Just passed the NCLEX...my advice

Published

I just found out I passed the NCLEX on the first time. There was a lot of pressure on this test for myself (maybe more so than others) because had I failed I would have been dismissed from my graduate program.

Anyway, I wanted to share what I did to prepare for the exam, in case anyone is interested. This is a good time to say that I'm not smart. Basically, everyone got better grades on the ATI predictor than I did. Nearly everyone in my program scores a 95% pass predictor. The first time I scored a 49% pass predictor. The second time I scored a 78% pass predictor.

Needless to say, my scores sucked. I took a lot of heat in my program. Everyone doubted me, so I tried to figure out the best way to pass on the first time.

Passing the NCLEX on the first time takes three things, and believe me because I'm not smart nor a good student: 1) It takes knowledge of the core content, 2) it takes practicing the questions, and 3) it takes some critical thinking within the questions.

I recommend The Hurst Review for content. This is literally all I used for content. That and google. Hurst costs $300 for the online courses, but it is very worth it. The key is not to just watch the videos, but to really understand and to be able to recite what heart failure it, the actions of gluccocorticoids, etc. Study every day and study how they tell you to, and you will have all the content you need. You should really know the content "without a doubt or hesitation" like they say.

Next for questions I recommend UWORLD. Having gone through many questions and many different sources, UWORLD not only is the best, but is by far the most like NCLEX in terms of style of questioning and layout. It's a great resource, and I haven't mentioned how great their rationales are yet, which are like a content resource all by themselves.

For critical thinking the key is to take your time on your questions. It's not a race. Such a small amount of people run out of time on the NCLEX, that it's essentially a non factor, so use it to your advantage and take your time. Try to read rationales, look for patterns, and you'll start "feel" the right answer. That's the best I can say.

I recommend doing HURST over and over for content, if you are weak on content, (a couple months worth) and then move on to questions, like UWORLD. Hurst comes with questions, which I think are good too, but they aren't as hard as UWORLD.

For the HURST questions I scored anywhere from 60/125 to 84/125. As for UWORLD, I completed close to 1,000 questions. My average cumulative score was 55%. However, I had some tests where I scored in the high 60s nearing test time and one in the 80s. You will learn a lot. It's amazing.

All in all, if you're not someone where this stuff comes naturally, it boils down to a lot of hard work and good ol' fashioned studying. That's what I did. I used nothing more than HURST and UWORLD. But I allowed myself time. I studied on and off on HURST for about three months, and the week before my exam I crammed on HURST fifth day material and did close to 1,000 questions on UWORLD.

This worked for me, and I'd recommend this formula to anyone since I'm not a good student and suck at standardized exams.

P.S. the PVT worked for me whoever is interested in that as well. It worked directly after the exam. 24 hours after. and 38 hours after.

Godspeed and good luck to everyone!

Ask me any questions if you wish...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I just found out I passed the NCLEX on the first time. There was a lot of pressure on this test for myself (maybe more so than others) because had I failed I would have been dismissed from my graduate program. Anyway, I wanted to share what I did to prepare for the exam, in case anyone is interested. This is a good time to say that I'm not smart. Basically, everyone got better grades on the ATI predictor than I did. Nearly everyone in my program scores a 95% pass predictor. The first time I scored a 49% pass predictor. The second time I scored a 78% pass predictor. Needless to say, my scores sucked. I took a lot of heat in my program. Everyone doubted me, so I tried to figure out the best way to pass on the first time. Passing the NCLEX on the first time takes three things, and believe me because I'm not smart nor a good student: 1) It takes knowledge of the core content, 2) it takes practicing the questions, and 3) it takes some critical thinking within the questions. I recommend The Hurst Review for content. This is literally all I used for content. That and google. Hurst costs $300 for the online courses, but it is very worth it. The key is not to just watch the videos, but to really understand and to be able to recite what heart failure it, the actions of gluccocorticoids, etc. Study every day and study how they tell you to, and you will have all the content you need. You should really know the content "without a doubt or hesitation" like they say.Next for questions I recommend UWORLD. Having gone through many questions and many different sources, UWORLD not only is the best, but is by far the most like NCLEX in terms of style of questioning and layout. It's a great resource, and I haven't mentioned how great their rationales are yet, which are like a content resource all by themselves. For critical thinking the key is to take your time on your questions. It's not a race. Such a small amount of people run out of time on the NCLEX, that it's essentially a non factor, so use it to your advantage and take your time. Try to read rationales, look for patterns, and you'll start "feel" the right answer. That's the best I can say. I recommend doing HURST over and over for content, if you are weak on content, (a couple months worth) and then move on to questions, like UWORLD. Hurst comes with questions, which I think are good too, but they aren't as hard as UWORLD. For the HURST questions I scored anywhere from 60/125 to 84/125. As for UWORLD, I completed close to 1,000 questions. My average cumulative score was 55%. However, I had some tests where I scored in the high 60s nearing test time and one in the 80s. You will learn a lot. It's amazing. All in all, if you're not someone where this stuff comes naturally, it boils down to a lot of hard work and good ol' fashioned studying. That's what I did. I used nothing more than HURST and UWORLD. But I allowed myself time. I studied on and off on HURST for about three months, and the week before my exam I crammed on HURST fifth day material and did close to 1,000 questions on UWORLD. This worked for me, and I'd recommend this formula to anyone since I'm not a good student and suck at standardized exams. P.S. the PVT worked for me whoever is interested in that as well. It worked directly after the exam. 24 hours after. and 38 hours after. Godspeed and good luck to everyone! Ask me any questions if you wish...
Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congrats!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Very encouraging post. How many questions did you get? How many days did you study ? And hours?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congrats

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congrats:nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment