Nclex Preparation

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Hi guys... I'll have my NCLEX review this coming March. So, your answers will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

  1. What books (materials) did you use? Do you thin one book is enough?
  2. How many hours per day did you study?
  3. How many questions did you answer per day?
  4. How many months did you allot for your NCLEX review?

  5. What question in NCLEX (actual exam) had you stumped? That totally surprise you?

  6. What were your preparations the week before your NCLEX?
  7. Strategies used...
  8. What are the important things that you really need to memorize for NCLEX?
  9. Any tips or advice?

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Specializes in PCU - Stepdown.

  1. what books (materials) did you use? do you thin one book is enough? i took the kaplan complete course and used this alone.
  2. how many hours per day did you study? after the 8 days (3h/day) of class, i studied about 3-6 hours every day for 3 weeks.
  3. how many questions did you answer per day? this depended on which test i was taking and if i did anything from their qbank, etc. in total, i did about 3000 questions (this is between the class and what i did online on my own).
  4. how many months did you allot for your nclex review? well, i only had about one month... graduated and already hired into a new grad program i felt as though i just needed to just take the nclex. i did follow kaplan's recommended plan while i studied.
  5. what question in nclex (actual exam) had you stumped? that totally surprise you? not to say that i knew all the answers, i know i didn't. however, i felt really well prepared by kaplan and i saw a lot of questions that were very similar to the practice tests. i was really comfortable through the exam. i also felt as though i understood how to dissect each question and answer, and was able to confidently figure out what a right answer must be, if i didn't know. i had a few drug questions and had never heard of the drugs before, i don't remember any though.
  6. what were your preparations the week before your nclex? i followed kaplan's recommendation.... so the week before. i took the 2nd to last test and the next day got together with 2 friends and reviewed all of our tests up to that point. we were taking nclex on the same day, all took kaplan and decided getting together to review rationales for answers would help us to understand and remember what we got wrong. (these were days 1 and 2 of said week). day 3 i took off and went to a friends house for a bbq. day 4 i took my final practice exam and reviewed all of my answers. day 5 i reviewed some minor things (labs, etc) on and off, probably spent an hour total studying. day 6 i got a manicure and pedicure, cooked a great dinner and went to bed early! (i highly recommend not studying on this day... i know i needed a day to put it out of my mind and get "zen" about it. also, i figured, at that point if i didn't know it, no amount of cramming the day before would make me know it. as another nurse told me, "there comes a point where you have to trust the work you did in nursing school and trust what you know". i did just that!) day 7 i took the nclex and passed ! :yeah:
  7. strategies used... all kaplan......
  8. what are the important things that you really need to memorize for nclex? labs.... for the rest, you need to practice a ton of questions and really get used to the style and rationales behind the questions/answers. you also need a good knowledge base, so i would recommend, whichever class or prep you do, that it has some sort of content review available to you for those things you don't use and/or forgot. for me, it was l&d and peds stuff.
  9. any tips or advice? i highly recommend kaplan. 10 of us from my class took it together. of the 7 who have taken nclex all have passed in 75 questions.

good luck!! i'm sure you'll do great!! :D

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Please be very aware that it is against US copyright law to post questions that were taken from the NCLEX exams, as well as be aware that they Board does prosecute for posting of these questions.

When you write the exam, before you even actually start the questions, you agree that you will not share any question that was on your exam. We have seen nurses lose their exam results over this.

Please be very careful when you ask specifics about the exam.

Also please be aware that the questions are continuously changing, and what was on one exam for one particular person may not be seen by the next. Questions are given to you by how you answer the previous ones, and only by that.

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  1. what books (materials) did you use? do you thin one book is enough? saunders 4th edition (about $40 bucks from b&n)
  2. how many hours per day did you study? 1 or less
  3. how many questions did you answer per day? sometimes 100, sometimes much less, depended on how much time i had.
  4. how many months did you allot for your nclex review? about 1 month

  5. what question in nclex (actual exam) had you stumped? that totally surprise you? how many "select all that apply" questions i got; must've been like 15!

