Passed NCLEX - some points to note

[ReOxyS]

Tested on 6.15 at 8am. Was wringing my hands for the next 48 hours, but all was well (looked at the Quick Results this morning).

Some things to note:

> You will not necessarily get all question format types on your exam. I only got a few of them, got no dosage calc, and it worried me when my computer screen blued-out after question 75.

> The folks at Hurst act as if their review service is the be-all end-all of NCLEX prep, but I didn't find them to be helpful at all. If you don't feel like Hurst has helped you, don't worry about it, because you aren't the only one - and it doesn't mean that you'll fail NCLEX. Personally, I found ATI to be far superior to Hurst.

> If your testing center offers ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones, USE THEM. I am not someone who gets distracted by little sounds while I'm focusing on an exam, but I have to say that having the sound of my fellow test-takers clicking mouses, sighing, and shifting in their seats blunted/cut out by the noise-cancelling headphones took my concentration to a whole 'nother level. I felt like I was the only person for miles. Use those blasted things if they're available.

> I got my quick results 48 hours after my scheduled exam start time, and not a minute sooner than that (I'm in Texas). Fortunately an entire day was eaten up by work, so I wasn't brooding over it during that time.

> I took my exam in my new home city, and made a point to go to the testing center the day before, time the drive, figure out where I would be able to park, and actually go up to the office (my testing center was a suite inside a Wells Fargo bank building) so I knew exactly where I needed to go.

> Leave your phone at home or in the car. Don't bother bringing anything extra with you, aside from your ID and maybe a bottle of water (which you can't take with you into the room - they offered us lockers).

> The day before you test, chill out. Just give yourself a break and don't stress any more than necessary (easier said than done, I know).

Best of luck to everyone getting ready to test! Once it's all over, you'll feel like the weight of the world has dropped off of your shoulders!

[JJM245]

What was it about hurst you didn't find helpful? Was it that none of the content they covered was on the exam or something else?

just curious because I'm using hurst and I test on Monday. Thanks!

[ReOxyS]

I felt like the NCLEX questions were in a completely different realm from the weird questions that Hurst asks on their q reviews. IMO, the NCLEX questions were much more like ATI's questions. Also, a lot of the information provided in the Hurst review is questionable. I went through all of their content FAQs and there was an alarming amount of BAD information (that is to say, information that is patently false). Further, they are inconsistent in how they answer their own "NCLEX-style" questions. ATI is very consistent - there's a good, solid reason for why an answer is right or wrong.

Hurst is a decent review of systems, if one has had trouble with that prior. But their strategies and their strange, colloquialized questions are total bunk, in my opinion.

Best of luck to you, and don't neglect the noise-cancelling headphones!!