NCLEX RN Advice

[merzielynn]

Hi there! I told myself after taking the NCLEX-RN exam that I would come back here (like many have) and discuss my experience, results, etc. because I spent countless evenings and hours on this site looking for comfort throughout my nursing school journey and especially after I graduated waiting to take the NCLEX. I took the NCLEX RN yesterday (1/6/16) at 8:00 am and completed the exam in approximately 1 hour with 75 questions. I will post my results in the morning when I get them. I have done the PVT and gotten "the good pop up" and my state (Texas) BON has not removed my graduate nurse license, which is supposed to be a good sign. My boss said that if you fail, the BON will immediately remove your GN license from the site. Anyways....here is what I did.

I graduated 12/10/15. I got my ATT on 1/16/15. I signed up to take the NCLEX for 1/6/16, giving myself exactly 3 weeks to study.

For the first week, I really got down to business on re-watching my Hurst Review videos. The Hurst has 27 videos total, anywhere from 16 minutes to 1 hour and 24 minutes long.The videos average around 45 minutes. I had already taken the live review the week of graduation with my class (It was mandatory, $300). I had 9 videos left to watch by the time I stopped studying for the NCLEX. (So I did not complete the review all the way through). The Hurst Review online also has 6 practice tests "Q Trainers" that are 125 questions each. I completed all of these before I took the NCLEX.

I purchased the Kaplan-Q Bank for one month. It was $49. I aimed to answer 100-200 questions a day and to review all of the rationales. I bought a spiral notebook and wrote down the rationales to questions I got wrong. I also wrote down unfamiliar topics and looked them up after the fact.

I purchased the LaCharity: Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment book. It is a thin, workbook-style book that Barnes and Noble carries. It was $50. I completed about half of the work book.

After my first week of studying, I went out of town for Christmas to visit family for 2 days. When I came back, it was very hard for me to get back to 8 hour study days. I could not focus on any more videos. I stopped watching videos and decided to just answer as much questions as I could stand every day. I ended up doing about 150-200 questions a day until the day before my test date. Before I took my test I had ended up doing 1,350 questions and reading rationales. (Yes, I added it up). My bestie from nursing school and I got together each day for 3 days before the test. What we did was take 1 Hurst Q-Trainer test (125 questions each) together each day. We took turns reading questions out loud to each other and working through the answers. Then, we would go back and read all of the rationales out loud together also. We both felt like this was extremely helpful. We only disagreed on about 10% of the test. We obviously scored better together, so we subtracted about 10 questions from our final score for accuracy as to where we really stood.

What were my Kaplan Q Bank scores like?

Test 1: 57%
Test 2: 57%
Test 3: 63%
Test 4: 59%
Test 5: 44% (I think I was tired of studying this day
Test 6: 65%
Test 7: 55%
Test 8: 64%

I took 75 question tests in "timed mode" not "tutor mode". I never recycled any questions and I always checked "select all" for content of questions.

What were my Hurst Q Trainer Scores? This is questions correct out of 125. They also give you percentages. I did not feel like going through the trouble of looking at the percentages in each test, sorry ?

Test 1: 75
Test 2: 77
Test 3: 82
Test 4: 84 (With my friend)
Test 5: 93 (With my friend)
Test 6: 85

I felt that I was more than prepared for my NCLEX exam (after the fact). My advice for anyone taking the NCLEX would be as follows:

Sign Up ASAP After Graduation.

Do not wait. Give yourself 1 maybe 2 weeks to study. I feel that trying to learn and memorize content right after graduation is counter productive. You JUST graduated nursing school. You know at least 70% of the information that you need to know for the NCLEX if you passed your program. There is no way of knowing what content-related information will be on your test because everyone's test is so different. DO NOT waste your time trying to memorize and learn new content. Just stop and trust yourself. If you are doing something such as Hurst review, I would recommend watching videos on subjects that you are not strong in. For instance, I am not great at Fluids and Electrolytes or ACID/BASE. If I could go back, I would have just watched these videos. Do not waste time and energy. Maybe look over lab values daily. That is the only memorizing I recommend. I know how some of you feel that you HAVE to do content. If you have Hurst access, look through their "5th Day Material" handouts. They have great reviews on meds by class if you are pharmacology weak. If you do not have Hurst access, maybe try purchasing the Picmonic package. This seems to be a great site to help learn content, meds, etc. and it is cheap. ($10 I believe).

