NCLEX/HESI highly overrated

[newgradrn343]

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a stellar student. I got by with A's and B's and sometimes C's. When I first started taking HESI's, I was struggling.

Obviously, I started getting anxiety about the exit hesi. SO I did some research and found 'yourbestgrade'. I did about 1600 practice questions and walked out with a 921.

Same for NCLEX. I got a job that required me to pass first time so again, anxiety started building. So after doing more research, uworld seemed to be the consensus.

I did 75q a day during my practicum and a month after. I also did the hurst review.

I took my NCLEX a few days ago and CRUSHED it and knew I was crushing it during. Everything felt familiar and it seemed like the answers were just popping off the page and a lot of concepts were familiar from uworld and I knew my test would shut off at 75. and it did!

I did all of the questions on uworld and after I ran out, I started redoing questions. I think doing questions kept content relevant and the questions were much easier on the actual hesi.

The whole point of this post is that, hard work and discipline will pay off 10-fold. There is so much anxiety around these tests (understandably so), but if you stay diligent and practice questions, you will ace this exam.

A lot of people from my program have passed as well (so far), but they all walked out saying how hard of test it was and how much it messed with their heads. I felt completely confident and would have done my study plan all over again just to know I was doing well during the test.

Hope this helps. You guys got this!

[mindofmidwifery, ADN]

THis is exactly how I felt about the NCLEX! The worst part was waiting for my results.

[newgradrn343]

5 hours ago, mindofmidwifery said:

THis is exactly how I felt about the NCLEX! The worst part was waiting for my results.

Glad I’m not the only one! I took it with some friends who also thought it was the hardest test they’ve taken. So then I started getting paranoid and I was like maybe I just got such easy questions that I was failing... despite feeling confident the whole time.

But I was also way more diligent than most people after graduation. And I don’t mean it in a boastful way AT ALL. I just think people should know if they put in the work, the reward is there.

[Lovethenurse2b25, ASN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN]

10 hours ago, newgradrn343 said:

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a stellar student. I got by with A's and B's and sometimes C's. When I first started taking HESI's, I was struggling.

Obviously, I started getting anxiety about the exit hesi. SO I did some research and found 'yourbestgrade'. I did about 1600 practice questions and walked out with a 921.

Same for NCLEX. I got a job that required me to pass first time so again, anxiety started building. So after doing more research, uworld seemed to be the consensus.

I did 75q a day during my practicum and a month after. I also did the hurst review.

I took my NCLEX a few days ago and CRUSHED it and knew I was crushing it during. Everything felt familiar and it seemed like the answers were just popping off the page and a lot of concepts were familiar from uworld and I knew my test would shut off at 75. and it did!

I did all of the questions on uworld and after I ran out, I started redoing questions. I think doing questions kept content relevant and the questions were much easier on the actual hesi.

The whole point of this post is that, hard work and discipline will pay off 10-fold. There is so much anxiety around these tests (understandably so), but if you stay diligent and practice questions, you will ace this exam.

A lot of people from my program have passed as well (so far), but they all walked out saying how hard of test it was and how much it messed with their heads. I felt completely confident and would have done my study plan all over again just to know I was doing well during the test.

Hope this helps. You guys got this!

I agree 100% the tests are extremely overrated. The anxiety comes from hearing tons of stories from nurses who have already taken it.

I tell all student pursuing a nursing degree that 1,000’s of nurses around the world pass the nclex everyday.

[rleah, BSN, RN]

After 86 questions I walked out feeling like I had bombed it, I clearly didn't since I passed. This was last week so I have had some time to reflect. At the time I felt like it was hard, and strangely worded. Now, I am leaning toward it was more my nerves than the actual test. NCLEX is very much a mental game. I have some major test anxiety, and walking in already shaking is not a great way to start. I feel that with so much riding on this one test, it is very easy for the stress of the whole thing to take over. I went in feeling prepared but nerves still made me second, and triple guess my answers. It is a weird balancing act. While fear of failing motivates you to put in the effort and give the exam the respect it deserves, it may also lead to failing due to crippling anxiety.

I always did well on the HESI minus Psych. We had a fundamentals, Med/Surg, Pharmacology, Psychology, and the Exit Hesi once at the beginning of last term and then again at the end. The second time I didn't study for the Exit. I wanted to see where I was. I killed it, but that still did not help with my NCLEX anxiety. ?