MUST READ STUDY AID

[RNGODBLESS]

outline

i. introduction

ii. faith

iii. study plan example

iv. nclex questions part one and two

v. topics to study

vi. resource section

section: i

introduction

hi all this is something that i put together to help others. i failed the nclex on my first attempt with 80 questions and passed on the second attempt with 75 questions. so i put together this little package together to help others and to prevent you from having to go out spend all that money from $100-500 dollars. you can use the minimal amount of resources and pass the test. god bless you all.

section: ii

i would like to first start by saying this is my personal faith base and it is not to say that any faith is better than the other. pray, pray, pray. the first time i took my test and failed, i felt like god had forsaken me, i became so angry, hurt and confused. but let me tell you god loves us all and he wants us all to pass and be successful. in saying that, god also knows our weaknesses and things that we have to take time to work on. so be diligent in your prayers and ask god to show you what you need to work on and talk to god about his promises every-day. for the preparation of my second attempt, i fasted and prayed and never doubted god!! don't doubt, put all your hope in him, all faith!!! in times that i felt down, i would immediately pick myself up through god's scriptures. i memorized them and quoted them out-loud anytime i felt down and it brought me up in my spirits. trust and know that he will grant you your hearts desires. talk to jesus, tell him what type of test you need, ask him to sit with you during the test and guide you along with the holy spirit and it will work!!!! for example, i know that i still struggle with drug calculations, for my second attempt, i had no drug calculations. i asked jesus to bless me with the ability to answer just enough questions correctly so that i could pass. i was specific in my prayers and i made sure to believe wholeheartedly that jesus would do it for me. dedicate yourself to your studies and to god!!! and will never fail you. i failed the first attempt, but i believed and had no doubt that i would pass on the second time. there were nights that i cried to sleep, but i knew that god would bring me joy in the morning. i dedicated all my life concerns to him and did my best each time i studied and he helped me in my time of need! meditate and listen to god!! remember this is a "man-made" test so you must rely on god's wisdom. it's so serious, break any discouragement that you may have in your life, any fears, doubt, depression and anything that you feel is blocking you from advancing in your life! ! you can do all things through christ!!

scriptures to read and quote each day!

deuteronomy 8

psalm 23, 91, 31, 46, 37:3-8

proverbs 3:3-8

matthew 6:9-14, 7:7, 21:20-22

section: iii

study plan example

study for two to four hours a day, try and find an area where you can truly focus on your studies.

ok. this is the thing the internet has basically everything you need. i mean they have videos to show you examples of things and information you need on drugs and esc. so please, please, please when are doing your questions and you say to yourself "what's that"? look it up, go online and read about it. please do not go out and spend a lot of money on books. you have everything you need on internet.

so, let's give an example of a typical study day.

things you need.... study notes, pharmacology flash-cards, internet, computer (a lot of people find that answering questions from the computer is a lot better than answering questions in a book. remember the test is computerized, so you want to get as much practice as you can in being in front of the computer screen. ) and whatever nclex-style questions data base. (see nclex database suggestions)

hour one: 75-100 questions (while doing the test, try and write out the one's you got wrong, look them up and put the pieces together. please don't remember answers, but remember concepts of the nursing process and the particular disease process.) note- this is where i went wrong on my first exam, i tried to remember answers and did not put all the concepts together. the nclex likes to give the same information, but in very different ways, but if you know the concepts, you can master any question. also, study your weak areas, for example, if you always get all respiratory questions wrong, take the time to review in depth the resp. section. read all rationales, both the ones you get wrong and right. the rationales provide you with other good information. just keep doing questions! watch your scores, stay within the 73-80% range and higher.

side note one: while you are practicing your nclex style questions, practice, practice, practice, critical thinking, by taking your time and trying to narrow down your answer and deciding between two possible correct answers. don't get the quick mouse hand, take your hand off the mouse and don't answer the question until you are confident that it's the one you want to choose!!!!!!! i guarantee you that if your practice this you will become a better nclex test-taker. i personally like to keep my hand in my lap while deciding my answer. it kind of helps to keep you calm.

