Nclex PN need advice and encouragement for the upcoming test december 2013

Nursing Students NCLEX

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Hello to all nurses and future nurses. I finally scheduled to test on Dec. 26 2013 and having mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety. I'm currently working as a med tech in assisted living full time after I graduated last July, but organizing my time to study and work could be a bit challenging. Just looking for advice and word of encouragement to people in the same shoes and the chances of passing the test that possibly could change my life. I really love nursing and passing this test could be the great start of my chosen career. I really hope I pass the test. So far, I have Saunders, Kaplan, and exam cram third edition. Is there anything else I need to be studying? I am about 5 weeks away... Any advice and encouragement is greatly appreciated!

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.

You don't need a lot of different study materials. You're good with what you've listed. Don't overwhelm yourself. When I took my NCLEX-PN 3 years ago I used Saunders and Exam Cram. I thought all the content review in Saunders was overkill, so if you can get all that content you'll be more than good. Remember, the NCLEX won't be directly testing your knowledge of content, it will test whether you can APPLY that knowledge. When you've got a good grasp on content, practice questions. A LOT of questions. Practice as many questions as you can. Do about 50 to 100 a day and review rationales carefully. Understand the rationales to get yourself into NCLEX thinking. I thought the questions in Saunders were too easy and that the ones in Exam Cram were on par with the level of difficulty on the NCLEX. I did not use Kaplan for my NCLEX PN, but I used Kaplan strictly for my NCLEX RN. I thought Kaplan questions were a bit harder than the NCLEX RN. But these were the Qtrainers and Qbank, I'm not sure if the difficulty of the questions in Kaplan's study guides would be different.

Good luck to you!

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I would also add know your lab values. And YES! do as many practice questions when you can. Stay positive you will do just fine! Keep us posted. All the best to you!

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I take my nclex in the next couple of weeks and I studied my lab values and each week I read up on things that I needed to touch up on but now I have been doing strictly questions. Im using Kaplan, Exam Cram, Saunders, Ati and Lippincotts.

Saunders questions are to easy on the disk so I dont do those too much, ati/exam cram are more challenging and good, lippincots is easy, but Kaplan is hard.

Good Luck

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Hello to all nurses and future nurses. I finally scheduled to test on Dec. 26 2013 and having mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety. I'm currently working as a med tech in assisted living full time after I graduated last July but organizing my time to study and work could be a bit challenging. Just looking for advice and word of encouragement to people in the same shoes and the chances of passing the test that possibly could change my life. I really love nursing and passing this test could be the great start of my chosen career. I really hope I pass the test. So far, I have Saunders, Kaplan, and exam cram third edition. Is there anything else I need to be studying? I am about 5 weeks away... Any advice and encouragement is greatly appreciated![/quote']

Google nclex 3000 pn, there is free software that you could use for practice questions

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Review the basics: lab values, basic pt care/comfort/safety, delegation, and prioritization.

Do practice questions.

Stay calm, do your relaxation technique when you first sit down and before the exam starts. This usually helps.

Make sure to read and re-read the question and answers before you select your answer(s).

Treat each question with care. Even if you don't know (or remember) the disease/condition.

Lastly; Rationalize your answer, so you can be confident in why you chose that answer.

Good Luck. :)

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Review the basics: lab values, basic pt care/comfort/safety, delegation, and prioritization.

Do practice questions.

Stay calm, do your relaxation technique when you first sit down and before the exam starts. This usually helps.

Make sure to read and re-read the question and answers before you select your answer(s).

Treat each question with care. Even if you don't know (or remember) the disease/condition.

Lastly; Rationalize your answer, so you can be confident in why you chose that answer.

Good Luck. :)

Also, ABC's and Maslows. :)

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Thank you all for the advice! Im listing down what you guys suggested and I'll check the nclex 3000.

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Thank you all for the advice! Im listing down what you guys suggested and I'll check the nclex 3000.

A post from a couple months ago.........when I got home from the NCLEX PN.....Hope this helps!!

"I JUST got home from taking my NCLEXPN in Ft. Lauderdale. Let me just say...I used the PVT, and according to that, I PASSED!! I am completely overjoyed!! But, about the test...they let me begin as soon as I arrived....an hour and a half before my SCHEDULED exam time. I had to use the earphones to cancel out the noise of one of the secretaries in the other room talking too loud at one point, which broke my concentration, but I just closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It worked. I was really anxious and found it hard to concentrate when I went past question 75, then 85, then 90, but then I stopped counting. It shut off somewhere around 110 questions. Based on what I got, I would just say that if you have a good, well rounded, BASIC knowledge, you will PASS!! There were questions I had NO IDEA about, but really those were only a few. Know how to prioritize you patient care. In case of ...WHO IS THE MOST URGENTLY IN NEED OF CARE!!?? Also, review you basic procedures, step by step!! I missed one question because I could not remember which order to put one of the steps in. Felt so silly, because I should have known that one. I really think the thing that helped me the most was to REMAIN CALM!!!! Deep breathe when I felt my heart racing and palms sweating. It would not have been the end of the world had I failed. But I would have been extremely disappointed. Be prepared for a LOT LOT LOT of select all!!! At one point I thought I was going to fail for sure because there were so many, but it's all good now. Thank God, and hang in there.....do not let nerves get the best of you. STAY CALM, and just look at it as if you were taking another test in nursing school. Good Luck , everyone!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! "

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A post from a couple months ago.........when I got home from the NCLEX PN.....Hope this helps!!

