kriswrigRN62

That was so me last week. I took the test Jan 12, spent the next 3 days believing I failed and was in a constant anxiety attack followed by exhaustion!! I found out I passed Thursday, Jan 15! We all need to take comfort in knowing that whether you pass or fail, you are still going to only get about 50% right anyway. You are most likely going to remember the questions you struggled with, so don't be suprised when you look them up and they are wrong. It is an emotional roller coaster waiting to find out. I don't know that there is really any advice to give regarding the anxiety- just keep busy! Go for a walk, clean your house, go to the movies. Do something to keep your mind off it!

I inherited the Hurst review book from another RN to review core content. It covers the material in a very easy to understand format, but I have to say, after taking the NCLEX, the Hurst review is almost too easy and doesn't realistically prepare you for the type of questions on the NCLEX. I agree that you should take the NCLEX within 30-60 days of graduating. My instructors have said that statistically the people who take the test within that time frame will do better than if you wait longer than that. I recommend that everyone take the NCSBN review to get a realistic picture of what NCLEX is going to be like. The questions from NCSBN were so similar to the actual test, as far as how difficult they were and in similarity to content. The review is very bare bones from NCSBN, but the review questions will really let you know where you stand. They are HARD! I can tell you this though- by the time I was getting 80% right on those questions I took the NCLEX and passed first time! Bare bones advice- Don't wait too long to test, Do NCSBN review (it's only about $50), and only use Hurst if you are unable to study on your own. The NCLEX made incredibly easy book is a great review tool if you can read through and absorb the material, and it has more information and is cheaper than Hurst review.