I need help

[Kimmi_1993]

Hello, I was hoping someone will be able to help me and give me some advice. So I graduated in May 2019 and due to financial issues I wasn’t able to register for my NCLEX until now. But I feel like I’m at a disadvantage. So I have register and paid the money now I’m just waiting for my authorization to test. After graduation I use to study a little bit but after a while I stopped because I wasn’t motivated anymore. But as of about a week or two now I have started back studying since it won’t be long till I test but I feel like I’m all over the place. I bought the Quick facts for NCLEX but I haven’t gotten around to it, I’m using uworld but I do roughly 30-50 questions per and I listen to Judith Miller videos as well as Mark kliemek videos. I study for roughly 6 or so hours per day. I go over content by listening to these videos, taking notes then doing questions, and reading the rationales. But I feel like I have forgotten everything I have learned and nothing at the point is sticking. Is there anything I can do to better my chances of passing. Thank you in advance

[Christina_, BSN, RN]

I think you are over studying 6 hours a day tbh. Don't exhaust yourself and give yourself a break! It may sound cliche, but believe in yourself! Goodluck on the NCLEX! Sorry if this was no help. I personally just used UWORLD and read through all the rationales.

[Nursing2019BSN, BSN, RN]

Hi, Kimmi! I also graduated May 2019, and I studied for a month. I purchased UWorld and read over all the rationales. I did 3 sets of 75 every day. I know UWorld is kind of expensive, so I'm not sure how helpful this comment is.

Maybe try going over major ideas from nursing school? There are certain topics they always asked about: vaccines, crutches, ABCs, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, etc. I would say going over questions is what really helped me. If you are in a financial strain, you can definitely go to your local library (I would avoid Kaplan-the questions are too easy imo), ask some of your nursing instructors or upperclassmen for guidance. Wishing you the best of luck!!

[ThatChickOmi, ADN, RN]

I graduated in May 2019 too. I think I spent 6 hours a WEEK total studying. I gave myself roughly a month to prepare. I used solely UWorld and dabbled a little in my Saunders NCLEX Review book. I had the Mark Klimek lectures but I got bored with them pretty quickly, so I didn't go past like the 4th lecture.

Just practice questions, practice questions, practice questions...and read the rationales. Even when you got the answer correct.

[AbstracRN, BSN, CNA, RN]

I am odd person out here but I studied for 13 hours a day leading up to boards. Iistened to Klimek and did Uworld. For Uworld I did 200 questions a day, five days a week. And I would go over the rationales for questions I didn't get correct. I also would go over questions that I did get correct but wasn't sure why. I re-worded the ones that I didn't get correct into my own words and wrote them on flashcards. I passed boards in 2 hours with 75 questions. I have severe test anxiety, so this regimen may seem excessive.

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

Hi. I highly recommend reading about "active learning" and utilize it in your exam preparation everyday. You will retain 90%+ when you are teaching it to someone else. Also ive come to realize that we use all the great study material but may not have a full understanding of ADPIE. This is key. If you know each step in detail then you can answer nclex questions. In other words if you know how to write a care plan, you xan answer nclex questions. For example. A-assessment . in this section you need to have prior knowledge of pathophysiology and physiology to assess. Dont learn each symptom one by one, learn concepts, patterns, principles, mechanisms. D-diagnosis. This part tricky. You not only need to know the dx, but also rank the dx in order of priority by maslow needs. In addition learn any differiential dx (simliar) and compare and contrast. Then you move to P-planning this you need to rank priority first as well. What will you do first? Who will you see first? I-implement, E-evaluate. All of this including having an understanding of orem theory and maslow theory is fundamentals. review review review ADPIE and "thinking like a nurse" crutical thinking first

[juderivers, BSN, RN]

Hi!

I hope this reaches you in time. I had a four year gap between my graduation and NCLEX exam. So it's not that bad if it's a few months. But I do understand your trepidation. Even a few months are enough to make you mentally rusty. I wrote an article/post here years ago hoping to guide any souls who had similar experiences with mine.

I'll make it quick in this reply, Just answer questions everyday, it could be as few as 5 to as many as 150! but never skip, AND MAKE SURE you understand the rationale of each one, cause if you don't - IT WILL BE POINTLESS.

Content is important as well, I admitted that I have forgotten a lot of things so I studied SAUNDERS COMPREHENSIVE NCLEX-RN Review to work on my foundation, I built a solid one! I read almost the whole thing page by page.

I freaked out the night before my exam, even after rescheduling it twice. I thought I was not ready, KAPLAN was just giving me an average score of 60%. I would have rescheduled it a third time if there was an available slot. but I passed with minimum questions - when the exam date draws near - give yourself a pat on the back for studying hard, be confident knowing that you have answered hundreds of questions and read/grasped the content and you'll be fine.