look at test taking strategies for more advice on choosing the right answer

hour two: pharmacology flash cards: know your drugs!!!!!, the all nurses website provides so many forums on drugs that you don't have to go out and buy drug cards. i went out and bought some note cards and wrote the pharm names out and did my best to go over them every-day.

side note two on pharmacology: when studying your drugs, remember that there are adverse reactions and side effects, its two different things. so continue to use different associations to remember them, but please know your drugs. know their actions; really understand what state a person is in order to administer the drug and what state they are suppose to be in after you administer the drug. know the vitals that go along with the drug. (before and after)

hour three: study notes, these are notes are whatever you got wrong from your questions and you want to put things together.

side note three on study notes: now please don't waste your time continually reading over and over again notes that you have mastered and know something about. i used to read over and over the same notes every-day, i knew, that i knew the material so it was a waste of time because your real time should be focused on mastering nclex style questions..... ok in saying that, have your study notes, but once you know it and know something about it do not keep reading over it. just cross it out and study fresh new things and maybe towards the end when you are ready to take your test, you can do a slight review. but i just want you to understand that the focus is mastering nclex style questions to be able to choose the right answer, even when you don't understand the topic and to have a general understanding of the nursing process and various disease processes.

hour four: 50-75 questions, repeat the same suggestions that are written in hour one.

side note four on last hour: gauge yourself, it is good to do at least close to 200 questions. you want to stretch your mind for the possible 265. you never know if you may get the whole test and you want to practice staying confident and enduring a long amount of questions and you want to time yourself to. if you know that it takes you an hour plus to finish 75 questions, then this will help you in gauging your time and also stretching those brain cells. you can do it....

moms, for ones that have kids, try and get as much done for the kids before you sit down at the computer to study. i am not one that likes my child to watch a lot of television, but you can get some nice movies and it's all about sacrifice. for the children that are old enough to understand that mommy has to study please explain it to them and they will hopefully understand and get used to a different schedule. also have your note cards while your child is eating, apply all the childhood development themes and pediatric care to your child. it will help you to remember when you can apply it to someone that you know. take breaks and run around with them as much as you can when you are not studying.

working people! please don't try and study when you know that you are burnt out from work. it won't work!! so manage your time wisely so that there are no stressors and you can really soak in your study time.

section: iv

nclex style questions part one

people have posted so many different types of strategies on the internet. but when i got to my test, the only strategy that i could use was to narrow it down and to critically think through each and answer.

test taking strategies

• don't rush!!! , i promise you have time!!!!!!!
  
• read everyword in the question (the nclex does give you clues and will give you a stem within the question that will help you to decide between the answer that is trying to trick you and the correct answer.( look at the time, age and the condition the person is in at that very moment! please apply all these factors and remember it's a step by step process.)
  
• you will be surprised that a lot of the answers are common sense answers and answers that are based on general concepts and are very, very basic.
  
• you must ask yourself. what are they wanting to know!!!! what are they getting at with the question and these answers. step back from the question and ask yourself this!!(some books put to reword the questions, yes this helps but you have know that it is basic concepts that they are really asking you and they are trying to place them in different scenarios, to try and trip you up.)
  
• study the nclex wording and style (the nclex likes certain words!!! )
  
• the nclex likes to put two answers that say the same thing. you have to ask yourself one is trying to trick me. and take your time to narrow it down. don't get the quick hands once again. take your hands off the mouse and go back into the question and pull each piece of information that you can from the question and look for like wording within your answer that applies to the question.
  
• please have confidence in yourself to break the answer down and give yourself time to think! don't move forward until you are truly confident that this is the answer you want to choose and you have a solid reason as to why you are choosing it. also don't be to over confident and think automatically that this is the right answer!!! make sure you have a solid basis for the answer that you are choosing!!!
  