"I JUST got home from taking my NCLEXPN in Ft. Lauderdale. Let me just say...I used the PVT, and according to that, I PASSED!! I am completely overjoyed!! But, about the test...they let me begin as soon as I arrived....an hour and a half before my SCHEDULED exam time. I had to use the earphones to cancel out the noise of one of the secretaries in the other room talking too loud at one point, which broke my concentration, but I just closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It worked. I was really anxious and found it hard to concentrate when I went past question 75, then 85, then 90, but then I stopped counting. It shut off somewhere around 110 questions. Based on what I got, I would just say that if you have a good, well rounded, BASIC knowledge, you will PASS!! There were questions I had NO IDEA about, but really those were only a few. Know how to prioritize you patient care. In case of ...WHO IS THE MOST URGENTLY IN NEED OF CARE!!?? Also, review you basic procedures, step by step!! I missed one question because I could not remember which order to put one of the steps in. Felt so silly, because I should have known that one. I really think the thing that helped me the most was to REMAIN CALM!!!! Deep breathe when I felt my heart racing and palms sweating. It would not have been the end of the world had I failed. But I would have been extremely disappointed. Be prepared for a LOT LOT LOT of select all!!! At one point I thought I was going to fail for sure because there were so many, but it's all good now. Thank God, and hang in there.....do not let nerves get the best of you. STAY CALM, and just look at it as if you were taking another test in nursing school. Good Luck , everyone!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! "

Wow!!! Congratulations @leanne1980 this gives me more encouragement! I'm so happy for you. Truth is I wanna get it over with and ready to face the truth. If not then I'll try again. But the goal is to pass of course. This is the month and I'm excited to take it. I hope to see more people passing the test and more success to encourage others taking the test. Good luck to us.

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Congrats!! And thanks for this! I graduated in June and have yet to take my test I'm so nervous and have so much anxiety but so far all my classmate have passed about 12 out of 17 so that's also encouraging and they all said it's not THAT bad of a test

A post from a couple months ago.........when I got home from the NCLEX PN.....Hope this helps!! "I JUST got home from taking my NCLEXPN in Ft. Lauderdale. Let me just say...I used the PVT and according to that, I PASSED!! I am completely overjoyed!! But, about the test...they let me begin as soon as I arrived....an hour and a half before my SCHEDULED exam time. I had to use the earphones to cancel out the noise of one of the secretaries in the other room talking too loud at one point, which broke my concentration, but I just closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It worked. I was really anxious and found it hard to concentrate when I went past question 75, then 85, then 90, but then I stopped counting. It shut off somewhere around 110 questions. Based on what I got, I would just say that if you have a good, well rounded, BASIC knowledge, you will PASS!! There were questions I had NO IDEA about, but really those were only a few. Know how to prioritize you patient care. In case of ...WHO IS THE MOST URGENTLY IN NEED OF CARE!!?? Also, review you basic procedures, step by step!! I missed one question because I could not remember which order to put one of the steps in. Felt so silly, because I should have known that one. I really think the thing that helped me the most was to REMAIN CALM!!!! Deep breathe when I felt my heart racing and palms sweating. It would not have been the end of the world had I failed. But I would have been extremely disappointed. Be prepared for a LOT LOT LOT of select all!!! At one point I thought I was going to fail for sure because there were so many, but it's all good now. Thank God, and hang in there.....do not let nerves get the best of you. STAY CALM, and just look at it as if you were taking another test in nursing school. Good Luck , everyone!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! "[/quote']
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Hello to all nurses and future nurses. I finally scheduled to test on Dec. 26 2013 and having mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety. I'm currently working as a med tech in assisted living full time after I graduated last July, but organizing my time to study and work could be a bit challenging. Just looking for advice and word of encouragement to people in the same shoes and the chances of passing the test that possibly could change my life. I really love nursing and passing this test could be the great start of my chosen career. I really hope I pass the test. So far, I have Saunders, Kaplan, and exam cram third edition. Is there anything else I need to be studying? I am about 5 weeks away... Any advice and encouragement is greatly appreciated!

I also finished my schooling in July. I am going on Wed. 12/11/13 for my NCLEX. I am one who has alot of anxiety and don't know about this test. I think the schools give us the anxiety about it and im hoping its not that bad. I have been doing question after question in Kaplan. My scores are not as high as I would like them to be I cant seem to get out of the 60s so you know im freaking out about the NCLEX test. I have heard that there is alottttttttt of select all that apply questions. I hate them questions because I cant get any of them right. I don't know what to do there is always 1 I will leave out or pick one that is wrong. I don't know. I was thinking of pushing the test back but I know me if I don't do it now I will never do it. I want to wish you luck on your test and I will be back Wed night to let you know how I do on mine. I just wish there was a way of getting around the SATA questions because I cant do them. Wish me luck because I will need it.

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