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS!!!

Do as many questions as you can. Buy the Kaplan Q Bank. Buy the LaCharity PDA book. Buy one other question source such as NCLEX 4000. This is the MOST EFFECTIVE way to study for NCLEX if you are a new grad. This will be enough!!! Try to go through 1500-2000 questions and rationales before your test. You know the minimum competency for content. You need to learn how to answer the questions.

In short...this is what you should purchase: (~150$ total)

1. Kaplan Q Bank- $49 for 1 month access
2. LaCharity PDA book- $50
3. Alternate question source such as "NCLEX RN Mastery" which costs about $35 for a month of access. My school also recommended "UWorld" question bank. It costs $60 for one month of access. I had another friend recommend the NCSBN study plan/question bank. She passed in 75 questions her first try in June 2015. If you have the Hurst Review, use their Q Tests plus one other source for questions. That will be sufficient.

There is a 35 page review floating around on here that is also really helpful. It was VERY accurate on the need-to-know content. I would read over this a few times. I can e-mail you this if you need it, just ask ?

This will be more than enough for someone who has just passed an RN program to pass the NCLEX.

If you have been out of nursing school for a while and are trying to prepare, I would recommend purchasing the online version of the Hurst Review for 300$ and going through all of the content videos. Take their Q Trainer tests AFTER you watch ALL of the content videos- they will not give you more time in the event that you end up failing the NCLEX if you do any of the Q Trainers BEFORE you watch ALL of the videos. Just read all of the directions so you don't screw yourself out of more review in the event of failing (but you WON'T FAIL!)

What type of student was I? I was very strong in clinicals and found most of my nursing school exams difficult. I have never been extremely competent in my "book smart" abilities, but have always been pleasantly surprised by my outcomes and grades. I am a "B" student. I made 2 "C's" and 2 "A's" in nursing school, with the rest being "B". There were times that I did study a LOT, but I still felt that I was able to have a social life in nursing school. Our school did ATI testing. I averaged level 2's for ATI. I was weak in pharmacology ATI. I also passed my ATI comprehensive exit exam on the first try with a 96% prediction that I would pass NCLEX on my first try.

What was my exam like? Well..It was 75 questions. I had a lot of SATA...probably about 30. That is all I can say about my actual exam. The content and style was very comparable to Hurst Review questions and also Kaplan Q Bank questions.

Remember these things when taking the NCLEX:

1. This is a SAFETY TEST. The Board of Nursing wants to make sure that you have the minimum competency to practice safely without harming anyone.

2. With questions, ask yourself:

• Who would die FIRST if I did not see them?
• What would keep my patient the safest?
• If I can only do ONE of these things.....which thing will help my patient the most?
• What will fix the problem the FASTEST?
• If it is a delegation question: What patient is the most stable and predictable (for the LVN/LPN)? For the UAP: Can I EAT (Evaluate, Assess, or Teach) it? Then I will not delegate it! I am hungry!
• If the question is SATA: Read each statement individually. Treat each statement as a true or false as it pertains to the question. Breathe through these! YOU CAN do it!

You Passed Nursing School. You Got This!

Believe in your abilities and practice practice practice answering questions. No negative self talk. When you get tired of studying, take breaks! Be gentle on yourself. Pray Pray Pray (to God, the universe, whatever you believe in...!) GOOD VIBES ONLY! Good luck future RN's! ?

Check Out The Following '5 Tips to Prep For NCLEX RN' Video...

NCLEX-RN-2016-Advice.pdf

[callmewoof]

I've heard that cramming 200-300 Q bank (Uworld etc) per day does more harm than good. Honestly, your brain just won't absorb it all and pushing past a certain point has diminishing returns. Besides that, you can't learn everything for the NCLEX. Quantity isn't the issue, but quality is. Like others said, read why you were wrong, read why the other options were wrong, and especially read why you were right. I suppose everyone learns differently though.

I quantity learned 300 on a dozen subject questions each. -> Doesn't help me answer Subjects B-Z.

