How long should I study?

srandall1492 · Jul 13, 2013

It all depends on the person. I haven't taken a nursing course since capstone in May, and I studied for the past two days and took my NCLEX today. I'm getting the good pop up, but nothing official yet. Everyone I know says you can't go wrong with Kaplan. I did half of question trainer 7, the questions look very similar. I also bought an alternative question book and finished that. Good luck to you! Don't burn yourself out!

qbanmom5 · Jul 13, 2013

Hi, first of all congrats on completing nursing school. 3-4 weeks sounds like ample time. You graduated in May so the info should still be fresh. I also did Kaplan and focused mostly on the questions (qbanks and q trainers). Don't stress if your scores aren't that hot. I scored in the 60's and 70's and passed the nclex 1st time with 75 questions. I tried some of the lessons but found that some info was not accurate and confused me. Focus on questions and read all the rationales. That is the most important thing you can do. Remember that the nclex is trying to determine that you will practice safely. Safety is always key and there are no trick questions. Also, practice the SATA. I had a good number of them but i didn't think they were difficult. Expect prioritization questions - lots of them. Review infection control and isolation precautions. In retrospect, Kaplan questions were harder than nclex (imo). Know labs, review major SE of medications.Take it easy the day before the test, get a good nights sleep and eat a good meal before. Good luck, I am sure you will be fine. By the way, I took it in May so I had the new and improved version, lol.