NCLEX 2016- Tips to help ease your mind

MultiTasker33 · Feb 29, 2016

Hello all!

I took the NCLEX in February of 2016. The monitor shut off after exactly 75 questions and my stomach fell to the floor. However, even though I felt completely defeated, I found out two days later that I passed the exam. Now that I have had some time to enjoy passing and reflect upon my process, I wanted to share my experience with this community in effort to help future test takers in any way that I can.

The number one thing that I recommend to anyone taking on the NCLEX adventure is effective anxiety/stress management. This helped me and many of my fellow students tremendously. The NCLEX is more often than not a stressful and anxiety ridden experience. That being said, not keeping a clear and positive mind set can work against you tremendously. I was working as a graduate nurse intern almost immediately upon graduating nursing school. So I was trying to balance a full time job along with studying. It became evident very quickly that I was going to need to get a grip on the mental aspect of things or the result was going to be a negative spiral. I began utilizing positive self-talk, deep breathing, and guided imagery about twice per day. I really do believe that too many people shrug off how effective these tactics can be. Wake up and tell yourself that you know your stuff and are going to pass this exam, despite what doubts or fears you may have going on in your mind. After a study session when you're feeling drained, take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself hiking up a mountain or spending a day on the beach. Do whatever works for YOU, but find something that you can rely on while preparing for the exam, and something that you can use during the exam if need be.

Alrighty, now for the actual exam/prep. I used the Hurst review. I felt that the thing that helped the most was the 6 practice exams of 125 questions that are provided. I don't want to go in to a big advertisement for Hurst so I'll keep it short. I liked their review because the information was very organized and compact, which made studying easier. They also set up their practice exams to look identical to the actual NCLEX, so when you go in and test you feel slightly more comfortable. Hurst is a content review and might not work for everyone. You know yourself and how you most effectively learn, so pick something that suites you. Several of my friends used Kaplan, and several of my friends used random NCLEX books and websites and just did the question/rationale style practice. Whatever you end up choosing, make a schedule and stick to it. You have graduated nursing school, or are close to doing so, which makes it that much harder to continue focusing on studying. That being said, don't overdo the studying either. Do a little at a time. My max per day studying ended up being about 4-5 hours. Any more time than that and the information was going in one ear and out the other.

The questions on the exam are not going to be cookie cutter. For example, you are probably not going to have a question that says:

"The patient is hypokalemic. Which food should the patient eat? A)Bananas B) Cheeseburgers C) Corn D) Spaghetti. You are going to think that every answer option on there is right/wrong. That's ok! Just slow down, re-read, and think. Everyone feels the same way that you do. Prepare with practice questions and read the rationales! You will be ok. You know more than you think.

After the exam is over, prepare for the wave of people telling you that you passed. Their intentions are good, but nothing anyone says is going to make you feel better. No one comes out of the exam thinking that they did well. But please, despite what you feel/think, just try to do something fun for the next couple of days until you get your results. I made myself sick trying to recall questions and looking up the answers. I do not suggest this. I also do not suggest the "Pearson trick" that you hear about constantly. TWO of my close friends did the trick and got a false response. They spent the next day being down in the dumps for no reason.

Recap for anyone who didn't want to read this big long rant:

1) Anxiety/stress management- don't blow it off. Start thinking positively and finding ways to management your mind now.

2) Find a review style that works for you. There are tons of programs and different ways to do things, but you know yourself better than anyone. Don't feel pressured by others. Do you!

3) You are going to feel like your intestines fell out of your body when the exam shuts off. This is normal and there is very little that you can do to fix it. Try not to go back and look up answers to questions that you remember. Just enjoy the next two days as much as possible until you are able to get your results. Don't use the pearson trick unless you are completely ok with the possibility of getting a false answer.

4) You got this! Feel free to message me with any questions! Good luck!