How to pass NCLEX-RN!

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How to pass NCLEX-RN!

The NCLEX-RN has been one of the biggest challenges I have faced in my life (and I'm a single mother). I took my boards several times before passing, FINALLY! I decided to share my experiences on how I passed, and what I did to make myself struggle with passing.

ORGANIZATION AND CONFIDENCE

1. Set a schedule that works best for you to focus on studying about three hours a day, 4-5 days a week (essential).

2. Make sure you are giving yourself sufficient amount of rest each night.

3. Incorporate exercise into your lifestyle-it gets your endorphins moving and helps stay structured!

4. Let your family and friends know your schedule. This helps so they can be apart of your focus factor.

5.Never lose hope. If the scores on your practice tests are poor or have failed your NCLEX before, so what!!! Face the fact that you are only failing yourself by not defeating this test! If you have failed NCLEX, don't wait to retest, keep your mind fresh with knowledge. I have made this mistake and wish that I had overcome my insecurities.

TEST PREP/STUDY GUIDES

1. Kaplan RN test prep is a necessity! I purchased Hurst, NCSBN, and various study books (Exam Cram, Saunders, Incredibly Easy NCLEX-RN Review), and Kaplan was the key. The questions are harder than actual NCLEX questions, but they make you critically think and it gives you a good foundation to analyze questions appropriately asked on NCLEX (using the decision tree) and also provides a great overall review (which is basically what Hurst is).

2. Purchase "Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment: Practice Exercises for the NCLEX Examination" by Linda A. LaCharity, Candice K. Kumagai, Barbara Bartz. It doesn't really matter if you get the newer edition or not. The point is to really focus on being able to answer questions on what the book is about; prioritization, delegation, and assignment.

SET A TEST DATE

1. Set a date that is a least three weeks away after you have done your comprehensive review (if needed).

1. Practice test questions within the three weeks prior to testing. Study questions make the world of a difference for when you go to test. You will feel more comfortable and confident when you actually sit down in front of the computer on your test day.

2. Set a goal of at least 100 questions a day studying, 600 minimum a week.

3. Prepare yourself for long tests. Try to answer tests that are 100-180 questions (Kaplan does this with there Qtrainers).

TEST DAY

1. After you sit down at the computer and have answered all the pre-testing questions (how to use the computer, etc), look at your name on the top left corner of the screen with the "RN" abbreviation in front of it and know, you've got this! Close your eyes afterwards and picture it in your head, control your breathing, then begin your test. Nerves can be overcoming.

2.When you get to question #50, FOCUS!!! This is where you really want to try and get as many questions right, and stay at the above passing level.

3. When you get to question #75 and after, answer the question, and before you press submit or the next button, re-read the question with all the available answers and the one you selected, so if it shuts off, you can remember the question to look up the answer afterwards. My personal experience, if you get the last question answered wrong, you fail. Last question answered right, you pass (except if you go to the full 265, then this doesn't apply).

4. Try the PVT trick. Yes, this has changed as of August 2014, where if you pass then you have to pay $200 to reregister. So what? It will keep you moving forward in still studying. Here's a link explaining how to do it, and it works (from personal experience, its never failed me): http://caring4you.net/pvt.html

Lastly, GOOD LUCK! Never lose yourself in this test!

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Thanks for sharing. I just found it today that I failed the nclex, Am very devastated and cried for some time.. But I know God's time is the best..it very hard and painful but I know I will pass on my second try!

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Thanks for sharing. I just found it today that I failed the nclex, Am very devastated and cried for some time.. But I know God's time is the best..it very hard and painful but I know I will pass on my second try!

Give yourself some time to grieve. Reading the words "Fail" is very devastating. But, don't wait too long to retest. If your state makes you wait 45 days, try to retest around that minimum wait time. This was a HUGE mistake that I made. Stay positive, don't lose yor determination, and know, you will pass.

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I have failed 3 times so far. It is very hard to study working 40 hours a week and in school for my BSN. I have not looked at any material since I failed the last time in September. I am just at ends point I feel like :( I did the entire PDA book, tried kaplan...tried ati.. GRaduated almost a year from this December now. Any advice? Also...All 3 times I went to 265 and all 8 sections were near passing.

