varn2013

How long did you prepare for? I studied for at least 6 weeks and highly recommend Hollier CD (old version ok) and APEA test review and AANP PSI test once you think you are ready to take the exam.

Yes, I secured my job a few months prior to graduation

I officially passed my AANP exam this June 2017. Graduated May 12th and took my exam a month later. I would highly recommend studying for at least 4-6 weeks - 3-4 days/week for at least 4 hours. Arrive at your testing center 35 minutes prior. They typically have lockers to put your keys/phone away. Bring your drivers license and cc that matches your name on that you signed up to test. My recommendations: 1) Attend a live review Preferably during one of your break sessions prior to your last semester or right after you graduate. I did Barkley right after graduation, but I wish I had done it prior to my last semester to help me out in clinicals. Most reviews give you a workbook. 2) Leik book Read the Leik Family NP review book from front to back. If you have more than two months until your exam, read it twice. It has quite a few errors but apparently the most UTD book has corrections. 3) Leik book questions On your intensive study days break up some of your material by doing at least 10-20 questions between chapters. 4) Take APEA and AANP predictor tests When you're a week to two weeks out from your exam take the AANP PSI exam ($50) - it's a great indicator of the type and format of the questions you'll see on the exam. APEA is a little cheaper and a good way to prepare you for similar questions and get your mind set. 5) Hollier question book Do at least 50-100 questions per week. Review and write down the questions you missed. 6) Group study Get 1-2 other classmates to review with you. Once per week we would review chapters and ask each other questions or think of the type of question that may appear on the to exam. 7) Yellow note pad Barkley recommended getting a pack of yellow note pads to write down your missed questions and info you need to review. Review your notes weekly. Put a check mark once you know the material or a star next to the material you need to review. Honestly, I felt prepared. When I hit that submit button I knew I passed. It's not something that is taken lightly - if you put the effort in - you will pass and feel confident in the exam. The money adds up but I had a job and I looked at it as an investment. Get the material second hand from eBay or loan it from a friend. Last but not least, Pray! Do some yoga / continue to exercise!

Oh and I took HESI for school and it was much harder/narrower than the NCLEX!

Just found out I passed and I vowed I would return to allnurses.com to include my study plans and ins/outs of the NCLEX. The NCLEX was much more broad than I thought it would be, so here are my two cents: If you feel as though you retain information fairly well, then find a format that includes these: 1) Mosby cards 2) Lacharity delegation 3) Nclex 3500 - google it for free. It offers you a pretest and review option. The review option will give you answers right away, the pretest will only show you what you missed after the test. I did a little of both to get me in the mode for taking the nclex. Also try to do the alternate options and it will give you a lot of fill in the blanks, sata, and figures. 4) Kaplan study banks - http://sharmasmita.blogspot.com/2011/07/some-great-links-for-free-nclex.html 5) Learning Shark - http://www.learningshark.com/nursing/nursing homepage/nclex-rn_exam_cram_practice_questions.pdf I took Hurst and I felt as though it honed in on the top topics on the NCLEX. If you feel as though you need a good review, then do hurst (preferably in class). My personal routine - 1)day one off - 3 chp of saunders / 150 questions (kaplan bank/learning shark/or nclex 3500) 2)day two off - 3 chp saunders or hurst / 2 chps of Lacharity / 75 questions 3)day three off - rotate between day 1 /2 4)weekend day off - take a full test (75-150) / I would write down the rationales to ones i missed or ones i got right and didn't know. nclex 3500 is great for this option. I also reviewed my whole notebook of ones I got wrong on the weekend and highlighted the ones I was still unsure of. Take your time through the NCLEX - I wrote down 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 on the white board and x out the ones that were wrong. Don't arrive more than 30 minutes early. Eat a bland breakfast - OJ and toast. Don't take anything but your keys, ATT, and drivers license - they made me take off my watch. Wear comfortable clothes. And most of all pray and get your family and friends to pray!