Need advice on the NCLEX PN...giving up! please help!

pagandeva2000, LPN · Dec 25, 2007

I do think you should read the material, because you are applying what you have learned by answering the questions. If there is an area that is confusing you, spend time reviewing it, because you really don't know what they will ask you.

I know it is hard, especially seeing your friends pass. But, at this time, tune them out. Before I took NCLEX, I closed my email from my classmates, did not discuss the exam or keep in contact with anyone until I took the exam and passed. It may sound cruel, but how someone else does has no bearing on your outcome. Maybe hearing about how they are doing is upsetting and placing more pressure on yourself. And, I would take a bit more time. Instead of two months, take three. Helen Feuer has wonderful CDs to listen to. Type the name in your browser and check out their website. The tapes and CDs are rather expensive, but, at least you can hear them again and again to comprehend what confuses you. They are entertaining and fun. I no longer have them, because I sold them to someone else, but they may be very helpful to you.

Best of luck, and keep fighting until you get that license!

Jab08 · Dec 25, 2007

Hey thanks...I want to look into that review u mentioned...I had some audios that didn't really work out for me...I wanted to know if these audios were easy to understand and if it had a book to follow along with?

pagandeva2000, LPN · Dec 25, 2007

http://www.f-n-r.net/

The audios were very easy for me to understand. They were funny, entertaining and I also thought that they are good to have even after passing NCLEX for review. I was considering purchasing them for myself again, but am in no rush to do so at this time. Yes, they do have pamphlets that can accompany them; it will cost more, but, they were good as well. They also have a CD set on pharmacology, that was very helpful to me. If you get the accompanying booklets, you will notice that they are referring to the diagrams listed, etc.

Again, they ARE costly, I think that the books and CDs (or tapes) together were about $300, but, they can also be used again for NCLEX-RN, should you choose that route later in your career.

Jules A, MSN · Dec 25, 2007

Hi,

I only used Saunders and really liked it. How are you scoring in the different sections in that book? Have you checked out Suzanne's study link in the NCLEX section? She gets rave reviews and I think much of it is based on how you are scoring on the Saunders book. Keep trying. Jules

kayleighac · Dec 26, 2007

The process I used seemed to work since I just passed on my first try.

Here's what you need to do first

Buy these books:

1. NCLEX-PN Questions & Answers Made Incredibly Easy

2. Lippincott's Review for NCLEX-PN

3. Saunders Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-PN

4. Straight A's in Nursing Pharmacology

Getting the latest edition of these is probably best

Our process that worked with about 97% of our school was to basically do 200 questions a day. You start with your best subjects in Incredibly Easy since it's the easiest. Then move onto the next easiest book which would be Lippincotts on the same subject and lastly, do the questions in Saunders, also on the same subject. After all that, you should be an expert on that subject! Grade yourself on every test you take...read all your rationales...just to warn you, when you start out, you will be getting around the 50 or 60 percents. Don't give up...the more you do it, the better your scores will get. After you finish all the subject specific tests, move on to the comprehensive tests. And once you are scoring in the 80's...you should be ready! I followed this process exactly and I passed at 85 on the NCLEX-PN, which is really good. Do this for about 6 weeks or until youve done about 6000 questions. So, say you do 200 a day for 5 days a week....give yourself two days for rest...then you have done 1000 questions a week.

When you finish one subject, start on the next one and do the same thing.

With each subject you do, try studying the pharma on that subject also. It helps to incorporate it in. Read the pink part of the Straight A's in Pharma, and take the test at the end. If you get below a 70%, then read the whole white part.

DO NOT skip pharma. That's probably THE most important thing on the test. I got over a dozen med questions on it. Thank god I studied it.

One more good book for pharma if you have time is Pharmacology Made Easy for NCLEX-PN. It's self explanatory. Read it and do the questions pretty much.

That's really all you need, is just to do question after question and know the rationales for them. It's going to be a lot of work, nursing is not easy...but I wish you luck and I hope my advice comes in handy!

mike532 · Dec 27, 2007

Never give up. I used Saunders and Davis. Took test one month after graduation and passed. I'm 55 years old and look forward to starting my first job.

Jab08 · Dec 27, 2007

Thanks so much...I for sure will try this and get started...it does sound like a lot of work, but I got to do it and it will be all worth it in the end...thanks

kayleighac · Dec 27, 2007

Good Luck!!

NC Girl BSN · Dec 27, 2007

I second NCLEX made incredibly easy. Also I took 3 online test from Peterson online testing. It cost $24.95 for the NCLEX PN .

You really need to focus on prioritizing of nursing care, Airway situations are first(ABC's because if the patient isn't breathing, there is no sense of going any further), safety of the patient is second, Then pain. Know Maslows hierarchy of needs and how to apply it to prioritizing questions(gotta have food and shelter and pain management before you can work on love and acceptance), know your math, and know what to delegate to other personell like CNA's.Know about Pneumonia and Alzheimer's and therapeutic responses to your patients also know lab values. Other things to focus on is the different types of isolations(ex contact,airborne) and what to wear in the rooms and what patients would you put in the rooms together.Know Kubler Ross stages of Dying. The Peterson online testing will help you focus on that. The NCLEX made incredibly easy has about 40 pages in the front on tips and how to statagize and answer questions. I suggest taking the NCLEX at a different testing center. Maybe the anxiety increases when your go back to the same facility. Good Luck and again focus on on the above things. This helped my pass the first time with 85 questions.