luckily I knew about (weird thing happened...i got the same med twice? My answer was the same twice...because i knew it was right!), 2 peds, 2 maternity, 1 community, but mostly priority and client education/teaching. No med calculations (which i was upset about bc i'm amazing at those), no hot spots, and no cardiac (which im also upset about because I studied my butt off for those), no ordering. There were a couple diseases and conditions I didn't know and I was not confident with ANY of my answers. I had some community health nursing about preventions that i did not study at all so I for sure got that one wrong (it was a SATA). My goal was to aim for 75 questions so the first few questions, I really thought hard about it. Later when I felt less anxious, I started to breath and answer the questions as if I were at home. I made sure to read the questions carefully and pin point what the question was asking me. When I finished the 75th questions, I was ready to sit through the whole 265 questions. It was just me and the computer! But then, after 3 question, IT SHUTED OFF at 1hr 30min. MY heart was racing because I was so unsure about the last 2 questions that I did but there was nothing else I could've done, can't go back now or beg for more questions I left shocked, shattered, and exhausted. All I wanted to do was go home and cry myself to sleep. HOWEVER, I couldn't even go home bc the subway was closed, a dog was stuck on the tracks (he didn't make it sadly) So I decided to take a long walk to the next subway station that was running (30 min walk) and just walked out my sorrow.
After the NCLEX: In Canada, we do not have quick results but our results usually come pretty fast (i got mine in 2 days by mail). I did not do the PVT trick bc i was too scared. I cried 3 times when I got home and I just felt horrible. I searched up the questions I remembered having and some were right but some where SO WRONG. I event thought to myself, HOW COULD I HAVE GOTTEN THAT WRONG?! I also had some terms I didn't know which was another mistake. I knew 100% I had failed. I was even thinking about where and how to pick myself up when I do. Not going to lie, this exam was VERY DRAINING. The 2 days before I got my results were TORTURE. I even thought about going back to school and doing something else, it was that bad. But when that letter came in, I cried tears of joy. I honestly didn't even think there was a possibility I could've passed. Everyone believed in me but i never believed in myself.
Take away
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! I know it's hard, but you have to have some faith! You've gone through 2-4 years of nursing school. YOU GOT THIS!!
Saunders + Uworld + Online Med document + YouTube = AMAZING COMBO for studying
UNDERSTAND > memorize... there will be stuff you need to know/memorize. But try to understand why a client is placed in a certain position after a certain operation or condition. It will make studying a lot easier.
GO OUT AND ENJOY LIFE (at least once a week)! Hey, I partied a week before my exam and I had work the next day (teaching little kids) + studied after work. If I can do it you can too!
surround yourself with positive vibes, and positive people
Study the major diseases, conditions and meds (i.e. Diabetes, TB, COPD, Heart meds, Psych meds, psych disorders and what they are/ how they are different from each other, fundamentals like how to prevent falls, positioning, how to do certain procedures)
It is important to know the normal values for a healthy person and the normal values for a person which certain conditions. They might ask what you would report to the doctor, and often times, you report something that is NOT NORMAL for the person's condition, it could be a turn for the worst OR it can be a turn for the best! So be careful! If a person has Pneumonia and the options were crackles, you wouldn't select that to report bc it is expected. HOWEVER, if there is an increased in crackles or if there is a decreased in crackles (i.e. a change in status) then it is to be report! Hope I didn't confuse anyone there >
Sorry for this insanely long post, thank you for reading! I've never posted anything on this site before, just read other people's post. Hope this was helpful. If you guys have any other questions, let me know! I'll try to answer as best as I can :)
, previously it was the CRNE. I was TERRIFIED because my classmates and teachers would tell us how much more we needed to know (i.e. reading ECG, and the SATA). After graduating, i didn't study, I took around 5 months off to focus on myself and my family. Needless to say I probably forgot some things I learned and just wasn't focused enough to study. But I had to complete the exam because I remember one of my professors said, "that diploma is just another piece of paper if you don't have a license" As bad as how she made it sound, It REALLY motivated me, in fact if was one of the only things that motivated me to study. 
I left shocked, shattered, and exhausted. All I wanted to do was go home and cry myself to sleep. HOWEVER, I couldn't even go home bc the subway was closed, a dog was stuck on the tracks (he didn't make it sadly) So I decided to take a long walk to the next subway station that was running (30 min walk) and just walked out my sorrow.