Passed NCLEX June 2015 using Kaplan & PDA

Published Jul 18, 2015

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Hey everyone!

I basically lived on this site throughout nursing school, especially during my last semester freaking myself out about NCLEX. It was so helpful to see everyones scores to help boost my confidence, so I decided to post my scores to hopefully help someone else out there who is freaking out. I passed NCLEX about a month ago and finally decided to sit down and write this.My school used Kaplan throughout the program so they provided us with the live review course for NCLEX at a discounted rate. We took Q trainer 1-4 during the semester and 5-7 after we graduated and were preparing for NCLEX. My scores weren't always the best but I tried not to focus too much on that and focused more on trying to learn as much as I could from the questions as well as techniques to answering the questions. I felt that I learned a lot just from doing Kaplan questions.

My scores:

QT1: 56%

QT2: 64%

QT3: 55%

QT4: 57.3%

QT5: 66%

QT6: 66%

QT7: 64.5%

QBank: 69%

Diagnostic: 63%

Predictor: 66% (took before Kaplan live review)

Readiness: 66.7% (took after Kaplan live review)

Sample Tests:

1: 68%

2: 68%

3(Priority): 93.3%

4(Alternative Format): 42%

I also used the Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment Book by LaCharity (PDA) and did the questions from each chapter. My scores fluctuated a lot while doing these questions with my lowest score being 55% and my highest being 93% with an average of 71% overall.

My main focus was on Kaplan but I also watched the old Hurst videos and took notes on those but never reviewed them. I took notes on the questions I did on both Kaplan and from the PDA book and I did review those notes before I tested. When I was done with the Qbank questions I went through and tested myself on the questions I got wrong until I didn't have any more wrong answers. I studied for about a month with the last 2 weeks being an all day every day thing. The first two weeks I would study for about 4-5 hours a day.

I am an extremely nervous person and couldn't eat for days before the test but once I started I was surprisingly calm. I ended up with 75 questions (30 SATA, 1 drag and drop, 1 EKG strip, 1 chart exhibit, no audio and no hot spot). Of course I cried and thought I failed as soon as I left but my name and license number was up the following evening :) I feel like it's impossible to feel fully prepared for this test because there is no way to know everything they are going to ask you. I would definitely advise doing as many practice questions as you can before testing because I feel like that is what helped me the most. I also feel like taking the test ASAP is a good idea. Obviously you want to give yourself enough time to study but it felt so good to take mine early June and have it done so that I could enjoy the rest of my summer. I don't think I would have done well if I waited because you lose so much information being out of school.

Good luck to everyone who is preparing for NCLEX, in a nursing program and for those who are working towards getting into a program!