Out of school 2 years and needing NCLEX help

[aw722]

I graduated nursing school 2 years ago. I sat for NCLEX 3 unsuccessful times. The last time was a year ago and I haven't looked at material since then. Because I did the Pearson trick and it accepted my credit card payment, rather than lose $200 without trying, I reschedule to take the exam the last possible date I could, early April. I've always felt I was failing due to lack of content knowledge. So since I haven't studied in a year, I've definitely lost content. I'm beyond overwhelmed going through school notes. They're helpful but I'm stressing out over my time frame to study. I'm afraid I'm not going to get through it all and be prepared for the test come April 12th. I've gone through a hurst review book and taking questions through PrepU. Is there anyone else that's been in a similar situation as me and can give me some advice? Thanks for any help

[Jareen]

Hello, I've tutored many students (many who have failed 2 or 3 times), and they have ALL (so far, knock on wood) gone on to pass the NCLEX. Over time, I've seen several common themes among these students.

1) They have really lost confidence in themselves and their education.

2) They do not have a structured study plan.

3) They are intimidated to the point of doing nothing (one person had a brand new review book that was literally untouched, despite failing multiple times) or quitting.

My advice to you is this:

1) Choose the review book you want to use, and stick to it. There are lots out there, you are not going to go over all of them. Saunders and Hurst are both excellent. You do not need to memorize every fact out there, but cover the material, and especially focus on the areas that your CPRs points you towards.

2) Definitely do questions, questions, questions. In my personal opinion, UWorld is the best one, with the best format, questions, and great rationales. Be really strict with yourself, and force yourself to stick to a plan and the number of questions you are going to do.

3) Get someone who will keep you accountable with all the above. This may be your spouse or S.O., or a study buddy.

As a matter of fact, if you comb through all the forum threads and the countless NCLEX testimonials, many of them corroborate what I've just listed here. And let me say that the majority of people will do great with just the above. The people who are really self-motivated and diligent will be fine.

However, if you have failed multiple times, you need to really be honest with yourself and examine your methods. You cannot repeat the same action over and over again and expect a different result. If you haven't actually taken the steps above (like that student who hadn't cracked a review book, or another student who did very few questions) or haven't followed the advice in this forum, you should be strict with yourself and actually do it. You may need some outside help or a tutor. Sometimes, that extra boost is what takes you over the top. One of the reasons I love tutoring people who have failed the NCLEX multiple times is that I feel like I've really made a difference, I've helped someone who had been in despair and helped them remove a great roadblock to their career. Find someone reputable in your area, or online. If you happen to be in the NYC/NJ area, or you are open to sessions over Skype, you can contact me, and I will be happy to show you personally why I've had so much success tutoring for the NCLEX.

There is a lot of great advice on this forum. I wouldn't take any one person's (even mine) advice as infallible truth. But when so many people with success are saying similar things, it might be worth heeding.

Best of luck!

I'm interested in tutoring!!