• don't take the test until you know that you are ready and you have really mastered and understand the nclex. i know money, time and other things, but just think about how within an amount of six hours,this test can dictate your future so study "yourself" and take each it seriously, you will know when the time is right, just don't rush it!
  

section:

nclex style questions part two

now i will try my best to break down each section of the test...

health promotion

• they want you to encourage people to me compliant and to help people to feel comfortable and to not discontinue their care.
  
• a lot of developmental things pertaining to age levels
  
• find good things to help people stay on track with their lifestyle and care.
  
• safety
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

management of care

• delegation (know the roles of each nurse lpn, cna, rn, doctor) master this because these delegation and prioritization questions score high on the test.
  
• only delegate patients that have predictable outcomes!!!! i mean you know that this patient is not going to go into cardiac arrest for example. these patients have simple things that they have going on and you know that they are going to be stable.
  
• never reassure anybody
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

prioritization

- stable vs unstable

- acute vs chronic

- age

- years they have had the disease( if they have had this disease for along time they are chronic and can be seen last most of the time)

- abc( airway, breathing and circulation)

- look for keywords( minor discomfort, slight pain- these are the patients that can wait)

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

physiology, reduction of risk potential

- sometimes it helps to associate your answer with the signs and symptoms that you remember that are associated with the disease.

- remember dark red blood is normal, but bright red is a problem

- patient first, machine last

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

safety

• handwashing always prevails!!!
  
• infection control!! know it!!
  
• know your cpr for each age level
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

psychosocial

- know how to talk to psych patients, understand the dynamics of it

- suicide know it, and understand what your responses should be like

- no yes or no questions, close-ended questions

- no big words that they can't understand

- no why questions

- set limits for psych patients

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

basic care ties into health promotion and physiology.

see more in topics to study

section:

topics to study

health promotion

- age developments

- erickson

- piagets

- health assessment

- therapeutic communication( know how to respond, always do a further assessment to see what they know and what they are really saying.)

- geriatric changes

- newborn to adolescent changes

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

management of care

• in terms of delegations: look for words like suspected, current, after a, discharge, newly admitted, complicated, refusing to comply, post-op, pre-op, newly) these are people that the rn has to take care of.
  
• remember teaching, evaluation, assessment all go to the rn!
  
• roles of each team member.
  
• leadership themes
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

physiology

• endocrine
  
• cardio
  
• respiratory
  
• ngt, parenteral care
  
• know your labs
  know your vitals for each age level
  
• just mainly have a general concept of all processes, use the internet, don't go buy a lot of products, you really don't need it!!!!
  

pharmacology

please look at the link section i gave in the resource section

section:

resource section

please don't spend a lot of money on all these different databases. trust me use these and it will work!!!!! only focus on one or two resources.

• get the lacharity book- this is will help boost your confidence in priority, assessment and delegation. only like $27.00
  
• learning ext by the nscbn only $50.00 for three weeks and up (really good information and they are the people that make test. hello!) it is the same information no matter the weeks you buy it so the three weeks is could to go through all the questions and glance through the written information.
  
• ati (ati redesigned there website, it's really good) use your codes from school!!
  
• nclex 3500, mainly all you need it works!!!!!!!!! it's freee!!!! http://libtc.utmb.edu/nclexrn3500
  
• look at pharmacology attachment the pharm is in the last pages, but altogether its good notes to review
  
• www.dosagehelp.com
  
• please at my at attachments
  

[antonette1987]

This is AWESOME! I wish I read this before I took my test!!! Thanks for posting this! i will share this with my friends who haven't taken the test yet!

[caliotter3]

:ancong!: on passing! and thanks for posting this to help others!

[woahkarla]

wow! thanks for posting this! this would really help me on my coming test :) God bless!

[Teekee]

Thanks for the info about NCLEX but the most valuable part of the post was the prayer. I needed that :)

[xterpogz]

THanks for sharing. God is great..

[Michael'sprv8RN]

Thank you for having such a good heart to share these. God bless!

