My NCLEX experience 2017

Nursing Students NCLEX

Published

Hi all,

I just tested this last Thursday. There were many times I would go on allnurses.com for advice. I recently found out I passed so I also want to share my experience with you :)

Here's a little tid bit about me: It has been the craziest past 2 years of my life. I was enrolled for the MANE program in Minnesota which consisted of 3 semesters instead of the usual 4 semesters. There was a lot more content compiled in each semester. I was always an average grade student in Nursing school. Moreover, I was one of those students that did not have any prior medical experience as my fellow cohorts did. However, I did my best effort to pass my ADN program. I actually studied too much for the exams that I did not even bother to focus on the NCLEX during my last semester. We had to take the ATI predictor test and I believe I scored less than 30-40% chance of passing the NCLEX. Most of my classmates had an 85% or more. I thought I would just focus on my NCLEX after graduating. During the first half of Summer though, my sister was getting married and I had a family trip overseas. I wasn't able to study much at all until it was all over.

TIPS:

Be very organized. Have a study plan.

Research everything you need to know about the exam

- so you know not to rush through to finish.

- content you want to cover and study weaknesses.

- What to expect and not do. High security testing

Buy your study materials off ebay and amazon. The prices are often cheaper than what is retailed.

Materials I used were:

Saunders Comprehensive Review

- Great for reviewing content

- Everything you need to know is condensed down to main bullet points

- I was going to make this my only main source of studying until I tried reading through the book. I knew cramming my head with all of the information was not realistic.

- I read first half of the book, the first couple of chapters REALLY helped me gain knowledge in fundamentals and answer questions

UWORLD

- I discovered this wonderful study source from many of my classmates who used it and passed.

- Amazingly detailed rationales. It ended up being my main source of studying.

- I purchased the $75 for 30 days subscription.

- There are about 2000 questions. I spent every day with 60-75 questions.

- Towards the end of my subscription, I vigorously took notes of content I was not familiar with and studied them.

- I referred to most of these rationales to help me during the exam.

- Try to test your knowledge by going through old questions without looking at the rationales to explain why each of the answers are right or wrong

- Many SATA questions also

Lacharity's Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment

- Through research, I found out there would be many priority and delegation questions

- Many people suggested this book so I bought it off amazon.

- $30. It is a workbook that has about 500 questions, rationales and a few case studies.

There is no reading content for any chapter. Just straight up questions. Each chapter has a main topic such as diabetes mellitus, pediatric or fluids and electrolytes.

- Very helpful in delegation especially

- I also took notes and studied them before the actual exam

- I did not look at the case studies. Only worked through the questions

I also supplemented my studying by using the 35 page review that was floating around the internet (helpful tips but some are not accurate to this date), pinterest (if you study well with visuals and pictures), taking questions and reviewing them from NCLEX Mastery, Quizlet and previous ATI practice tests.

Take notice that the more studying materials you use for questions, there will be some information that will contradict eachother. Just do not confuse and fustrate yourself.

Reinforce learning by reading rationales and looking them up in Saunders or your school textbooks.

Overall, I took two months to study. Everyone deals with stress differently- I knew my limits, strengths and weaknesses. I had very long studying sessions but I would end up on social media also. Turn them off. Delete the apps. Disable your facebook or have someone change the password. Do whatever measures it takes to help you focus. I chose not to work during this Summer because I knew I needed all the time I could get. Many people can do full time work and school. Not me and that's okay. I managed to work many hours (I even sacrificed my last Summer to work a total of 100-150 hours of overtime) prior to the school year. I did myself a favor and I stressed so much less.

NCLEX

I scheduled my exam on Aug 26 originally but rescheduled twice because I felt I needed the extra days. Although researching and reading experiences were helpful, it made me feel more nervous. I was even going to reschedule it one more time but I just wanted to get it over with and start working again.

Arrive at the testing center knowing you may end up staying for 6 hours.

Either you will have a minimum of 75 questions, in between 76-265, or all 265. I stopped between 95-100 questions. Remember, the test will stop when it finally knows your competency level.

I was so anxious when I arrived at the testing center. During the exam, I used the headphones that cancelled out noise. I ended up removing them cause it started to hurt my ears. But it ended up being fine, the room is very quiet regardless. I was given a wipeable marker and board. I didnt use it.

I had roughly around 15 SATA. I received mostly questions about OB, pediatrics, diabetes, pharm, priority, patient safety and therapeutic communication. No calculations.

I thought I would for sure fail. I did not study a lot of pharm or pediatrics. There were just simply too many drugs to remember. I only remembered the important need-to-knows for popular medications like digoxin or heparin. After 75 questions, there was a pop up. I think it was a survey but I clicked next too fast. I thought I was done but the test continued. For the next 20 questions, I had a bunch of weird formatted questions I did not expect. I never heard anyone mention having case studies or selecting multiple symptoms for 3 conditions on a table. I was so frustrated because at this point, I felt I was just guessing through them.

i was already 3 hours in and thought I'd have to go through all 265 questions in the next 3 hours.

When I stopped around 90-100, I felt relieved I didnt have to go through the rest. I was also scared and expected to retest again. I did not feel confident at all. It made me feel like I didnt study enough.

When I got home, I tried the PVT trick. I received the "good pop up" after putting in a wrong CVC number for my credit card. I was happy but obviously it didnt feel right. It wasnt official. I was skeptical. No high hopes.

For the next 2 days, I tried it 5 more times. Still had the good pop up.

Then I went to my state's BON to verify if my license number was active. To my surprise, I saw my name and everything! I was really happy but because I didn't receive my unoffical results from PearsonVUE yet, I was not satisfied. Perhaps I didnt need to but I ended up spending $8 to see if I passed and I did! :) This helped me feel relieved knowing I really passed so I can start applying for jobs.

