My NCLEX Experience

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Hi everyone! I found out I passed my NCLEX-RN this morning and figured I would talk about my experience and how I studied because I really appreciated reading other people's posts and perspectives! Sorry in advance if this is a lengthy post, I just don’t want to leave anything out.

I graduated May 18th and signed up to take my NCLEX June 25th. I was a fairly good student but when I finally sat down to study for my exam I felt like I knew nothing and hadn’t retained anything lol. My school actually provided a free 30 day subscription to Uworld. This was just the question bank, not the assessment tests.

I worked through all of the questions and had a pretty random study schedule. I did all the questions by topic and would answer questions until I felt burnt out. I marked LOTS of questions and focused heavily on the ones I got wrong. I read and hand wrote rationales for almost all of the questions I got wrong. If you do use Uworld I would focus heavily on the rationales and don’t just try and memorize large chunks of content.

I also had a Saunders physical textbook that I planned to read through completely...that did not happen. After reading and taking notes on about 15 chapters I realized I was not absorbing anything. The questions at the end of the chapters were usually way too easy as well.

I did study a bit the day before my exam, focusing on the content I felt weakest in. I went into my exam feeling very anxious and nervous. I ended up getting around 130 questions. I somehow sped through my test and finished in a little under two hours. I didn’t feel confident about many questions and when I left the testing room I really thought I’d failed. I’m now learning that most people feel like that after the exam.

I did the Pearson Vue trick many many times and got the bad pop up every time...I did end up passing though!! I would tell everyone to just avoid doing the trick but I know everyone feels anxious after the exam and a quick result sounds appealing.

If anyone has any specific questions about Uworld or the Nclex feel free to ask!! ?

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Congratulations!!!! I am glad that it worked out for you!

I was also a fairly good student and just purchased uworld. I tried Saunders too but got very overwhelmed trying to get thorough all of them. I test in the next few weeks and only have 600 questions left but I am so nervous! I’ve been writing everything down and redoing questions.

do you have any more advice on how to get through it? Do you think uworld was enough? I’m scared that I didn’t retain anything lol. Thank you!

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1 minute ago, newgrad.2019 said:

Congratulations!!!! I am glad that it worked out for you!

I was also a fairly good student and just purchased uworld. I tried Saunders too but got very overwhelmed trying to get thorough all of them. I test in the next few weeks and only have 600 questions let but I am so nervous! I’ve been writing everything down and redoing questions.

do you have any more advice on how to get through it? Do you think uworld was enough? I’m scared that I didn’t retain anything lol. Thank you!

Since I personally only used Uworld I do think it was enough for me! If you have time I’d even recommend going through as many questions as you can twice. Since you do already have a Saunders book you could also go through the content that you feel is your weakest subject. Focus on fundamentals too, I felt like my test had a lot on fundamentals. Don’t get hung up on like pharmacology except very common meds. Go over EKGs briefly because you may get one or two questions. I felt like Uworld worded their questions way more difficult than NCLEX. Finally, try and practice as many select all that apply questions as you can so you feel comfortable answering them. Good luck, you got this! Let me know if you have any other questions ?

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Specializes in Fertility, OBGYN, GYN ONC.

I was going to make my own post, but I wasn't sure people read them other than me lol.

Everyone recommends UWorld, but it's so expensive. I spent the first week studying thinking about buying it before I decided against it. I bought the RN Mastery app way before they started charging monthly and I got 3000 questions and 3 practice exams. I used the scratch off code on Saunders and did the two practice exams online. I also used the ATI package our school gave us and that was amazing! I literally had some of the same content on my exam. I studied almost every day. Reading and doing practice questions every day for 5 weeks. I tested on 6/26 and passed in 75. I think what study material you use depends on how you like to study.

I didn't do the PVT trick because some people in my class got the bad pop-up and I didn't want to experience anymore anxiety than what I already had. I waited the 48hrs. And what no one tells you is that it's literally 48 hrs from the time you finished your exam. I was dying waiting until exactly 3pm. Heart palpitations and everything lol.

Congrats on passing! We finally made it!

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I have been writing out rationales for all the UWorld questions that I did. I’ve been doing the questions in order in terms of subjects and systems. I left off at Leadership and Management because my exam date was close by and I didn’t have enough time to finish all the questions. I failed my NCLEX-PN last week and I’m so over it.

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14 hours ago, Nursing pursuit said:

I have been writing out rationales for all the UWorld questions that I did. I’ve been doing the questions in order in terms of subjects and systems. I left off at Leadership and Management because my exam date was close by and I didn’t have enough time to finish all the questions. I failed my NCLEX-PN last week and I’m so over it.

I'm so sorry you failed your exam. Take some time for yourself to momentarily forget about the exam. Go see a movie or spend time with family and friends, then when you're ready get back into studying. Uworld is really good for practicing lots of questions but I know some people feel that it is not as in depth when it comes to actual content. This isn't the end of the world, you can study more effectively for your retest and I know you can pass! Stay positive! ?

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17 hours ago, sillymu said:

I was going to make my own post, but I wasn't sure people read them other than me lol.

Everyone recommends UWorld, but it's so expensive. I spent the first week studying thinking about buying it before I decided against it. I bought the RN Mastery app way before they started charging monthly and I got 3000 questions and 3 practice exams. I used the scratch off code on Saunders and did the two practice exams online. I also used the ATI package our school gave us and that was amazing! I literally had some of the same content on my exam. I studied almost every day. Reading and doing practice questions every day for 5 weeks. I tested on 6/26 and passed in 75. I think what study material you use depends on how you like to study.

I didn't do the PVT trick because some people in my class got the bad pop-up and I didn't want to experience anymore anxiety than what I already had. I waited the 48hrs. And what no one tells you is that it's literally 48 hrs from the time you finished your exam. I was dying waiting until exactly 3pm. Heart palpitations and everything lol.

Congrats on passing! We finally made it!

Hi, I totally agree that the study material depends on how you study! I was lucky enough to get Uworld for free but I know all of the study materials out there add up very quickly. I totally relate to the heart palpitations, I thought I was going to have a heart attack prior to checking my results. Congratulations to you as well on passing!!!

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Specializes in Fertility, OBGYN, GYN ONC.

@Nursing pursuit I second OP. Take a break and relax. Studying for the exam made my brain hurt a few days. I think being able to take a step back and the regrouping will help you de-stress and go back stronger. Good luck

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thank you for this

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1 hour ago, NurseeDeeva said:

thank you for this

Of course! I know how helpful it can be reading through other people's experiences ?

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What was your ranking on the bell curve in Uworld? I’m obsessed with mine and want to make sure that I’m in a good position based off of people that passed.

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1 hour ago, ucin321 said:

What was your ranking on the bell curve in Uworld? I’m obsessed with mine and want to make sure that I’m in a good position based off of people that passed.

My Uworld account already expired so I can't check my percentage, I want to say I was slightly above average but I honestly can't say I 100% remember. I really wouldn't be obsessed with that though, I've seen people who had above average scores still fail and people with average or below average scores pass. Just focus on answering the questions and understanding the rationales ?

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