  6. what were your preparations the week before your nclex? i stopped reviewing everything 2 days prior to the exam. strategies used...
  7. what are the important things that you really need to memorize for nclex? nothing really - for me the test was mostly critically thinking. however, infection control was a big theme for me on mine.
  8. any tips or advice? there's really no review that you can do that is going to be better than the other. like i said, most of my exam was critically thinking, so there weren't any "oh! i remember seeing that information somehwhere!" moments. just read the question, and pick the answer that most relates to the questions and you will do fine!

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

  1. what books (materials) did you use? do you thin one book is enough? saunders/davis/mosbys and kaplans. i bought some, borrowed some and shared some. i also had a 400 card box of note cards that i kept in my car for when i found myself waiting at the kids dentist/dr/socccer games etc.

  2. how many hours per day did you study? for about 3 weeks or so , i probaly studied 4+ hours a day!! i started studying jan 5th and tested the 23rd of jan.

  3. how many questions did you answer per day?hundreds. i would start each day with a 20 question test and just keep going.

  4. how many months did you allot for your nclex review? less than 1. only a few weeks

  5. what question in nclex (actual exam) had you stumped? that totally surprise you?i had done so many practice questions that nothing surprised me. i felt very confident taking the test. it was identical to a davis disk.

  6. what were your preparations the week before your nclex?i studied hard core up until about 5 days before the test, then i would take a 20 question test and if i got 80% or above i wouldnt do any more, if i scored less than an 80, i would do another 20question test till i reached an 80%.

  7. strategies used...questions-questions and more questions. i would read all the rationals for the correct and incorrect responses. i also thought realistically, what can a nurse do? what is the question really asking me. i went with my gut instinct. i would read the question, then the choices, pick a choice then re-read the question one more time with my choice in mind. if it fit, i went with it.

  8. what are the important things that you really need to memorize for nclex? i have no idea, i have heard people say maslows, or lab values or drugs. i think if you made it through school, it is there in your mind, dont let your stress get the best of you, take lots of deep breaths and just give it your best shot.

  9. any tips or advice?questions are free....do as many as you can fit in before your test. it is not that your really learning anything new, your learning how the nclex questions. do as many as you can, once you start hitting an 80% consistently, then slow down. i did nothing but watch movies and cook the few days before my test. let your mind relax. think positive, imagine your name with the letters r.n behind it.

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  1. what books (materials) did you use? do you thin one book is enough? primarily saunders nclex review book (read q chapter and did the practice questions at the end of each chapter and practiced questions on the cd) also used kaplan nclex strategies book with 360 questions (180 book/180 cd) and (the one study tool i found most helpful) kaplan trainer. in addition, i used portable rn for procedures i was not too familiar with or had never heard of.

  2. how many hours per day did you study? i honestly did not keep track. i wasn't working so i would start around 2pm and go all the way until 8pm sometimes...with breaks of course. i gave myself the weekends off. :D i reviewed the saunders book the longest...maybe about 3 weeks. then just focused on questions for the next 2 weeks. i ended up doing over 2000 questions total, both saunders and kaplan.

  3. how many questions did you answer per day? at least 40, at most 250! usually always less than 100 bc i reviewed and practiced questions simultaneously.

  4. how many months did you allot for your nclex review? a little over a month

  5. what question in nclex (actual exam) had you stumped? that totally surprise you? there was just one question that i had never heard of but i used kaplan's strategies and was able to choose the correct option. i came home and looked it up when i got home from the nclex.

  6. what were your preparations the week before your nclex?
  7. strategies used... practice questions. i tried to just relax the day before...ended up just reviewing the flashcards i had made with lab values and meds.

  8. what are the important things that you really need to memorize for nclex? endocrine disorders! infection control, health promotion/prevention and priority/delegation.

