On Fellow Students Not Studying For NCLEX PN

[eldragon]

I graduated December 13th and am scheduled to take the NCLEXPN on Thursday - February 14th.

As far as know, I am the first person in my graduating class to test. There was a mess-up in communications, and we were all told incorrectly how to register for the NCLEX. We were told to watch our email, which was wrong. We were never told that we had to register with Pearson and pay the fees first. Anyway, this led to my class having a good month of doing nothing.

I have spent my time - it will be two months since I graduated, studying for the NCLEX. I was an A/B student and not happy with my HESI test results, although we didn't need that to graduate. I am motivated to pass the NCLEX the first time.

I have studied Saunders from front to back and again. I have also gone over questions from Kaplan and Rinehart Review.

I have spoken to a few other students from my graduating class who have stated that they haven't studied for the test. One person told me that his brother, also a nurse, told him there was no way to study for the NCLEX, so this student has not studied one bit. Another student, who also has a brother who is a nurse, said that he told her the test is easy and doesn't expect you to know much, just what a beginning nurse should know - she hasn't studied either.

I believe that the only way to study for anything - is to prepare yourself as much as possible. While there is no way I can learn everything or retain everything I learn, I can't imagine not studying for the NCLEX!

I can also say without a doubt that I was a better student than the 3 students who have told me they aren't studying. I have given one of them studying materials, including a Saunders disc and a Kaplan book, to encourage her to study, as I know she had a hard time in nursing school, and barely passed each block.

I hope everyone passes the NCLEX.

Have any of you ever known students who said they weren't studying for the NCLEX, months after they graduated, and still passed?

[queenjean]

I don't remember how long I had between graduation and my NCLEX-PN boards, but I didn't take a reveiw or study one lick and passed on the first attempt.

For my RN I had to take an NCLEX review as part of our school curriculum. I did some of the practice tests in the month between, and I passed first attempt.

So, in my experience, not studying resulted in success, and so did studying.

Don't worry what everyone else is doing; that's their business. Don't set your yardstick by them. Do what's right for you.

[BoonersmomRN]

I studied for 3 hours for NCLEX-RN.

I had studied the NCLEX books ALL THROUGH school. I was completely burnt out and toast when school ended. Couldn't STAND another day of doing Nclex questions so I put the book down and said the heck with it- pushed my test forward 3 weeks and took it. 75 questions. Passed 1rst try

Other classmates of mine studied for weeks and months...some are still studying..I can't even remotely imagine studying that long ( we grad Dec 17).

What works for one ..doesn't work for another and vice versa!

[love-d-OR]

Don't worry about what others are doing... If studying hard works for you then, good for you. Everyone is different in their study and test taking skills. Good luck with your exam

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

I agree on all of the above, not to worry about what others are doing. I did study alot, like what your doing. I did questions for about 20 solid days. I used Davis/Saunders/Mosbys and a Kaplans book.I studied till I felt I couldnt retain anything new. I look at it this way, studying is free. I only wanted to and could afford to take the test once, so I was going to do everything in my power to pass the 1st time. I did with 75 questions!!!!

I have friends I graduated with who did not study, and they passed.

My thought was this, I did not want to drive up to take my boards saying to myself "Gee I wish I would have studied more" I was totally prepared and that lowered my anxiety level. I know many of great nurses who have told me "you cant study for boards" in a way they are right, doing Nclex questions really isnt teaching you want you dont already know, but the repition of the style of the Nclex questions is what your learning.

Do what you feel is right, it sounds as if you are. Best of luck!!!!

[eldragon]

I took the NCLEX PN last Thursday and passed with 85 questions.

Two other classmates took the test the same day and passed with 205 questions.

(They studied, too.)

Now that I've seen the test, I agree somewhat that it is almost impossible to study for the NCLEX, but I also am positive that I was prepared for the test and went in there with a good body of knowledge and testing skills that I didn't get in nursing school.

On my test, there were 20 or more select all that apply (I didn't count, but they were coming at me nonstop - by question number 7 I was on my third and had them sometimes back to back- clear up until the end) questions, lots of priority and about 5 dosage calc questions.

Anyway, I don't know if I could have passed that beast without studying like I did - but I was elated when the computer shut off at 85 and walked out of there happy, pretty confident that I had nailed it.

[SilverRain]

We all have different learning styles. Most of my classmates (BSN) enrolled into NCLEX prep courses right after graduations and most of them passed on their first attempt. I didn’t study a single day and passed on my first attempt. I only took 2 diagnostic tests from my friend’s Kaplan book (failed both:lol2:). But what helped me is that I didn’t want to pass. Long story short – I wanted to stay in school, my ex wanted me to get a job, so I decided to fail NCLEX and stay in school longer. Hence, I was TOTALLY relaxed during my exam. Not a worry in my mind. I was a very good student in college, so the information was there, in my brain; I just had to retrieve it. Had I been stressed I would’ve never passed the NCLEX.

Remember -To Each His Own