Published Sep 5, 2014
j_lynn34
32 Posts
Ok so this is close to what I posted the other day; however, for some reason when I go to reply to my last thread my screen just stays loading and loading and so on. So sorry for reposting this! I failed my NCLEX 1ST Time last week. I'm really struggling with advising a plan. I have asked many nurses for advice on how they studied and not one person has given me the same method (understandble), but I am having a hard time choosing between what I have which is Hurst and Saunders 5th edition with CD or buying the Kaplan package! All feedback would be great and I apologize again for threading this again. Thank you again!!!
seconddegreebsn
311 Posts
From what I understand - Hurst is content, Kaplan is strategy, and it seems like everyone loves Saunders so you really can't go wrong with that. If you're a weak test taker, Kaplan may be a better strategy. If you're in need of a comprehensive review, go with Hurst. It just depends on your areas of weakness.
male_murse
38 Posts
I failed my test 2 months ago (140Q near passing, 1 above pass). I went ahead and shared NCBSN with my friend (it's good with content) did all 1300 and read all rationale. Now, I'm just doing Hurst over and over again. Good luck on your test, did you get your CPR yet? You can go by that and focus in your weak topics.
What I also figured out is that, even if you're not a good test taker but you know content, regardless of how the computer asks you the question, you will be able to answer it
My grades improved on Kaplan after doing hurst content (maybe a 5-10% increase)
I have not gotten it yet. How do you go about signing up for NCBSN? When I took my LPN boards all I had studied was 2000 questions. For RN I focused on content and failed (yes I understand they are different tests) but I feel the more close to NCLEX questions I do the better I feel.
Thank you!! I'll try Hurst and do questions off Saunders
I don't know if I can post links here but just type "learning ext nclex" on google and you should find it. It should be $50 for 3 weeks, $80 something for 5 weeks, etc etc
if you got 265 Q on your test, that means you were very close to passing.
I paired up with a friend doing Hurst (I'm doing Kaplan), and we're gonna share materials from each and study together. Can't hurt, right? So find a friend and pair up.
JayjoMine
21 Posts
Hi I hope I could help! I just got my result today and found out I PASSED! :) btw i waited 3weeks and 1 day. California.
So heres what i did to prepare myself for NCLEX.
I had atleast a month to finish everything! I did all question for saunders 4th edition CD only and exam cram 1000question. I finished them after 3weeks then the remaining week before my test, I just went over sata,math,drag and drop,pictures on saunders CD! And also i went over my lab values then i took a day off before my test just relax and no stressin. Had a good sleep and eat then went to my testing area at 1pm since my appt is 1:30. Took the test! Finish at 125 or so not sure where it stop. Then i felt like i dont even know if i answered them correctly i was just nervous but a lil happy cuz atleast im over it. Came home did the trick and got the popup.
So happy!
lol sorry i wrote my whole story! I just wanna share them lol!
akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P
3,523 Posts
If you're looking for specifics to study, I would seriously wait until you have your Candidate Performance Report (CPR) in hand. While this won't necessarily tell you exact questions you had difficulty with, it should tell you the general areas where you had difficulty. In the mean time, work on test-taking strategy. Personally, I used NCLEX 4000 and the material from the Saunders 6E to do this. What I would do is read the question, then the answers, then re-read the question & answers, choose and then read the rationale for why that question was answered that particular way. Also look for certain key words and phrases that might point you toward the correct answer if you didn't already know the answer.
Once you have that CPR in hand, use that to specifically study content. If you were "near passing" in all areas, chances are it's more an issue of test-taking than one of content.
The NCLEX is not insurmountable. It is doable, but you must do your part because it's very much unlike any test you've had in school... and you've had a crack at it already. It's adaptive and your limits will be found. Since you already know the test environment and how it presents questions to you, test anxiety due to that should be reduced the next time you take it.
It's also not a race to finish first or fastest... it's a marathon. Expect to go the full 265 over 6 hours. You have, on average, about 80 seconds per question... and the only question that matters is the one in front of you. You've passed school, you can do this.