  9. any tips or advice? know the above, especially. and practice practice practice questions.

just so you know, i don't know if i passed... i took the nclex yesterday and stopped at 75 questions. however, i felt prepared before and during the test. kaplan questions seemed more difficult than nclex questions so i came out of the test wondering if i did good enough because it didn't seem so bad.

good luck to you and i will let you know if i passed. it will be a while since i am from cali. :argue:

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when ca i apply for nclex? right after graduation?

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Suzanne, R u the person i need to talk to about the Suzannes plan I hear about on the forum?

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  1. what books (materials) did you use? do you thin one book is enough? saunders (3rd ed), mosbys, mosbys review cards, kaplans, mosbys prioritizing, and nursing made insanely easy
  2. how many hours per day did you study? i'd say close to 6
  3. how many questions did you answer per day? hundreds!
  4. how many months did you allot for your nclex review? just under 2 mos.

  5. what question in nclex (actual exam) had you stumped? that totally surprise you? it was all hard!

  6. what were your preparations the week before your nclex? my test was scheduled for 8 am. so the week before my test i got up early and took a practice exam on the computer so i could get used to functioning and thinking when i was that tired! the nite before i attempted to go to bed early but i got like no sleep i was so nervous
  7. strategies used... do massive amounts of questions!!! i did over 5000 before i took my exam and relax. dont freak out if your test goes past 75. take a deep breath and keep going!
  8. what are the important things that you really need to memorize for nclex? airway, breathing, and circulation!!!! that will help you alot w/prioritization. i made note cards for all of the lab normals.
  9. any tips or advice? always assess before implement. i think as students we forget this a lot of times! remember pt. safety if you dont know an answer, ask yourself is this safe? when you choose your answer it will help you everytime! and relax during the test. sometimes when your nervous you forget to breath so keep breathing!

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  1. what books (materials) did you use? do you thin one book is enough? primarily saunders nclex review book (read q chapter and did the practice questions at the end of each chapter and practiced questions on the cd) also used kaplan nclex strategies book with 360 questions (180 book/180 cd) and (the one study tool i found most helpful) kaplan trainer. in addition, i used portable rn for procedures i was not too familiar with or had never heard of.

  2. how many hours per day did you study? i honestly did not keep track. i wasn't working so i would start around 2pm and go all the way until 8pm sometimes...with breaks of course. i gave myself the weekends off. :D i reviewed the saunders book the longest...maybe about 3 weeks. then just focused on questions for the next 2 weeks. i ended up doing over 2000 questions total, both saunders and kaplan.

  3. how many questions did you answer per day? at least 40, at most 250! usually always less than 100 bc i reviewed and practiced questions simultaneously.

  4. how many months did you allot for your nclex review? a little over a month

  5. what question in nclex (actual exam) had you stumped? that totally surprise you? there was just one question that i had never heard of but i used kaplan's strategies and was able to choose the correct option. i came home and looked it up when i got home from the nclex.

  6. what were your preparations the week before your nclex?
  7. strategies used... practice questions. i tried to just relax the day before...ended up just reviewing the flashcards i had made with lab values and meds.

  8. what are the important things that you really need to memorize for nclex? endocrine disorders! infection control, health promotion/prevention and priority/delegation.

  9. any tips or advice? know the above, especially. and practice practice practice questions.

just so you know, i don't know if i passed... i took the nclex yesterday and stopped at 75 questions. however, i felt prepared before and during the test. kaplan questions seemed more difficult than nclex questions so i came out of the test wondering if i did good enough because it didn't seem so bad.

good luck to you and i will let you know if i passed. it will be a while since i am from cali. :argue:

i said i'd let you know when i passed so here i am sharing the great news!:lol2: i also wanted to add some tips. when looking at priority questions, after implementing abc, assess each pt looking for a change in their condition then use maslow's hierarchy of needs. also, know what you can not delegate to an lvn/n.a....anything that has to do with assessment, especially of an unstable pt. and pt. teaching...including discharge teaching.

hope this helps and good luck!:)

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Suzanne, R u the person i need to talk to about the Suzannes plan I hear about on the forum?

She is the person and all information regarding her plan is in the sticky called 2008 version of Suzanne's plan

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thank-you for this thread!!!

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