Nclex 2015

Published Jul 22, 2015

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2 Posts

Hi all! i just took my nclex and I passed! (still in shock!) I had 75 questions, and I walked out feeling like I had failed, which is common I hear, and 48 hours later I paid for quick results and got the good news! Throughout my entire nursing education I utilized all nurses.com, and I wanted to give back! This post will be explaining how I was able to be successful on the Nclex and some resources I used. I will try to make this short and sweet. I used the following: Kaplan ($499- for full access), Hurst ($350) , Nclex Mastery App ($29.99, free version available), and the Saunders Nclex RN Examination (yellow) book (prices vary on amazon)

Please remember these are my own opinions and I am in no way saying that you must do any of these to be successful, we are all different and require different things, I only want to share my experience with all you wonderful people and hopefully ease some anxiety

Kaplan scores: QTrainer 1: 54, QTrainer 2: 58, QTrainer 3: 56, QTrainer 4: 58,

QTrainer 5: 60, QTrainer 6: 55, QTrainer 7: 55,

Sample Test 1: 64, Sample Test 2: 50, Sample Test 3: 76, Sample Test 4: 26,

Total Qbank Average: 60

As you can see, my scores were all over the place. The best advice I can give is go over each and every question. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Take out a notebook and write out what you didn't understand (content, critical thinking skills, etc.) Test trainers 6 and 7 were super long and intense, so I went to the library to do these. I would take breaks and pause the tests so I wouldn't get burnt out. I really recommend trying to finish the last two tests in one sitting to be able to build your endurance for the nclex. I did 6&7 the week of my nclex. I myself, was planning on getting 265 questions which is the max amount of questions you can get.

My next strategy that I used was notecards and a dry erase board. These two things really helped me. You guys, I am the type of person that HAS to study. I cannot wing anything. My memory is horrible. Repetition is the only thing that works for me. I would write lab values, disease processes, medication side effects over and over again until it made me sick. Make notecards on diseases, terms, medications, or procedures that you know you need help on. Carry your cards everywhere with you! Then write them out on your dry erase board. Seeing them and writing them really helped me to retain the information.

Hurst- I bought this and took 2 live reviews. I took the first one the beginning of my second year of nursing school, and the second one I took a few days after my nursing graduation. I really liked hurst, it condensed a lot of information that I was not familiar with or had problems with, especially endocrine! Hurst has tests available but I did not use them because I ran out of time.

I will say that if I could only choose one, I would go with kaplan. In my opinion, they have Hurst beat due to their Qbank, and Test Trainers. Hurst is more of content and Kaplan teaches critical thinking skills. It all depends on what you feel you need to be successful on nclex.

Nclex Mastery App- I really liked using this and having it available at my finger tips. it has tons of questions that really make you think. It helped me to see where I was weak and strong in. I recommend this app for anyone and everyone. It also contains helpful tips and tricks, including mnemonics which I really liked.

There are also some study guides floating around this website that I scanned over right before my test.

https://allnurses.com/attachment.php?...7=&d=1310076980

I studied for about 2 months, I studied like it was my job from 9-5, 5-6 days a week I was reading, writing, or doing questions. I have always been an average student and tend to second guess myself, so I kept pushing my test date back due to anxiety and feeling that I didn't know enough to pass nclex. The morning of my nclex, I was on the verge of tears with my stomach in knots, I could barely eat or speak. As soon as I stepped into the testing center my anxiety started to ease up, and I reminded myself that I had made it this far "It is only a test" I told myself, "I will not let this thing beat ME". During my nclex exam, I found myself beginning to panic so this is what I did: I closed my eyes and placed my hands at my sides, and focused on my breathing. I started with my eyes and began to relax each muscle from head to toe, with each deep breath. This really helps to relieve tension.

Go into your exam knowing that you gave it your all while studying, it will all be worth it to have that RN behind your name. If anyone has any questions please ask away, I only want to help!