GOOD DAY!
JUST WANT TO SHARE MY NCLEX EXPERIENCES & JOURNEY ON HOW I BECAME A REGISTERED NURSE.
RAISED IN CALIFORNIA. FOREIGN-EDUCATED GRADUATE NURSE (PHILIPPINES). BATCH 2013, AVERAGE STUDENT.
TOOK MY NCLEX-RN EXAM, 2ND TIME, LAST WEEK. PURCHASED THE QUICK RESULT. AND FOUND OUT THAT I PASSED! TODAY, SAW MY LICENSE NUMBER ON BON WEBSITE.
I APPLIED TO NEVADA FIRST, BUT THEN I CHANGED TO TEXAS. LONG STORY.
TOOK NCLEX, 1st TIME LAST DECEMBER. WANTED TO TAKE IT BEFORE THE YEAR OF 2013 ENDED. HOWEVER, I FELT THAT I WAS SOMEWHAT PREPARED BUT NOT COMPLETELY THOUGH.
TOOK THE KAPLAN COURSE. ATTENDED ALL THE CLASSES VIA ONLINE. JUST WATCHED THE VIDEOS WITHOUT READING AND FOLLOWING ALONG WITH THE BOOK. MOSTLY WHAT I JUST DID ON THEIR COURSE WAS TO ANSWER ALL OF THEIR QUESTIONS. AND MORE LIKELY RELIED ON THE RATIONALES AS MY CONTENT. NO ACTUAL CONTENT REVIEW. TRIED TO READ SAUNDERS AT FIRST, BUT THEN I DID NOT PUSH READING IT BECAUSE I FELT OVERWHELMED WITH ALL THE TOO MUCH DETAILS. BTW, KAPLAN COURSE IS MOSTLY ON STRATEGIES, YOU GOTTA FIGURE OUT THE CONTENT BY YOURSELF WHICH YOU EITHER READ THEIR BOOKS / RESOURCES OR YOU KNOW IT ALREADY. IT'S UP TO YOU.
ALSO READ THE 35 PAGE GUIDE HERE. FELT THAT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH. ALSO ANSWERED THE PDA BOOK BY LA CHARITY - GREAT BOOK.
DAY OF THE EXAM - ANXIETY PEAKED. 75 QS. I KNOW IN MYSELF THAT I WAS NOT FULLY PREPARED BUT THEN FOR THE SAKE OF ME WANTED TO END IT AND WANTED TO GET MY LICENSE BEFORE THE YEAR. AND THEN THERE IT WAS. AS EXPECTED AND FELT ALREADY - FAILED.
BUT THEN I ADMITTED IT WAS MY FAULT. I HAD TO ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES AND SO ON .
BUT YEAH, NOT THE END OF THE WORLD THOUGH, LIFE GOES ON SO DID I.
STARTED MY YEAR 2014 RIGHT. POSITIVE. MORE DETERMINED.
I WANTED TO START MY REVIEW AGAIN AND TAKE THE EXAM AS SOON AS I COULD BUT THEN ON MY FIRST HALF OF 2014, I COULD NOT REALLY FOCUS BECAUSE I HAD MANY PERSONAL PRIORITIES, PLUS THERE WERE A LOT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS EVENTS / GATHERINGS / TRAVELS, AND SO ON. SO IT WAS REALLY HARD TO FOCUS. I TRIED TO READ AND ANSWER THE WHOLE PEARSON EXAM CRAM BOOK - IT IS AN OK BOOK, NOT THE BEST ONE OUT THERE.
SO I CAME BACK TO CALIFORNIA. TRAVELED AGAIN. MOVED TO TEXAS LAST 4TH OF JULY.
ANYWAY, THAT MEANS MORE TIME FOR ME TO FOCUS ON MY NEEDS. HAD TO COMPOSE MYSELF - ORGANIZE MY STUFF & THOUGHTS AND PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER.
WHEN I RECEIVED MY CPR RESULT - FUNNY BECAUSE I HAD 2 BELOW PASSING LEVELS WHICH WERE PSYCH AND MGT OF CARE BUT THEN THEY WERE MY HIGHEST ON MY KAPLAN COURSE. BUT YEAH, I DID NOT MIND MY CPR RESULT. WHAT I TOLD MYSELF WAS TO START FROM SCRATCH IN ORDER FOR ME TO REFRESH AND MOVE FORWARD. I KNEW IT WAS GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT, BUT I NEEDED IT AND WANTED IT AT THE SAME TIME SO BAD.
SO YEAH, I GOTTA BE MORE CONFIDENT AND IN ORDER FOR ME TO HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE THAT I NEED, I GOTTA BE WELL-PREPARED. (NOT OVER CONFIDENT THOUGH, BUT TRY TO MAKE EVERYTHING BALANCED AS I COULD).
