NCLEX feedback, advice or help! ...

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Hello,

I am a new Canadian nursing graduate from a 4 year degree. I have written the NCLEX exam twice now and have been unsuccessful, and I'm now registering for a refresher course that I must take before I'm able to write the NCLEX for the 3rd & final time. I evidently need to adjust my approach to studying for this, because I just have to pass this exam the next time I write it. I am hoping to learn anything helpful from others who have also written the NCLEX, or who've struggled to pass it.

For reference, when I was studying for the exam the previous times, I used the following study-guide textbooks:

-Davis's Q&A for the NCLEX-RN examination (2010) - This book has about 1890 questions (which are more difficult, or so I thought) as well as a bonus CD with extra computer questions (in all totaling about 4000 questions).

-Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination 6th Edition (2012) - This has chapters reviewing different sections of nursing content, with questions at the end of each chapter. With this book I mainly read & focused only on areas which I thought I was weaker in, or areas I thought were more relevant to the NCLEX.

-Saunders 2016-2017 Strategies for Test Success: Passing...the NCLEX Exam - This book is not as big, it manly goes into how to read complex questions, answer pharmacology questions, assessing lab values, etc. It also has some easy review questions at the back. (It was recommended to me by a prof, for the lab values section & also because when reading a question that I'm uncertain about, I tend to over-analyze it which takes up a lot of time.)

There are a few different study resources which I will, or am strongly considering looking into, these are:

-the online study guide published by the NCSBN (the makers of the NCLEX)

-going by or utilizing the ~60 page NCLEX-RN detailed test plan more https://www.ncsbn.org/testplans.htm

-I heard good things about this "Passpoint Prep-U," an online database of questions that you need to subscribe to for a period of time, where you can complete online practice questions/tests which, like the NCLEX, are adaptive apparently

-I heard that Hurst was good, but I'm not really sure if I should go with the Hurst Live Review Hurst Review Services - Sign Up Now or a Hurst textbook Hurst Reviews NCLEX-RN Review: Marlene Hurst: 9780071484312: Books - Amazon.ca

Anyways, any insight or advice would help & be greatly appreciated,

thank you.

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Hi!

I'm also a recent grad in Canada and I also failed twice, but third time's a charm! What you need to do first is evaluate your study habits and prioritize accordingly. If you want to pass, you're gonna have to really put your time into studying. I had to quit my job, ignored my friends and stayed in my room for a month. Yeah, I only studied for about a month. I watched the Hurst videos as a refresher which I found useful when answering questions. I read through Kaplan 2015-2016. I found the questions were easy but the strategies were very helpful. Then I did UWorld after reviewing content for about 2.5 weeks before my exam. I didn't pay for it, I just used the free weekly trials. UWORLD HELPED ME THE MOST. The questions are similar to NCLEX, probably even harder. i suggest doing as many questions as you can and read through the rationales. Don't worry about your %! It may be low at first but once you practice answering the questions, you'll start to be more confident and less anxious and eventually you'll increase your %. You wanna be prepared for any question and be able to answer it to the best of your ability. The last week before my exam, I went through the Hurst handouts 3x and used Saunders to back up some incomplete info, continued to answer questions even from the free Passpount daily questions, and wrote out lab values daily (tried to understand what a high value and a low value meant clinically). Just think, you're a nurse already and this test is a little obstacle you have to face to get that license to prove it. When studying, take breaks! Nap or do something relaxing for your brain. You got this! If you can go through 4 years of nursing school, you can pass NCLEX! Good luck! í ½í¸Š

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