How did your school prepare you for the NCLEX?

[MarylandNsgStudent]

I was just wondering how your school prepared you for the NCLEX. I really enjoyed the school I went to. I had great instructors, and really felt they cared. The questions on our exams were a lot like the NCLEX! I do feel though that I was not instructed how to study for the exam. I really did learn how to study once I did not pass my first time and came on this board! I was never told to answer 3000-5000 questions, or what books worked the best in the past. I wish I would have been told Saunders first! I don't think I would be repeating this test... Our school had ATI in our last semster which you had to reach a certain percentage or you had to be counciled... well I had a 99% of passing, but that was not a very good predicter, and everyone should be counciled, regardless, I wish I would have been. I wish there was more taught to us how to study for the test... SO I was wondering how was your school for preparing you. I really would like to set up at my school for upcoming graduates maybe a slide show and just an informal speech on what I know now to help them, so they won't be like me and have to repeat this dreadful test! Any suggestions??? :rotfl:

[suzanne4, RN]

Glad that you liked the Saunder's book. Have you retaken the exam yet?

[NurCrystal22]

Well, I feel my school did a very good job preparing me for the test. It has a 96% 1st time pass rate... I think. All of our exams had nclex like questions. We also had to take several ATI tests per section or class, we took a MOCK Nclex exam, and they gave us a practice one to take home. In addition if students felt like they need extra help then there was an instructor available that taught the class. And a week before graduation we had a formal meeting regarding the nclex and licensure for last minute questions. I feel that this really helped me to pass the nclex my 1st time in addition to all of the studying I did on my own.

~Crystal

[MarylandNsgStudent]

Glad that you liked the Saunder's book. Have you retaken the exam yet?[/QUOT

Suzanne,

Thanks for your help. Yes I really like the Saunders book. I am almost finished. I am doing all the questions in the book. I mark the ones I get wrong and go back and read about them in the book. I read all the rationales to the questions. I am also using the CD ROM.... I retake Sept 7th.. So I still havea good 2 weeks to go... Any other suggestions. I did read sauders Strategy book and CD ROM... FOr questions regarding disaster and proirtizing and delegating do you have any suggestions? Thanks for all your help! I truely appreciate it

[BlevinsRN]

My school used ATI. They also gave us the option of taking the Hesi test too but we used ATI through all of the semesters. Pretty much all of the students took the hesi and the ATI predicter test. I don't really feel as if ATI is very good.

Our test questions were also the same type of questions that were on the NCLEX. They used to do all multiple choice and some dosage calc on their tests. When the NCLEX changed, they began giving us the alternative questions as well, like check all that apply.

They also strongly advised us all to take a review course. They had a guy from Kaplan come and talk to us about a Kaplan review course and to give us some study tips. I didn't take the course and I still passed but there were several students who took it and liked it.

We also stayed after one day and discussed ways to prepare for NCLEX. I only think they did this because the pass rate of the previous year was not very good and they were afraid of losing their accreditation. They really needed our year to bring the pass rate up. It had always been high 90s before that one year. That's also why they offered the one hesi test to us. They were switching to them for the incoming students because they thought that the hesi was better than ATI.