THIS IS HOW I PREPARED -> MY FORMULA ON HOW TO PASS THE NCLEX:
STRONG CORE CONTENT + EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES + POSITIVE MINDSET + WITH GOD, I CAN = VERY HIGH CHANCE OF PASSING (RN)
STRONG CONTENT - YOU NEED THIS IN ORDER FOR YOU TO APPLY THE STRATEGIES MORE EFFECTIVELY. IT REALLY HELPS ESPECIALLY ANSWERING THE SATA AND OTHER ALTERNATE FORMAT QS. PLUS, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT KIND OF QUESTION WOULD THROW AT YOU, BETTER BE MORE PREPARED THAN NOT.
TRIED TO READ THE KAPLAN CONTENT GUIDE. LIKED IT. HOW I WISHED THAT I SHOULD HAVE READ IT ON MY FIRST TAKE. BUT YEAH, MOVED ON. I BOUGHT THE HARD COPY BOOK IN ORDER FOR ME TO HIGHLIGHT AND TAKE NOTES.
THE BOOK IS NOT VERY DETAILED BUT IT IS MORE OF A SUMMARY OF SAUNDERS, I THINK. BUT I LIKED HOW IT WAS ORGANIZED AND EASIER TO UNDERSTAND. ALSO, STRAIGHT TO THE POINT. ANOTHER THING THAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT, IS IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY PICTURES, SO I SEARCHED IMAGES ON GOOGLE AND WATCHED FEW PROCEDURES ON YOUTUBE - VERY HELPFUL ESPECIALLY FOR VISUAL LEARNERS LIKE ME. AGAIN, THE BOOK DO NOT HAVE THE COMPLETE INFOS YOU NEED BUT THEN THE BOOK MADE ME NOT FEEL OVERWHELMED, AND IT MADE ME MORE COMFORTABLE WITH MY CONTENT.
SEARCHED AND READ ECG - ONLINE.
BTW, WHEN YOU READ, TRY NOT TO SKIM OR SKIP, DON'T JUST MEMORIZE, YOU GOTTA MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS. UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPTS WILL HELP YOU BIG TIME ON THE ACTUAL EXAM. TAKE NOTES ON IMPORTANT INFOS.
EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES - PRACTICE QUESTIONS! IN ORDER FOR YOU TO KNOW WHAT APPLICABLE STRATEGIES WOULD WORK FOR YOU. EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES WILL HELP YOU BIG TIME ON HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER CHOICE. EVEN ON QUESTIONS YOU ARE UNSURE OF. MAKE YOUR OWN ACRONYMS OR SO TECHNIQUES IF POSSIBLE IN ORDER FOR YOU TO REMEMBER THE INFO EASIER.
WHEN YOU ANSWER, MAKE SURE YOU PRACTICE YOUR CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN ORDER FOR YOU TO KNOW WHAT STRATEGIES WOULD BE MORE APPLICABLE AND HELPFUL FOR YOU ON THE EXAM.
NCSBN COURSE, 100 QS PER DAY, 5 DAYS/WK. READ AND LEARN THE RATIONALES. IF YOU GET IT WRONG, FIGURE IT OUT WHY. THEN LEARN FROM IT. THEN BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. I RE-READ MY NOTES.
NCLEX 3500 WEBSITE - PRACTICED MORE ON MY ALTERNATE FORMAT QS ONLY.
TRANSMISSION BASED PREC - GOT IT FROM THE 35 PAGE STUDY GUIDE - VERY HELPFUL.
ECG - WEBSITE.
DID NOT DO THE KAPLAN AND PDA BOOK ANYMORE AS I MIGHT HAVE ALREADY KNEW THE ANSWERS.
PURCHASED THE NCLEX MASTERY APP. IT WAS OK FOR ME. BUT IT'S CONVENIENT THOUGH. DID NOT ANSWER THE WHOLE QUESTIONS. NO TIME FOR IT.
DON'T BE PERFECTIONIST OR OCD (IT IS OK TO MAKE MISTAKE OR IF YOU DON'T GET HIGH SCORES OR SO ON, YOU JUST GOTTA HAVE TO LEARN AND APPLY IT WELL NEXT TIME) TRY. MAKE MISTAKES. LEARN. REPEAT.
POSITIVE MINDSET - SELF DISCIPLINE IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN DREAM AND REALITY!, MIND OVER MATTER!
Temporarily no social networks for me - less distractions especially seeing your fellow batchmates about their success, focus on your own journey. This is about you, not them. Don't compare. Focus on Here and Now.