I quality learned 100 on a dozen subject questions each. -> I can use A-Z to link together answers for unknown subjects.

At least, that's how it was for me. Your mileage may vary.

[Browneyes80]

Thank you for the advice. I'm just ready for this to be over with.

[cyaos]

Hello guys ?

I took the NCLEX on January 22nd and finished in 75 questions in an hour. My license was posted today at the BON. I just wanted to share my tips as well and hope that everyone here excels and passes!

I watched two short Kaplan intro videos that my friend had - The main thing I got out of it was using the decision tree and maslow's hierarchy (very important tools).

I bought the one month Kaplan qbank (has ~1500 questions). I studied from January 9th to January 21st (2 weeks) from 11:30am-6:00pm and would do about 75-150 questions a day, totaling 1435 questions. I would give myself the rest of the day to do whatever I wanted, watch tv, hang out with friends, etc. I would remediate each and every question I got wrong and even the right ones. By remediating, I mean I would type the question and the right answer(s) in a document. I ended up having about 75 pages of notes, which I read through once (got too exhausted to read through again). Near the second week of studying, I stopped remediating as thoroughly and would only type down things that were harder to remember. My total average percentage was 60.35%. I got as low as 50% on my quizzes and as high as 68%.

The day before, I know some people recommend relaxing and not doing anything, but for me because I studied in only 2 weeks, I used the last day to review my remediation notes and skim over the study guide that's been floating around. I was actually kind of bored and nervous at the same time, so i did 150 questions on that day as well. I still had time for a nice dinner out and went to bed fairly early.

The next day I woke up and quickly glanced over the study guide and had a good breakfast and went to take the test.

I'm not sure if this helps, but I felt that the nclex was a little bit easier than Kaplan. The questions seemed to be a little more obvious in what they were looking for and the answers as well. I don't remember how many SATA questions I had, but I think I really only had about 10-15? I had one exhibit question and a handful of drugs. I had no sounds, videos, pictures, calculations, or drag and drops. What kept me going was every time I saw a SATA question, I knew that I was at the highest level question type, and it gave me hope that I was doing something right. Don't get discouraged and just keep answering each question to the best of your ability. For me, I almost treated the NCLEX as if it was just another practice exam. I tried to take deep breaths and take my time (but not too much time to over think it).

I did not ever crack open a content book. No matter how much content you will learn, there's always more! I think the key is really learning how to answer the questions, rather than knowing content. A lot of the questions are priority questions where they will ask which patient does the nurse see first? Oftentimes, you don't even have to really know each pt's disease as long as you recognize ABCs are first, etc, you can get the right answer. I only studied drugs that came across the kaplan qbank. I also remembered a few basic lab values, but nothing too extensive.

I hope you guys all pass and feel free to message me or comment!

[enileg]

Hi thank you so much for all your tips!!! I graduated a year ago but i have never taken the NCLEX due to fear and anxiety. Everytime i get near the test date i always end up rescheduling it. I also jump from one review to the next. Ive tried kaplan, saunders, lippincott QA, Mary Ann Hogan content review book, La Charity , Moby's flashcards, Hurst, and I'm now currently using Uworld (which i like better than Kaplan). I am just so nervous! Even my friends and coworkers can't believe i haven't taken it. How many review books do you think i should stick with. And i also work 5 days a week so i usually dont have time to type or write everything down so i think that's why i feel like nothing is sticking in my head.

[lilnursey'15]

I recently passed the NCLEX.

The majority of my test prep was using UWorld. I did 75-100 questions a day in untimed study mode and thoroughly read every single rationale (even if I got the question right). The great thing about UWorld was they gave me so many SATA and prioritization questions, so when I went to take my NCLEX for real I was comfortable with them. The layout of UWorld is also very similar to the actual test which also helped. I ended up with a 57% average after 1600 questions. The day before my NCLEX I did no questions and only looked at lab values and test taking strategies from the Saunders book. I passed my NCLEX in 75 questions in less than 1 hour.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you all and congrats to those that have passed!