[ladyD123]

thank you so much for your post, you have healed me.

God bless you.

[Leonardo Del Toro, RN]

Thank you sister.

[Canggih1]

Thanks for this! I will be using this study guide for my second nclex!

[NowPedsRN]

Thank you so much for post this...I will be taking my nclex for the second time soon, and I know for sure that I will NOT lose my faith and God and I will definitely be putting this study guide to use. Congrats on passing nclex!!!

[Gold2010]

outline

i. introduction

ii. faith

iii. study plan example

iv. nclex questions part one and two

v. topics to study

vi. resource section

section: i

introduction

hi all this is something that i put together to help others. i failed the nclex on my first attempt with 80 questions and passed on the second attempt with 75 questions. so i put together this little package together to help others and to prevent you from having to go out spend all that money from $100-500 dollars. you can use the minimal amount of resources and pass the test. god bless you all.

section: ii

i would like to first start by saying this is my personal faith base and it is not to say that any faith is better than the other. pray, pray, pray. the first time i took my test and failed, i felt like god had forsaken me, i became so angry, hurt and confused. but let me tell you god loves us all and he wants us all to pass and be successful. in saying that, god also knows our weaknesses and things that we have to take time to work on. so be diligent in your prayers and ask god to show you what you need to work on and talk to god about his promises every-day. for the preparation of my second attempt, i fasted and prayed and never doubted god!! don't doubt, put all your hope in him, all faith!!! in times that i felt down, i would immediately pick myself up through god's scriptures. i memorized them and quoted them out-loud anytime i felt down and it brought me up in my spirits. trust and know that he will grant you your hearts desires. talk to jesus, tell him what type of test you need, ask him to sit with you during the test and guide you along with the holy spirit and it will work!!!! for example, i know that i still struggle with drug calculations, for my second attempt, i had no drug calculations. i asked jesus to bless me with the ability to answer just enough questions correctly so that i could pass. i was specific in my prayers and i made sure to believe wholeheartedly that jesus would do it for me. dedicate yourself to your studies and to god!!! and will never fail you. i failed the first attempt, but i believed and had no doubt that i would pass on the second time. there were nights that i cried to sleep, but i knew that god would bring me joy in the morning. i dedicated all my life concerns to him and did my best each time i studied and he helped me in my time of need! meditate and listen to god!! remember this is a "man-made" test so you must rely on god's wisdom. it's so serious, break any discouragement that you may have in your life, any fears, doubt, depression and anything that you feel is blocking you from advancing in your life! ! you can do all things through christ!!

scriptures to read and quote each day!

deuteronomy 8

psalm 23, 91, 31, 46, 37:3-8

proverbs 3:3-8

matthew 6:9-14, 7:7, 21:20-22

section: iii

study plan example

study for two to four hours a day, try and find an area where you can truly focus on your studies.

ok. this is the thing the internet has basically everything you need. i mean they have videos to show you examples of things and information you need on drugs and esc. so please, please, please when are doing your questions and you say to yourself "what's that"? look it up, go online and read about it. please do not go out and spend a lot of money on books. you have everything you need on internet.

so, let's give an example of a typical study day.

things you need.... study notes, pharmacology flash-cards, internet, computer (a lot of people find that answering questions from the computer is a lot better than answering questions in a book. remember the test is computerized, so you want to get as much practice as you can in being in front of the computer screen. ) and whatever nclex-style questions data base. (see nclex database suggestions)

hour one: 75-100 questions (while doing the test, try and write out the one's you got wrong, look them up and put the pieces together. please don't remember answers, but remember concepts of the nursing process and the particular disease process.) note- this is where i went wrong on my first exam, i tried to remember answers and did not put all the concepts together. the nclex likes to give the same information, but in very different ways, but if you know the concepts, you can master any question. also, study your weak areas, for example, if you always get all respiratory questions wrong, take the time to review in depth the resp. section. read all rationales, both the ones you get wrong and right. the rationales provide you with other good information. just keep doing questions! watch your scores, stay within the 73-80% range and higher.

