NCLEX....how bad is it REALLY...

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Specializes in Med surg..

SOO, I just graduated nursing school with an ADN. I feel as though my school prepped me well and I have learned a lot from them. I have always gotten good grades throughout the nursing program and scored high on my HESI exams. What I am wondering is if the NCLEX is as bad as everybody says?! Are the questions pretty general or very in depth? Were there a lot of questions where you narrowed it down to two possible answers, and just chose one? Really, any info you can give will help! I just graduated so I do not have my test date yet!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Hi there! I moved your post to the NCLEX forum to ensure maximum responses.

I didn't think the NCLEX was bad — I passed with 75 questions in less than 45 minutes. I am a good test-taker, though. Best of luck!

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Specializes in Med surg..

Thank you for moving it- This was my first post so I kind of just put it somewhere lol! Thanks for the feedback as well, I am praying my experience is close to yours! I am a pretty fast test taker as well so I hope it does not drag out for the full 265 (or whatever) questions :no:

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Is the NCLEX as bad as they say it is? Yes and no. While it was easily the hardest exam I've ever taken, I passed with 75 questions in about 50-55 minutes. I'm also a very good test-taker. Hopefully your school's exams have been done "NCLEX style" so that you'll be at least somewhat prepared for the exam. The main difference between most school exams and the NCLEX is that the NCLEX is adaptive and it will make itself "easier" or "harder" in response to your ability to answer questions. Eventually you'll either hit a ceiling where the questions just won't get harder because this is designed to test entry-level nurses or you'll reach a point where you're answering 50% correctly and 50% incorrectly. Either way the system will know where your ability level is and if that level is above passing standard, which is truly the only passing grade.

How did I dominate the exam? Probably the same way many others did. I read the question, formulated an answer in my head, read the given answers, thought about how they related to the question (and was my self-generated answer close?), then re-read the question with the given answers in mind while looking for any key words or phrases that would lead me to choose my answer. Then I would choose my answer (or answers as T/F in the case of SATA), and move on to the next question. Once it's in the past, it's in the past and I didn't worry about the question I just answered because I can't change it and I've got a new question to answer...

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Specializes in Med-Tele; ED; ICU.

My experience was similar to the one posted just prior to mine.

I didn't study for the exam (despite having intended to) and finished with 75 questions in 55 minutes.

If you did reasonably well on your class exams and you're a decent test-taker then there's no reason that you shouldn't be one of the nearly 90% of domestically educated students who passes the exam on the first try.

I think the NCLEX is greatly overrated as a difficult exam.

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Taking the nclex wasn't bad .... It's all the anxiety leading to it and depression after that sucks. You begin to be your own worst enemy.

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Specializes in Med surg..

Thank you everybody for your answers! I honestly feel a lot better about it now :nurse:I use the same test taking strategy as somebody mentioned above so it sounds like I am on the right track! I was thankful (but hated at the same time) that my school's tests were NCLEX style questions on a computer with SATP and hot spots and so on. I also agree that anxiety can be a persons worst enemy when it comes to the NCLEX, I have heard stories of other nurses being physically ill the day of the test from anxiety and almost not being able to take it :no: I am considering the online HESI review for prep for the exam!

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Specializes in School Nurse and PRN.

I am also a current basket case of stress and anxiety. I test on 5/25... I find UWORLD extremely helpful and I love their rationales

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Specializes in Med surg..

I will have to check that website out, I find practicing NCLEX questions very helpful. I wish you all the well on your exam day :)

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Specializes in NICU.

The difficulty depends on your performance in school, the school's ability to prep you for the test, and your amount of studying post-graduation. If you did very well in quality nursing program it is possible to pass NCLEX without studying post graduation (not advised). NCLEX is a generalized comprehensive test of what you learned in nursing school. Studying for the test SHOULD only be a review of what you learned in school and practicing of NCLEX style questions, not a "cram session" for a test.

I did very well in school, but was terrified to take the test. I studied 100-150 questions per day for 4 weeks prior to the test. My test stopped at 75 questions. I could not believe that it stopped after an hour at 75. I had built up all of this anxiety for nothing.

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Specializes in Med surg..

Thanks for the response! As I said above I feel as though I was prepped well from my school and plan to follow the same path you did for studying! I find reviewing and practicing questions is very helpful. I am also considering a online review course to further help keep my focused! About your test- that is awesome the test shut off at 75 questions, I can only pray mine does the same! :yes::yes:

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

It was hard many yrs ago. But the hardest test I ever took was for the National Guard

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