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

enileg said:

Hi thank you so much for all your tips!!! I graduated a year ago but i have never taken the NCLEX due to fear and anxiety. Everytime i get near the test date i always end up rescheduling it. I also jump from one review to the next. Ive tried kaplan, saunders, lippincott QA, Mary Ann Hogan content review book, La Charity , Moby's flashcards, Hurst, and I'm now currently using Uworld (which i like better than Kaplan). I am just so nervous! Even my friends and coworkers can't believe i haven't taken it. How many review books do you think i should stick with. And i also work 5 days a week so i usually dont have time to type or write everything down so i think that's why i feel like nothing is sticking in my head.

Here's my take:

The issue may not necessarily the source of the review, but how one approaches the NCLEX itself: understanding the four concepts of becoming a competent, entry-level nurse:

1. Safe, effective care;

2.Health promotion;

3.Physiological Integrity;

4.Psychosocial integrity

Will determine WHAT the question is asking you; the question may be Respiratory related-but is it a Health Promotion or a Safety, or a Physiological or a Psychosocial one? Would you know the difference and choose the BEST answer?

Once one understands the concepts of NCLEX, they can do so successfully.

Don't look at content; you know most of the material because you passed nursing school; begin to do questions related to each concept; review all questions and rationales; ANY rationale you struggle with, THEN review content. Lather, rinse, repeat.

When practicing the questions, prepare the questions like a mock NCLEX exam, review the minimum and then work up to the maximum for endurance purposes.

After looking at your report, focus on the weakness and review questions and rationales; make mock NCLEX tests and start with the minimum and gradually until the maximum; you have to have an endurance in answering application questions.

After each "exam", make sure you are reviewing the rationales; any rationales you are not clear on THEN

look up the content.

[cyaos]

Hi enileg!

I guess everyone's study strategies aren't the same, but I would probably stick to one or two books max because you don't want to overwhelm yourself. Have you used Kaplan qbank or uworld qbank? I won't say this for everyone, but I feel like most can agree that getting familiar with the style and format of questions is most important. If there's something you don't understand, then go to your book and review that part. The ones you do know, still review it, but you don't have to go into too much detail.

It may seem really intimidating to take the test, but since you haven't taken it yet, try not to put so much pressure on this one exam. I know you want to do well and that you want to pass and there's probably pressure from your friends and family, but remember that if you don't pass the first time, there's always a second chance! I'm not saying that you should think you will fail, but for me I told myself, I'm going to give it my best and if I fail, it's not the end of the world. I am still me, I still have my support system, and I'll try to learn a different strategy for the second time around if it comes to it. It definitely made me less nervous thinking about the test.

Also, if you do take it soon, don't worry how many questions you are on during the NCLEX. From 75 to 265, you can still be in the game and pass!

Since you work 5 days a week, it will be tougher, but try to do maybe 50 questions a day? Give yourself a good amount of time to study and i think practicing answering questions is the best thing you can do for yourself. Content is helpful for understanding deeper concepts, but test taking strategies are even more helpful when it comes to the NCLEX world.

[enileg]

Wow, thank you so so much LadyFree28, lilnursey'15, and cyaos! I really appreciate your advice. I think that i will stick with Uworld since a lot of the people here said that they've passed using this qbank. I'm also thinking of Lippincott since i liked their rationals and the questions were more challenging than Saunders. Thank you again!

[Epcain17]

Passed with 75 questions in about an hour and 45 minutes !

[ama03819]

Don't forget the NCLEX questions change this year starting in April 2016!! Every 3 years the exam changes

[merzielynn, BSN, RN]

Hi there! My nursing program actually had us apply and fingerprint for the BON before we even started! We paid our testing fees 3 months before graduation, and upon graduating our school sent our affidavits to the BON saying that we had passed and were eligible to test. My advice is to apply ASAP so that your background check can be processed. I know this process can be time consuming. Best of luck to you as you finish your nursing school journey!

[merzielynn, BSN, RN]

Don't sweat it! After it's over you are going to feel immense relief and more human again :) Then you will start working and not even think about the NCLEX anymore! Like I said...take a few deep breaths and read each question slowly twice over. Answer within a few minutes and move on. Be present in your test and focus only on the question at hand...don't think about previously answered questions. It will be over before you know it and you will pass!