according to the pvt, i passed. so here we go........ i had 75q, 15 sata, 5-7 meds (cardio, neuro, psych), 2 pictures (ekg & infection control), and 1 listening (lung sounds). my strongest piece of advice to those of you preparing for the nclex and doubting yourselves and your method of preparation, dont doubt yourself!!!! each and every one of you knows exactly what you need to do to prepare for this test, because guess what you did it in nursing school you have already been prepared and everything is designed to go in your favor. each and every person you meet is going to tell you something different about the exam and how to prepare for it, my method may not be the same as the next person. i passed @ 75 because i studied my but off, but someone else may have not even opened an nclex review book, but thats okay because in the end you are responsible for obtaining your own license. i know 2 girls from my program that listened so much to what everyone else was telling them about preparation for this test, so they stopped studying and guess what they both failed, not because they are incompetent/ dumb, we all graduated from the same program, but because they changed their study pattern. everyone told me i was studying to hard, glad they had an opinion, but for me it went in one ear and out the other. my motto is continue to have the two f's @ all times during preparation is faith and focus. so many people will try to get you off track especially those that have already passed. i'm sure they are trying to help, but for some it doesn't. another strong piece, don't tell everyone you're taking the test especially when it's not necessary, i can't understand why people post stuff like that on facebook. it seems like alot of unnecessary pressure your putting on yourself. only told my family and my closest friend that i was testing, but i made it clear right after graduation that my nclex date was my business (no offense thats just me).
i prepared for this test the same way i prepared for all of my exams in nursing school. i graduated from an accelerated bsn program which has it's pros and cons. i felt 1 year was not enough time to know everything i needed to pass. on the other hand because of this program i am able to retain a boat load of info in a minimal amount of time. i made my own timeline based on how i knew i would be able to study. i read saunders cover to cover and used the content area quizzes to gage how i knew each area. completed the kaplan program, i watched the videos in the areas i was weakest. finally, the golden la charity book (must have). i felt all three of these fully prepared me. by the time i got to question 5 i knew i was passing @ 75q. to tell you the truth i was very strong in my content because i over prepared, there was not 1 question/ drug i hadn't studied/ seen somewhere during my preparation. this test isn't going to ask you something you have never seen/ heard of. it's really just a matter of reading each question carefully, elminate 2 immediately and think through the last two very carefully.
my last piece of advice, enjoy yourself the day before the test, by then either you know it/ you don't. i went and had may hair done, a mani and pedi, went to dinner with my fiance and sat and saw a movie. claim victory, i wrote on my white board i will pass and my favorit scripture that got me through this preparation mark 11:24. @ the 75th question i asked god to stop the exam, and it did.
god bless anyone that sits through the nclex, just know that you will pass