I will return to school for my BSN next year after gaining work experience. I also need to start earning money again before going back. Im very excited to start my career.

I hope my experience gave you some ideas to get started and what to expect. Best of luck to you all!

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Congratulations! I am happy for you. My question is did you see any topic that you never come across before? Did you see similar questions like in the Saunders review book or the on UWORLD.Thanks and best of Luck in your search for a job.

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I agree with Uworld being extremely helpful! I only used it for 2 weeks, did less than half the questions and passed first try with 75. Uworld is the best. Uworld was my only study information

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Thanks! To answer your question.. yes. I did see a few topics I have never come across. I cant seem to recall what they were though. However, everything else I've seen or have been familiar with. I was not expecting so many pharm or pediatric/neonatal questions and that threw me off. I was expecting more priority and delegation. Dont stress in studying everything there is to know but be prepared for anything too. I had a hard time deciphering whether I had passing level or easy questions. Saunders was too straight forward in my opinion but good practice regardless. I believe it was more similar to UWORLD. I recognized at least 2 questions that seemed familiar. Hope this helps!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thanks! To answer your question.. yes. I did see a few topics I have never come across. I cant seem to recall what they were though. However, everything else I've seen or have been familiar with. I was not expecting so many pharm or pediatric/neonatal questions and that threw me off. I was expecting more priority and delegation. Dont stress in studying everything there is to know but be prepared for anything too. I had a hard time deciphering whether I had passing level or easy questions. Saunders was too straight forward in my opinion but good practice regardless. I believe it was more similar to UWORLD. I recognized at least 2 questions that seemed familiar. Hope this helps!

Wow this was very comforting ... I will be purchasing U World this weekend which I will be using alongside Hurst and reading this just makes me so excited to purchase U World ... I will be testing on October 13th and my anxiety is through the roof and hoping I can be calm by then :) ... great success on your new career

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Wow this was very comforting ... I will be purchasing U World this weekend which I will be using alongside Hurst and reading this just makes me so excited to purchase U World ... I will be testing on October 13th and my anxiety is through the roof and hoping I can be calm by then :) ... great success on your new career

Thank you! I definitely recommend to finish all of UWORLD as much as possible. Read the rationales carefully. I know there are few people out there who have failed using UWORLD because they didnt try to understand the rationales but skimmed through just to finish the Qbank. Best of luck!

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Thank you! I definitely recommend to finish all of UWORLD as much as possible. Read the rationales carefully. I know there are few people out there who have failed using UWORLD because they didnt try to understand the rationales but skimmed through just to finish the Qbank. Best of luck!

Thank you for that advice ... I will definitely read through teach rationale and make sure I understand it

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thank you!! I keep waiting to pay for my exam just because I fear failing since I havent had time to study. I am a momma of a 1 year old who is glued to my hip and doing it all alone so its been a tough go. I have tried uworld, didnt get all the way through. Tried to review my ati book, tried picmonic, nothing is helping it sink in. Just gonna pay and pray that I can recall the day of. I hope I cant recall just because I know that I have to pass to support my lil guy.

Thank you again for sharing what was mainly on the exam. If by chance you have specific meds or anything to share, feel free to email me [email protected]. Congrats!!!

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Specializes in Progressive Care, Sub-Acute, Hospice, Geriatrics.

Wow congrats!!!!! Thank you for sharing. I'm using similar study guides as you are.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
thank you!! I keep waiting to pay for my exam just because I fear failing since I havent had time to study. I am a momma of a 1 year old who is glued to my hip and doing it all alone so its been a tough go. I have tried uworld, didnt get all the way through. Tried to review my ati book, tried picmonic, nothing is helping it sink in. Just gonna pay and pray that I can recall the day of. I hope I cant recall just because I know that I have to pass to support my lil guy.

Thank you again for sharing what was mainly on the exam. If by chance you have specific meds or anything to share, feel free to email me [email protected]. Congrats!!!

Sinking in will require absolutely no distractions and lots of repetition. I had a difficult time as well but it really helps when I see the content over and over. At random times of the day when Im not studying, I will think back and try to remember what I've learned to enhance memorization. If I dont then I quickly look it up on my phone. This helps too. I also read chapters in Saunders and then took the quizzes. Challenge your knowledge. If I got it wrong, I will look back and read it. Sometimes knowing the basics is also key to having more difficult content sink in otherwise it'll just be like reading a different language. I love that you have your son as motivation. Best of luck to you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thanks! To answer your question.. yes. I did see a few topics I have never come across. I cant seem to recall what they were though. However, everything else I've seen or have been familiar with. I was not expecting so many pharm or pediatric/neonatal questions and that threw me off. I was expecting more priority and delegation. Dont stress in studying everything there is to know but be prepared for anything too. I had a hard time deciphering whether I had passing level or easy questions. Saunders was too straight forward in my opinion but good practice regardless. I believe it was more similar to UWORLD. I recognized at least 2 questions that seemed familiar. Hope this helps!

Please can you help me by sharing your La charity's Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment online with me since you have passed. I will appreciate the help. I will send you my email if you would like to share. Thanks

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I just finished mine after 75 q's. I'm wondering by your original post if what you encountered on the last 25-30 q's is actually the questions they are using for research for development of future NLCLEX exams. I had this too after my initial 75. Extremely long exhibits to read...type in responses...drag and drop interventions for a list of clients. I don't see how anyone can pass that down the road if they are truly going to use those question formats! I ended up skipping around and just ended it. I was done. Congratulations on passing!

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