NCLEX in 9 days..what to focus on, emotions driving me crazy

[nosillaj82]

Hello everyone. I have been reading posts for about a month but this is my first one. I am taking my NCLEX in 9 days and seriously my emotions are driving me crazy. One minute I am excited to get this test over with and know that I can do it and the next I am despressed, and crying thinking what have I gotten myself into! I have been using the Saunders book and have Suzannes program. I have been sticking to it as close to it as possible (sometimes I am not able to do exactly 100 questions a day). My roommate who is also taking the exam just bought a Kaplan book and it focuses on how to answer the questions and I am so confused as to what I should be focusing on this last week. ANY help or suggestions would be awesome. I pray everyday for strength and support but I am seriously going nuts! thanks everyone:)

[oldnurse newnurse]

I think that anxiety is apart of the whole preparing for the test because I myself have been through the whole ready to get it over and then depressed cause at the same time I feel unprepared. My test date is 02/09 at 10:00am and believe you me I feel like I am more than ready, But goodluck to you. As I have said time and time again the beast has been coquered before and will be conquered again:saint:

And we will be nurses:nurse:

[Pitbullgirl]

Hi,

I know how you feel--that's exactly how I felt prior to taking the exam this past Thursday. It sounds like you've done a lot of preparation and should be fine! I did the Saunders questions from my purple CD and looked at my husband's Kaplan review book (he took the course last year, I opted out due to the $$).

My NCLEX was mainly prioritization questions, and I think most of the posters here have said the same thing. It was incredibly difficult to me--much more shades of grey than black and white in the answers. I could usually rule out 2 answers, but that always left me with 2 correct. In my program, and also on the Saunders CD, the answers were not as close together, IMHO.

Also, I think because I'd done so many Saunders questions that I was getting the same questions over and over towards the end. I wish I'd downloaded the Mosby's CAT NCLEX review. It costs about $43 and is only good for 30 days, but it mimics NCLEX with giving you harder questions if you answer correctly, etc. and then analyzes the exam.

I've posted this in a couple other places, but it bears repeating: DO NOT PAY ATTENTION to how many questions you get. Cover up the corner of your computer with the piece of paper they give you to write on, so you can't see what number you're on. I absolutely panicked when I went past 75, and was certain I'd failed when I passed 140. I don't even know exactly WHEN it stopped, but I think it was 166.

Take your time, there is no rush. I had a couple of classmates take it before me and got done in an hour. My husband finished in 45 minutes with 75 questions and passed. I took almost 2 hours and had 166 and guess what, I passed!

Perhaps my best advice is take your time, don't rush. Focus. Be prepared and okay with going to 265 questions. You can do it !!

Please let us know how you do, we are all rooting for you.

Janie RN