Published Jul 7, 2015
krws0027
9 Posts
I spent a lot of time scrolling through this site in preparation for my NCLEX. Some threads made me extremely nervous, while others helped me feel more confident in my abilities.
I am going to share with you how I passed my NCLEX in 75 questions the first time around.
First, I want everyone to know that I was not the type of student that could study the night before and ace the exam. I would do my weekly readings, make notes, and spend weeks studying so that I could understand the content. That is just the type of learner I am.
I purchased the Kaplan NCLEX-RN premiere 6 months prior to writing my exam. I didn't begin reading it until a month and a half before I wrote. I used this book before I started studying in order to get a general understanding of how to answer the questions, and also what areas I need the most work in.
I struggled the most with maternity and mental health so I actually went back and read my textbook on those sections. I'm sure I would have been fine just reviewing them through Hurst (which i completed later on), however I am the type of learner that needs to know the background in order to learn/remember the general facts needed for the NCLEX.
Next I watched the Hurst lectures. This helped reinforce everything I learned in nursing school, and highlighted the important areas. I recommend it if you're the type of learner that needs someone explaining topics to you. The online portion was nice because you could pause it, re-watch, or take a break when your brain gets fried.
What I believe helped me the most was questions. I used the lippincott 10,000 questions, which I used the free 2-week trial on. I also was able to use a free month trial of UWorld. UWorld was the most like the NCLEX, however the questions on UWorld were harder than the majority of questions I received on my exam. In addition, I used the NCLEX mastery app (which I purchased when it was on sale) and I used this when I was on break at the hospital, waiting for commercials to be over, or waiting to pick up friends. Definitely very convenient. I also used this app for the lab values. Kaplan test questions were also similar to the level of difficulty of questions I received on the NCLEX. I also want to note I was only scoring 60-70% on Kaplan quizzes, and anywhere from 40-70% on UWorld quizzes, so don't be distraught over your lower scores.
It is possible to pass the NCLEX in 75 questions your first attempt. You will never truly feel prepared to write the exam, but be confident in yourself and take the exam seriously. Also, don't forget to take time to yourself to relax, have fun, and enjoy yourself. If you aren't getting lots of rest and taking care of your body, you can't expect your body/brain to take care of you during that exam.
Best of luck to everyone!
Aloe_sky
179 Posts
thanks for the information, i was becoming depressed with my low scores.