How I passed NCLEX-RN

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I am doing this because I relied on all of you for support during the awful days prior to my exam day... So I am returning the favor :rolleyes:

1. Use more than one source to study- I used three

-Saunders, book AND CD

-Mosby's NCLEX review cards

-NCLEX 4000

I did questions from those sources, and mixed them up alot. For instance, I would do x amount from Suanders, then do some from 4000.. I would take the cards to work and do them on down time, I kept a stack of cards by my bed a did 15-20 Q's before bed at night and maybe a few in the AM (if i was feeling up to it).

I only studied if my head was in it- which can be hard sometimes when you NEVER feel like studying :yawn: Just keep your eye on the prize!!

You know yourself better than anyone else, allow enough time to cover what you need to! If you are not a good test taker, PRACTICE makes perfect. If someone says "I hardly studied" but is a good test-taker in general, don't listen! You are your best advocate. You know what you need to do...

Know these:

-**Lab values for major things, CBC, WBCs, ABGs, maybe throw in some cardiac/liver enzymes

-Drug classes of major drugs- cardiac drugs, antibiotics, etc. I did not study much here- probably SHOULD have, but hey- I passed, lol

-developmental milestones (Major ones, not every little detail- you will overwhelm yourself!)

-**Safety! Safety! Safety!

-ABCs!

-**Delegation, know what RN, LPN, and CNA can do- this was kind of a big one

-**Infection control, know what you need to do for each type of isolation and which disease go with each one (ex- MRSA, contact, gown gloves.)

Don't spend too much time overwhelming yourself with psych- keep is general, keep it safe. Most of the psych Q's I have ever done relate more to safety anyways.

Cover OB the same way- generally. The majority of Q's are not going to be on OB...

Just remember that it is impossible to know everything. Learn to pick the best answer. Practice your butt off. Do questions until you want to puke. Remember: The answer IS on the page.

Develop a study plan- you know how much time you have, plan to do a certain topic(s) each day, if you have 14 days, split your work up. Save the second to last day for weak areas. Also- if you do OB one day, still do x amount of random questions to keep you on your toes.

***PS- do AS MANY select all that apply as you can, do more, then redo all the ones you already did. I had TONS of those suckers on the test :mad:

Needless to say, I took the test today at 8am- 75 Q's later- was out of there by 9 feeling l was going to die :scrying:... got a cab, got back to the hotel, didnt want to talk to any and got the good pop up :yeah: ...still waiting on official results, but I have faith it'll be OK.

Oh- that's another thing- if you're not a morning person, don't take a morning appointment! And if it is any length of a drive, stay in a hotel! I had a hr and a half drive to mine, test at 8am and its January?! sorry- not chancing it! We got a hotel, thank God we did because the area got hammered with snow last night.. and I would not want to spend the hours before the most stressful test of my life, in a stressful car on a stressful highway, lol.

That's all for now! :)

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Congratulations!!! :up:

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Took my test at 8am and my state # is already up :)

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Took my test at 8am and my state # is already up :)

Congratulations, thank you for those tips I need it.

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Specializes in LTC, Education, Management, QAPI.

Reading your post makes me smile- you have hit the nail on the head. The essence of being a nurse is advocating, working hard, and standing up with putting forth an effort, all of which you did while preparing. That's what it takes to be a good nurse! Kudos!

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Hey maybe we took our boards together, because your weather scenario sounds just like mine! lol Anyway, yes you were spot on throughout that entire post. Excellent, everyone should read this prior to starting to study and taking their NCLEX! Congrats - I passed too :roflmao:

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Congrats! And thanks for posting. Sounds like you did an awesome job and deserve to celebrate! :)

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