How did you prepare for your Nclex -Rn

U.S.A. New York

Published

Hi all :bow:

I am now in my last semester of nursing school and I looking into Nclex prep classes such as Helen Feuer or Kaplan... I was wondering if any one has any particular suggestions ....books,etc.

1. Take the test as early as possible.

2. Do computerized questions (since the test is computerized), if you notice that there is an area or style of questions that you need to study more, focus on that area instead of trying to study everything you learned.

When I graduated, our dean told us to study that way. 92% of the people in my class passed the first time. I passed with 75 questions. She advised us to do about 3000-5000 questions, or until you see your scores are about 78% or more. I did questions:confused:, until I was blue in the face. A couple days before my test I didn't want to see another question. I felt ready. I didn't waste money on any of those review courses and it worked for me.

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Specializes in Just passed the Boards :).
1. Take the test as early as possible.

2. Do computerized questions (since the test is computerized), if you notice that there is an area or style of questions that you need to study more, focus on that area instead of trying to study everything you learned.

When I graduated, our dean told us to study that way. 92% of the people in my class passed the first time. I passed with 75 questions. She advised us to do about 3000-5000 questions, or until you see your scores are about 78% or more. I did questions:confused:, until I was blue in the face. A couple days before my test I didn't want to see another question. I felt ready. I didn't waste money on any of those review courses and it worked for me.

I want to take it asap but I heard some people say the schools some time is the hold up with the paper work ...right now I feel very overwhelmed (like I forgot everything allready) but using suzanne's plan I am testing my self with the saunders book and I have manage to score 75% and above so far :yeah:so I guess I did not forget everthing after all :specs:

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your school needs to send in your passing- but you can register for the test- with your board and pearson vue prior to that- in my school those who did so earlier recieved their att's faster

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Specializes in Just passed the Boards :).
your school needs to send in your passing- but you can register for the test- with your board and pearson vue prior to that- in my school those who did so earlier recieved their att's faster

ok I will do that but how soon do you think I should send it ....I graduate in dec so do think next month is too early (and you do mean sending in the paper application to request to test right)

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Two months prior sounds good- yes i was talking about all the paperwork on your end- like i said it can be a difference of two to three weeks if you send it in earlier- also depending on your testing site- you may be able toschedule the test as soon as the day after you recieve the att- so start your prep immediately after graduation- so when you can schedule you don;t have to wait another four weeks while you study. Also- study utalizing quality chunks of time- 2-3 hours a day dedicated with no distractions- IF you study all day you will get burned out- Best of Luck- let us know how it goes!

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I want to take it asap but I heard some people say the schools some time is the hold up with the paper work ...right now I feel very overwhelmed (like I forgot everything allready) but using suzanne's plan I am testing my self with the saunders book and I have manage to score 75% and above so far :yeah:so I guess I did not forget everthing after all :specs:

:up:I am sure you will be fine. Make sure you get all your stuff in to the board of nursing for your state so as soon as they get the paperwork from your school you will get your ATT. Good luck!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Hey chachou,

How is your semester going so far? I promised I would come back and tell you what happened when I took my NCLEX, so here goes: 75 questions, 60 minutes, and 48 hours wait to find out that I passed. Yessir! I took it last Friday and I left the building thinking, "hey, that wasn't that bad", but I didn't say that aloud because I didn't want to jinx myself and look like an a$$ if I failed. lol

Kaplan had some good practice questions, but do I think you can pass the NCLEX without investing all that money if you don't have it? Absolutely. Saunders was great for content review and I would recommend it to anyone who asks (you know I didn't read the book but I did alot of questions). Memorize those lab values, practice prioritization, delegation, and infection control questions, and be sure to look at the "Random fact throwing" sticky in the NCLEX forum here on alllnurses. It will help alot.

As far as taking the test within 30 days of graduation, I couldn't tell you. My school took way more than that to send our paperwork to the state. It was truly a hassle, but maybe it was for the best. Who knows?

Good luck on your final semester and try not to stress too much.

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I took it last Friday and I left the building thinking, "hey, that wasn't that bad", but I didn't say that aloud because I didn't want to jinx myself and look like an a$$ if I failed. lol

I felt the same way too, well initially I wanted to throw up from pent up anxiety then I said that wasnt as bad as I thought and even though I passed I havent said that out loud yet lol...

To OP:

I graduated in May, tested in Aug, I could have done it sooner but I kept saying to myself I need to know everything. I laugh now because that will NEVER be possible. My school offered a review before gradution for 4 days that I took. I did questions from every CD that I could get my hands on and the subjects that I did very poorly on, i reviewed that portion in Saunders. By the time July rolled around I was so sick of looking at questions but still tried to do even a few daily or at least every few days. The days before the exam I reviewed index cards I made up of lab values as that has always been my weak point. I also reviewed the infection control section in Saunders, knowing which room to place what pt in or what precautions to take as I heard alot of people have been having problems with that.

The evening before, all you can do is relax and try and get a good nights rest. If you find anxiety building up , take a deep breath and tell yourself youve done all you could, studied as much as you can, youve come this far and you will be an RN.

Good Luck and keep us updated

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Specializes in Just passed the Boards :).
Hey chachou,

How is your semester going so far? I promised I would come back and tell you what happened when I took my NCLEX, so here goes: 75 questions, 60 minutes, and 48 hours wait to find out that I passed. Yessir! I took it last Friday and I left the building thinking, "hey, that wasn't that bad", but I didn't say that aloud because I didn't want to jinx myself and look like an a$$ if I failed. lol

Kaplan had some good practice questions, but do I think you can pass the NCLEX without investing all that money if you don't have it? Absolutely. Saunders was great for content review and I would recommend it to anyone who asks (you know I didn't read the book but I did alot of questions). Memorize those lab values, practice prioritization, delegation, and infection control questions, and be sure to look at the "Random fact throwing" sticky in the NCLEX forum here on alllnurses. It will help alot.

As far as taking the test within 30 days of graduation, I couldn't tell you. My school took way more than that to send our paperwork to the state. It was truly a hassle, but maybe it was for the best. Who knows?

Good luck on your final semester and try not to stress too much.

Thanks for keeping me updated, I will pray for you I hope you pass as a matter of fact I know you pass:jester:. where did you take your exam meaning which county and did you find the site up to the standards that it should be. you can FM if you want

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Specializes in Just passed the Boards :).
take a deep breath and tell yourself youve done all you could, studied as much as you can, youve come this far and you will be an RN.

Good Luck and keep us updated

thanks, I am keep telling myself everyday:banghead:

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I took it on Williams street last Friday (9/19) and found out I passed on Sunday (9/21). I'm a RN! :D Thanks for the prayers though.

The site was up to standards and I was seated and testing within 20 minutes of arriving at the site. I live in Queens, but this site was the only one available for afternoon testing on the day I wanted to test, so I jumped on it and obviously I don't regret it.

Take care

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Specializes in Just passed the Boards :).
I took it on Williams street last Friday (9/19) and found out I passed on Sunday (9/21). I'm a RN! :D Thanks for the prayers though.

The site was up to standards and I was seated and testing within 20 minutes of arriving at the site. I live in Queens, but this site was the only one available for afternoon testing on the day I wanted to test, so I jumped on it and obviously I don't regret it.

Take care

congratulations :yeah::yeah::yeah:

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