Surround yourself with positivity - self-talk, people, watch inspiring / motivational videos / movies, read posts, quote of the day picture (pinterest), exercise / jog / stretch, make yourself active as much as you can.
BE EXCITED TO STUDY OR LEARN, LEARNING IS ACTUALLY FUN. TREAT IT GOOD, DON'T FORCE IT. LEARN TO LOVE NURSING / LEARNING, IN ORDER TO FOR IT TO LOVE YOU BACK.
Take a break, but do not get tempted to become too comfortable. Don't get overwhelmed or else you may feel burnt out. You gotta relax and chill. But take note, when you are getting tired of everything, learn to rest, not to quit. Be happy, it drives people crazy. Be positive, it feels really good.
WITH GOD, I CAN = PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. BUT DON'T JUST PRAY, YOU GOTTA DO YOU PART, DO YOUR BEST AND LET GOD DO THE REST. PRAY FOR GUIDANCE AND STRENGTH ON YOUR REVIEW. ALSO, ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO PRAYERS FOR SUCCESS IN EXAMINATIONS HELPS!
READ A BIBLE PASSAGE / VERSE EVERYDAY. KEEP THE FAITH.
= VERY HIGH CHANCE OF PASSING (PASS -> RN)
LAST WEEK BEFORE MY EXAM - REREAD MY NOTES, READ MORE ABOUT TOPICS I'M UNSURE OF OR I'M WEAK AT, FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT ONES, PRACTICED ALT FORMAT QS ESPECIALLY ON ANSWERING SATA - PRIORITIZED.
DAY OF EXAM - PRAYED. ABSORBED POSITIVITY AS MUCH AS I COULD. REMAINED CALM. ENDED AT 75 QS. FELT THAT I FAILED BUT HOPED THAT I HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF PASSING. IT FELT SO DIFFERENT THAN THE LAST TIME. I KNOW I DID MY BEST, AND I LET GOD DID THE REST. #HisWillBeDone
BY THE WAY, THIS IS JUST ONLY A GUIDE. HOPE IT MAY HELP OR INSPIRE YOU SOMEHOW.
THE EXAM ITSELF IS NOT JUST THE REAL ENEMY, BUT IT IS TRULY YOURSELF. AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT IS YOU WHO HAVE TO BRING IT ALL TOGETHER.
DO NOT COMPARE, EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. IT IS YOU WHO SHOULD KNOW YOURSELF WELL BY NOW.
ASSESS YOURSELF FIRST - LEARNING STYLE / SKILLS, STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, MISTAKES, ENVIRONMENT AND SO ON.
MOST OF ALL, NEVER GIVE UP! IT MAY BE DELAYED, BUT NOT NEVER DENIED. BE PATIENT.
REMEMBER WHERE YOU AT THIS POINT, YOU GOT A CHANCE, GRAB THAT CHANCE AND MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT. CATCH UP AND MAKE AWESOMENESS!
PERSEVERE! = KEEP GOING NO MATTER HOW IT IS. THERE WILL BE TIMES THAT YOU MAY FEEL DOWN, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S GOTTA BE YOU YOURSELF WHO CAN ONLY PICK YOURSELF UP. PRAY! GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU 24/7.
SET GOALS - APPLY THEM, JUST DO IT!
THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY, YOU GOTTA FIGURE IT OUT. LOOK FOR WAYS INSTEAD OF REASONS / EXCUSES (IF YOU REALLY WANT IT SO BAD, THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY (YES! THERE IS!, IF NOT YOU ALWAYS HAVE AN EXCUSE OR A REASON). ASK HELP - THERE'S NOTHING WRONG IN ASKING HELP. PRAY! GET YOURSELF HEAD IN THE GAME!
DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF AND EVERYTHING, TRY TO BALANCE! BE PROUD, BUT BE HUMBLE AT THE SAME TIME.
FOR MY OWN STRATEGIES TIPS. I WILL TRY TO POST IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
FOR ANY QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO ASK. THIS IS NOT AS DETAILED AS I WANTED TO, BUT YOU CAN ASK ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU LIKE. THERE ARE MORE TO WRITE AND ON MY MIND, BUT THIS IS SO LONG ALREADY HAHA GOOD LUCK!
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME - PHILIPPIANS 4:13
THEREFORE I SAY TO YOU, WHATEVER THINGS YOU ASK WHEN YOU PRAY, BELIEVE YOU RECEIVE THEM, AND YOU WILL HAVE THEM. - MARK 11:24
WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK AT IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AS WORKING FOR THE LORD, NOT FOR MEN. - COLOSSIANS 3:23
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