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I used kaplan, pda, saunders and the NCSBN program...I must say the ncsbn program is the closet to the nclex! I actually had about 5 questions very similar to the actual nclex exam with the same answer choices, so I plan on continuing that and also go over saunders! Am sorry to hear about your situation but don't give up...were all in this together..we'll make it!?

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Kath:

LOTS of good information, and I'm sure will be much appreciated!

Just one thing though, and it's a big one: on the section "Test Day", #3, you talk about if you get the last one wrong, you fail.....that's a really BIG 'nope'. If you are above the passing standard and get the question wrong, but the CAT program determines you are still far enough above that it doesn't matter, it will shut off and you will pass. If you are below the passing standard and you got the last one wrong before it shut off, the CAT determined you were too far below to recover.

If you get the last question wrong, or right, doesn't mean much because it's the LEVEL of question that matters: above or below passing standard.

And as for the PVT, I always make sure to tell people to wait a full 24 hours, as they really need to know what the second (final) scoring is. Not fun to pay $200 for no reason, yes?

Congrats to you :)

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From my experience taking the NCLEX, if the computer shuts off (again, before the full 265 questions) if the last question answered was wrong, you fail. Thinking about how the NCLEX is scored, why would it let you stay above passing for X amount of questions and then the last question you answer is wrong, and you pass? To me, logically it doesn't make sense and from my experience, that was the case. I'm not trying to argue about what is right or wrong, I was merely making a point from personal short comings with the NCLEX. :)

As for taking the risk of losing $200 doing the PVT trick...again, from experience I've never had the PVT trick not be accurate. Therefore, if I had to lose $200, it was because I did fail. And paying the $200 dollars at that time of learning that I failed kept me still motivated to keep going in trying to accomplish passing my boards.

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Maybe I should say that Kaplan was by far the best test prep for me. When I would juggle around with various publishers, it made me more confused. Stick with one and don't incorparate a multitude of study guides. Kaplan to me has more of the critical thinking type questions and not application type questions.

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I have failed 3 times so far. It is very hard to study working 40 hours a week and in school for my BSN. I have not looked at any material since I failed the last time in September. I am just at ends point I feel like :( I did the entire PDA book, tried kaplan...tried ati.. GRaduated almost a year from this December now. Any advice? Also...All 3 times I went to 265 and all 8 sections were near passing.

I, as well answered the full #265 three times and was near passing and some above. Kaplan questions helped me critically think. Prioritization, delegation, and assignment helped as well. I studied with this book first and then used Kaplan. As stated, focus on every question that you answer after #50, because you might be above, at, near, or below passing standard at that point. Trying to get above is what counts. Don't lose hope. :)

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well, while I too am not looking to argue, this bears saying again: your experience of the PVT never being wrong does not correlate with the experiences of hundreds of people posting on this forum: most, it IS true, have had your experience (PVT not being wrong on the first go-through) but it HAS absolutely happened that the 'trick' indicated a fail but it ended in a pass, and vice versa.

I am really glad your experience was good; my intent is to keep it good for everyone by explaining the 'rules' of the PVT, if you will. It really HAS been 'wrong' in that people do it too early, results not finalized, and WHAM: they get blindsided. Have read several of these posts myself, and have no reason to not believe them when they post their stories.

For most people, doing the PVT at any point in the scoring time frame of 24 hours will yield the result they will ultimate be given. I just feel badly for those who believe that NOT getting charged minutes after their test is done means they really passed....and they come here--feeling awful-- to unload about how they didn't. :(

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My experience with trying the PVT trick was never inaccurate. I did look at several discussion forums on Allnurses and found throughout the discussions inaccuracies. Hence that's why I attached directions from "caring4you", as she statistically keeps up to date data on this "trick" and had for years. The PVT trick did work for for me with the new 2014 update yielding accurate results when I passed and did not pass, as well as working prior to updating. Really, the only change with the update is having to enter your CC info prior to it working. The pop-ups that it yields is still the same that it has done in the past. I guess I'm just validating what I've experienced, personally.

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what is PDA?

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