I am on of the first New Graduates to take the NCLEX in Canada. The NCLEX replaced our existing national boards (CRNE) as of January 5th, 2015. I took my exam yesterday, January 6th, and I have a few questions and tips for everyone. Since this test is very recent, theres a few kinks that will be discovered.
Pearson Vue Trick: I tried to do this myself but I am unsure if I did it correctly. I got a pop up saying I couldn't register for the NCLEX again because my records are on hold. Was this similar to yours?
ID: The Pearson Vue website is not very clear regarding what types of ID are acceptable. If you are a Canadian Citizen, any form of government ID is acceptable. But if you are a permanent resident, you will need to show your passport or permanent resident card. In my case, since I am an American born permanent resident, I came to the testing office only with a British Columbia License. Apparently, this is not acceptable. Luckily I was able to rush back home and grab my passport just in the knick of time to take the test
Computer shut off at 110: Now I understand that the minimum questions to pass/fail is at 75. Kaplan implied that most American NCLEX candidates completed their exam at around 120. I'm just curious to figure out how candidates did in Canada. This concept is new and very different from the CRNE. Because of the unfamiliarity, I am not sure if 110 is good or not.
Lab Values: I was very relieved to see that questions were provided in both SI and U.S.A values. I used Kaplan Prep to study which gave rationales and lab values in American values. Don't stress too much about this!.
Take your time: I found 6 hours to be sufficient amount of time. I finished mine in 2.5hrs. Don't rush, and think through everything. No need to worry about the clock.
Don't Stress Out: I realized that questions kept getting harder as I went through. Feeling like you have no idea whats going on is pretty normal. It's suppose to test your limits and question yourself.
Take Breaks: Take advantage of the breaks! I found that after I took a break it was a lot easier to concentrate. Also bring something to snack on, gives good brain fuel to continue the exam.
Don't bring anything you don't need: They're very strict at the testing centre. You will only be allowed to bring your ID and your locker key to the testing. They give you everything else that you'll need
Study: I used both Mosby's NCLEX-RN text and the Kaplan Prep. I found both to be useful, but I feel that Kaplan has helped me prepare better. It's a bit pricey, but it taught me how to analyze questions and prioritize better. Their decision tree is useful when taking the NCLEX exam. I highly recommend it.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
I guess there will always be things nobody thinks of when making a change of this magnitude. It's too bad it had to be you that showed them the hole, but now nobody else should fall in it on top of you.
NotReady4PrimeTime, RN
5 Articles; 7,358 Posts
I guess there will always be things nobody thinks of when making a change of this magnitude. It's too bad it had to be you that showed them the hole, but now nobody else should fall in it on top of you.