side note one: while you are practicing your nclex style questions, practice, practice, practice, critical thinking, by taking your time and trying to narrow down your answer and deciding between two possible correct answers. don't get the quick mouse hand, take your hand off the mouse and don't answer the question until you are confident that it's the one you want to choose!!!!!!! i guarantee you that if your practice this you will become a better nclex test-taker. i personally like to keep my hand in my lap while deciding my answer. it kind of helps to keep you calm.

look at test taking strategies for more advice on choosing the right answer

hour two: pharmacology flash cards: know your drugs!!!!!, the all nurses website provides so many forums on drugs that you don't have to go out and buy drug cards. i went out and bought some note cards and wrote the pharm names out and did my best to go over them every-day.

side note two on pharmacology: when studying your drugs, remember that there are adverse reactions and side effects, its two different things. so continue to use different associations to remember them, but please know your drugs. know their actions; really understand what state a person is in order to administer the drug and what state they are suppose to be in after you administer the drug. know the vitals that go along with the drug. (before and after)

hour three: study notes, these are notes are whatever you got wrong from your questions and you want to put things together.

side note three on study notes: now please don't waste your time continually reading over and over again notes that you have mastered and know something about. i used to read over and over the same notes every-day, i knew, that i knew the material so it was a waste of time because your real time should be focused on mastering nclex style questions..... ok in saying that, have your study notes, but once you know it and know something about it do not keep reading over it. just cross it out and study fresh new things and maybe towards the end when you are ready to take your test, you can do a slight review. but i just want you to understand that the focus is mastering nclex style questions to be able to choose the right answer, even when you don't understand the topic and to have a general understanding of the nursing process and various disease processes.

hour four: 50-75 questions, repeat the same suggestions that are written in hour one.

side note four on last hour: gauge yourself, it is good to do at least close to 200 questions. you want to stretch your mind for the possible 265. you never know if you may get the whole test and you want to practice staying confident and enduring a long amount of questions and you want to time yourself to. if you know that it takes you an hour plus to finish 75 questions, then this will help you in gauging your time and also stretching those brain cells. you can do it....

moms, for ones that have kids, try and get as much done for the kids before you sit down at the computer to study. i am not one that likes my child to watch a lot of television, but you can get some nice movies and it's all about sacrifice. for the children that are old enough to understand that mommy has to study please explain it to them and they will hopefully understand and get used to a different schedule. also have your note cards while your child is eating, apply all the childhood development themes and pediatric care to your child. it will help you to remember when you can apply it to someone that you know. take breaks and run around with them as much as you can when you are not studying.

working people! please don't try and study when you know that you are burnt out from work. it won't work!! so manage your time wisely so that there are no stressors and you can really soak in your study time.

section: iv

nclex style questions part one

people have posted so many different types of strategies on the internet. but when i got to my test, the only strategy that i could use was to narrow it down and to critically think through each and answer.

test taking strategies

• don't rush!!! , i promise you have time!!!!!!!
  
• read everyword in the question (the nclex does give you clues and will give you a stem within the question that will help you to decide between the answer that is trying to trick you and the correct answer.( look at the time, age and the condition the person is in at that very moment! please apply all these factors and remember it's a step by step process.)
  
• you will be surprised that a lot of the answers are common sense answers and answers that are based on general concepts and are very, very basic.
  
• you must ask yourself. what are they wanting to know!!!! what are they getting at with the question and these answers. step back from the question and ask yourself this!!(some books put to reword the questions, yes this helps but you have know that it is basic concepts that they are really asking you and they are trying to place them in different scenarios, to try and trip you up.)
  
• study the nclex wording and style (the nclex likes certain words!!! )
  
• the nclex likes to put two answers that say the same thing. you have to ask yourself one is trying to trick me. and take your time to narrow it down. don't get the quick hands once again. take your hands off the mouse and go back into the question and pull each piece of information that you can from the question and look for like wording within your answer that applies to the question.
  
