PASSED the NCLEX first time with 75 questions!

Published

Hi guys! My name is Milan and I am a new Registered Nurse. I took my NCLEX on Feb. 26, 2015, and found out 2 days later that I passed with only 75 questions! It was the best news of my life! I want to share what I did to prepare for the exam, and hopefully this will help anyone who is about to take the NCLEX!

So I want to start off by saying that I am not the type of person where things come "easy" for me. I have to study very hard in order to do well on exams. I am also the type who loves to go out and have a good time. Throughout nursing school, I worked very hard during the week, so that I could play on the weekends. I passed every course with some A's, mostly B's, and some C's. When I graduated in Dec. 2014, I took a month to party my ass off, before completely cutting off my social life for studying. I decided that I was going to take Kaplan, as I heard many positive things about the course. My friends who graduated previous semesters, and who passed the NCLEX first time, stated that Kaplan really helped.

I took Kaplan 5 weeks prior to my scheduled exam date. After the course, I put together a plan to do at least 100-250 questions per day, including content review on the areas that I scored below 60%. I studied EVERYDAY at Starbucks, only taking half of Sunday off. You need to make studying your priority, your job! Luckily, I was fortunate enough not to work so I could spend all of my time studying (thanks to the boyfriend). I did ALL of the Qtrainers, Qbanks, sample tests, and 80% of the focused content review questions. I made sure to do one Qtrainer each week, doing Qtrainer7, the week before NCLEX. I also made sure to redo ALL of the incorrect Qbank questions, and made sure I knew the rationale for each wrong answer. While studying, I took several breaks throughout the day. I love to workout and also work at a gym, so spending 1 hour training per day, really helped me relieve my stress, clear my head, and release endorphins. I also would walk my dogs during a break, or watch a 30 min episode on TV. You need to prepare your brain and body for testing. You also need to focus on having a set routine for the next couple of weeks, so there are no major changes before the exam.

The day before the test, I focused on myself. I went for a workout in the early morning, then saw "Fifty Shades of Grey" (which really took my mind of nursing haha), and got a 2 hour massage in the evening. My amazing massage therapist taught me breathing exercises, which really got me relaxed and focused. I made sure to go to bed early because I knew I would wake up several times throughout the night with anxiety. I also made sure to keep my body hydrated the day before the exam. I drank a Pedialyte to get those extra electrolytes going in my brain. I wanted to make sure I was well hydrated.

The morning before the exam (I was scheduled at 0800), I ate a healthy breakfast, which included fats and proteins. I skipped coffee, since I did not want to go to the restroom 100x, and didn't want to get dehydrated. I ate dark chocolate because I heard that helps with memory, so what the heck. While driving to the Pearson site, I blasted my favorite, inspiring songs, which I usually play when I get a good workout on. Calvin Harris, Diplo, Avicii gets me going! I practiced my breathing exercises before going into the testing center, and during the exam. I did several squats and lunges to get my blood pumping, and circulation going (I know, people looked at me weird). I walked into the test like a boss and walked out of the test like a boss. Confidence is KEY!

Bottom line. Tell yourself you can and you will. Imagine yourself passing, place positive people and things around you during your studying journey. Have a goal you want to do after you pass the test. Place a poster on your study area wall that says you WILL pass the NCLEX FIRST time. You must prepare yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally. Remember...fear is only as deep as the mind allows. Keep your head clear, limit your anxiety and fears. The NCLEX is very doable, every nursing student can pass it! The knowledge is clearly there. Hopefully, this will help those who are planning to take the NCLEX soon. Please feel free to ask questions. I would love to help. Goodluck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulations! I will join the RN club this week!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to the NCLEX forum

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Awesome! So you only did a month of studying? Thats intense. I want to do Kaplan but cant afford it right now. I guess if I fail the first time I can always try it lol

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I take Nclex this Friday! I'm hoping & praying to join the RN club this week also! Congratulations to you! :coollook:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulation RN I am taking kaplan on line which will start next week can you please private message me how to utilize kaplan very well I am waiting for my Att and want to take my exam in April can u plz guide me I will really appreciate that...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you! Make sure to take at least 1 day off prior to the exam. Clear your head and relax. Then go into the test site and kill it! Goodluck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

@nurse1990

I did about 5 weeks of intense studying. Kaplan is expensive. I got lucky and won a free course from a raffle at my school. I was very fortunate. Tell yourself you will pass the first time. Work hard. You can do it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

@biglala

Unforunately, I cannot send any private messages now bc I have no done 15 or more topic posts (that is what this website says). I am new to this. If you hve any questions, I would be happy to help you via email. [email protected]

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulations! I take mine this Saturday! I used Saunders and Kaplan, and I'm not sure if I am ready. But I'm procrastinating. Do you think my results are good? About to finish everything ASAP. :)

QTrainer1- 65%

2- 52%

3- 47%

4- 53%

5- 57%

6- 60%

Sample Test

1- 56%

2- 34%

3- 63%

4- 30%

Diagnostic Test- 52%

Readiness Test- 66%

QBank

1- 53%

2- 48%

3- 59%

4- 61%

5- 55%

6- 59%

7- 61%

8- 67%

9- 71%

10- 71%

11- 60%

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Taking mine this saturday! Good luck to both of us!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes! I def got similar scores and passed. You are def ready! Just be confident!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion