NCLEX studying/test length

[I.C.UNurse]

Hello everybody, I am very new to this board so pardon me if some of this message is messed up. I just recently took and passed my NCLEX boards (big old 500 pound gorilla off my back for sure!) and will start working this week in an adult ICU. I am writing this topic just to give future NCLEX takers some sense of relief about the way to study for the NCLEX and the NCLEX test procedure.

First is about studying for the NCLEX. The NCLEX will hammer you with select all that apply, prioritization, medication calculations, pharmacology and safety questions. I tell you this because the way you studied for tests in nursing school, will not help you on the NCLEX very much. You may be one of those 1 in 100 students who does not study and pass the NCLEX in 75 questions, but why take that chance? Take an NCLEX prep course of some kind and keep at it everyday for an hour or two at least. I myself took Kaplan (I highly recommend this course!) and answered 200-300 questions each day for 3 weeks. You need to take 3,500 questions just to feel comfortable to answer the questions on the NCLEX and an additional 500 to 1,500 to be fully prepared for the NCLEX.

Second is taking the test. Take a deep breath and focus until your heart beat can not be heard through your ears! Do not read any negativity about the NCLEX about people saying I took 75 questions and failed, it was the hardest test in the world, I hated that test, etc. Have confidence in yourself and just review and look for positivity if looking for content on the NCLEX. I myself took the NCLEX and passed in 75 questions, walked into the testing center and left the testing center in 45 minutes! I felt very confident in my answers and should have just left it at that, but just had to look online and see if this was a bad sign. The average was about 2.5 hours to take the test, I finished mine in 45 minutes! After reading that I was positive I failed. However, 48 hours later found out I passed! I mention this just because if you going through the test thinking the answers make sense to me and not as hard as I thought, doesn't mean you have failed. Look for ques that you receiving the hard analysis/application questions (SATA, prioritization).

In the end, be confident in yourself going into the test, review every day for an hour or two at the least for at least 3 weeks and TAKE A REVIEW CLASS! Hope this helps to anybody who is feeling nervous and out of sorts before, during or after the NCLEX!

[Miniangel2]

Thanks for sharing! Goodluck!

[oklahomagal]

Thank you for sharing, and congrats on passing!! I am scheduled to take my NCLEX on 7/1 and I am starting to feel uneasy.

[MsRN2b2013]

Thank you!! And congratulations!!

[BloomNurseRN, ASN, BSN, RN]

Congrats on passing! I actually took about the same amount of time on my test and felt like I could puke when I saw that I finished so fast. I started around 7:45 a.m. and ended about 8:35 a.m. Something like that. I didn't feel horrible or anything just scared that I had gone too fast and seriously messed up. I had my license # on the state BON by 9:00 a.m. though so I must have done something right! :-)

Also, I am a HUGE supporter of preparation. We did ATI through my school and I also did Kaplan because I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I felt ready for anything that was thrown at me and while I was NERVOUS to say the least, I knew I had done everything I could to walk in their ready.

Again, congrats!! :-D

[OlivetheRN, ADN, BSN, RN]

I too took my 75 in about 45 and when I left the check in secretary said "done already? That's usually a good sign!" I was still about ready to cry though! Hahaha

[HomeGrownMichiganRN, ADN]

I also took mine today and had 75 questions and I think it took me right around an hour. I am still freaking out of course until I either get the quick results and see a PASSED or see a license number on the BON

[Jskinne1]

Thank you for this! i took a kaplan review course and I'm doing I've been doing 100 questions everyday for about 4 weeks. i take my exam next week.

[my_purpose]

I take mine in the middle of July. We took Kaplan all the way through to the end in school. I always did well on the exams reaching benchmark and above, BUT I am still SOOOOO nervous. In my mind, the NCLEX is nothing like the Kaplan exams.

[cvicufla]

I was a bit miffed when my university basically made it mandatory to purchase the complete Kaplan suite at the beginning of the program. I was encouraged by one of my professors to complete the focused reviews for each course and I shrugged it off. However, after graduation, I attended the week of Kaplan review and it was AMAZING. I then selected the 5 week NCLEX preparation study template and followed it to a tee. I also went back and retook all the focused reviews in my areas of weakness (Mental / OB / Peds). I actually began acing all those questions in my Kaplan Trainers as a result. I then realized I should have listened to my professor during the program because I hated mental and the Kaplan rationales really broke it down perfectly for me. I also completed ALL of the Qbank questions and created a bank of all questions answered wrong. I retook that bank until I had answered all of them right.

Because of Kaplan, I was completely relaxed and calm when I sat down for my NCLEX on June 3rd. The computer shut off at 75 questions and I passed. I give much of the credit to Kaplan and my persistence in consuming all of the questions. Kaplan truly teaches your NCLEX-ese and I felt NCLEX was not as hard as Kaplan.

So my advice is to dedicate yourself to the period of study before NCLEX and save all the vacations / partying for AFTER. You will not regret it and you will walk in confident. GOOD LUCK!!!

[my_purpose]

passed also with 75!! :)