• please have confidence in yourself to break the answer down and give yourself time to think! don't move forward until you are truly confident that this is the answer you want to choose and you have a solid reason as to why you are choosing it. also don't be to over confident and think automatically that this is the right answer!!! make sure you have a solid basis for the answer that you are choosing!!!
  
• don't take the test until you know that you are ready and you have really mastered and understand the nclex. i know money, time and other things, but just think about how within an amount of six hours,this test can dictate your future so study "yourself" and take each it seriously, you will know when the time is right, just don't rush it!
  

section:

nclex style questions part two

now i will try my best to break down each section of the test...

health promotion

• they want you to encourage people to me compliant and to help people to feel comfortable and to not discontinue their care.
  
• a lot of developmental things pertaining to age levels
  
• find good things to help people stay on track with their lifestyle and care.
  
• safety
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

management of care

• delegation (know the roles of each nurse lpn, cna, rn, doctor) master this because these delegation and prioritization questions score high on the test.
  
• only delegate patients that have predictable outcomes!!!! i mean you know that this patient is not going to go into cardiac arrest for example. these patients have simple things that they have going on and you know that they are going to be stable.
  
• never reassure anybody
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

prioritization

- stable vs unstable

- acute vs chronic

- age

- years they have had the disease( if they have had this disease for along time they are chronic and can be seen last most of the time)

- abc( airway, breathing and circulation)

- look for keywords( minor discomfort, slight pain- these are the patients that can wait)

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

physiology, reduction of risk potential

- sometimes it helps to associate your answer with the signs and symptoms that you remember that are associated with the disease.

- remember dark red blood is normal, but bright red is a problem

- patient first, machine last

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

safety

• handwashing always prevails!!!
  
• infection control!! know it!!
  
• know your cpr for each age level
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

psychosocial

- know how to talk to psych patients, understand the dynamics of it

- suicide know it, and understand what your responses should be like

- no yes or no questions, close-ended questions

- no big words that they can't understand

- no why questions

- set limits for psych patients

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

basic care ties into health promotion and physiology.

see more in topics to study

section:

topics to study

health promotion

- age developments

- erickson

- piagets

- health assessment

- therapeutic communication( know how to respond, always do a further assessment to see what they know and what they are really saying.)

- geriatric changes

- newborn to adolescent changes

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

management of care

• in terms of delegations: look for words like suspected, current, after a, discharge, newly admitted, complicated, refusing to comply, post-op, pre-op, newly) these are people that the rn has to take care of.
  
• remember teaching, evaluation, assessment all go to the rn!
  
• roles of each team member.
  
• leadership themes
  

don't limit it to this, but these are some highlights

physiology

• 
  
  • endocrine
    
  • cardio
    
  • respiratory
    
  • ngt, parenteral care
    
  • know your labs
    know your vitals for each age level
    
  • just mainly have a general concept of all processes, use the internet, don't go buy a lot of products, you really don't need it!!!!
    

pharmacology

please look at the link section i gave in the resource section

section:

resource section

please don't spend a lot of money on all these different databases. trust me use these and it will work!!!!! only focus on one or two resources.

• get the lacharity book- this is will help boost your confidence in priority, assessment and delegation. only like $27.00
  
• learning ext by the nscbn only $50.00 for three weeks and up (really good information and they are the people that make test. hello!) it is the same information no matter the weeks you buy it so the three weeks is could to go through all the questions and glance through the written information.
  
• ati (ati redesigned there website, it's really good) use your codes from school!!
  
• nclex 3500, mainly all you need it works!!!!!!!!! it's freee!!!! http://libtc.utmb.edu/nclexrn3500
  
• look at pharmacology attachment the pharm is in the last pages, but altogether its good notes to review
  
• www.dosagehelp.com
  
• please at my at attachments
  

thanks thanks thanks a lot.....i appriciate your kindness. hope it helps me a lot......i am taking my boards soon.