How much time should I wait to take the NCLEX?

[skqb]

I graduated from an AD program at the end of April 2005 and I am looking to schedule my exam the second week in June so I can start work the first week in July. Is this enough time? I am taking a three week Kaplan course right now and I want to take the exam while everything is fresh in my mind. Does anyone recommend agains this? How much time should one study before the NCLEX? I was a B-/ B student in school - any insight is appreciated.

[Kitty-MayRN, BSN, RN]

Hi skqb, :)

We were told to take the nclex as soon as possible after school because the statistics are you test better than waiting. I'm scared, but I'm not gonna let myself procrastinate. Good luck!

Kitty-MayRN

[Leda]

Ideally the NCLEX should be taken within 90 days of completing your nursing program. Most experts recommend a planned 4 to 6 weeks study period that would include attendence/participation in a review course and completion of between 3,000 to 5,000 NCLEX-style questions. Many educators recommend working about 100 questions/day. More important than the daily number of questions is how you use those questions. It is critical that during your question review you work on strengthening your test taking strategies and remediate any deficits in nursing content. You want to schedule it after you've done a thorough preparation, but waiting too long (i.e. after 90 days) will statistically decrease your chance of success because your recall begins to drop off.

Completing the questions and reviewing the rationales for both the correct and incorrect responses is essential. Most quality NCLEX review texts have both rationales and test taking tips in the answer section. Keep your nursing books near by because there may be some content/rationales that aren't explained to your satisfaction and you will need to go directly back to the textbook for further information.

Many successful NCLEX takers attest to the help the Kaplan course gave them for test taking strategies, but remember unless these strategies are combined with solid and accurate nursing information they will fail you. The best way to put it all together is to do as many questions as possible so that you can gain confidence in your knowledge base and critial thinking skills.

[Kitty-MayRN, BSN, RN]

thanks Leda,

this is a very good specific guideline to go by. I'm taking kaplan, plus I can only work as a graduate nurse for 90 days, which is another reason not to wait!

Kitty-MayRN