ravenpuff

(Prefacing my reply by saying I haven't taken my NCLEX yet, but that will change very soon!) Anyway, review material doesn't have to be brand new. Use your school or local library! I found the 2014 Kaplan review book at the library near my house. Also if you know anyone who already took their NCLEX and passed, you could ask to borrow their materials. If you do decide to spend money on something, buy a month of Uworld. Cheaper than the other question banks I've seen, and it's been a solid review resource so far. And like you, I had a hard time bringing myself to spend money on review material, but then i had to remind myself that good preparation is a worthwhile investment into a solid job.

I am also a B student. I take my NCLEX next week and bought the 6 month subscription. However, looking back, I would have purchased the one-month instead because for the past couple of weeks, I've been using Uworld as a "mock NCLEX" exam by doing two 75-item exams per day (the program limits the tester to 75 items at a time) to help get me into a test-taking groove. That's just me though, and take my words with a grain of salt because I am still an NCLEX virgin. I will say though, Uworld has been more helpful than Saunder and Lippincott (the other two resources I have used to supplement my studies) because the questions are harder and the rationale have virtually eliminated the need for me to consult my nursing textbooks. There are lots of posts here on Allnurses attesting to Uworld's excellent prep and correlation with NCLEX success. I am determined to write one of those posts soon enough!

On a somewhat related topic, does anyone have NCLEX test-taking tips for an ADHD-er like myself? I'm not on medication and have been able to manage throughout nursing school just fine, but I'm concerned that I won't be able to sit and focus long enough to take the exam. Note: I would have posted this question on the NCLEX forum, but I foresee it getting buried under all the "I PASSED" and "I FAILED" posts.

I asked a similar question on this site, and one of tips someone posted was to focus on UNDERSTANDING the RATIONALES rather than trying to boost my percentage. My initial reaction was, "well duh. that helpful ." But now I get what he/she meant: Uworld's rationales are pretty damn good, and when you make an intentional effort to understand the rationales instead of boosting your percentages, you're more likely to retain more information. So, in short, I would say, as others have mentioned in various UWorld posts, don't focus so much on the Score, but the RATIONALES. My thinking is that if I comprehend the rationale, a higher score will follow.

@pinbored Aha! Sounds like a good plan. I'm still learning how to navigate U-world, so this is a good tip. Thank you!

Looking for some "geeky" scrubs. I'm talking Star Wars, Marvel or DC superheroes, etc. none of that flowery teddy bear angel fluff. I know there's a seller on Etsy who makes custom scrub tops with a print that the buyer can select from the seller's Etsy site, but it's a bit pricey. Where you buy your geeky scrubs?

Using U-World to study for the NCLEX RN. Right now, my percentages fall in the mid-50s to mid 60s, and my goal is to get up to at least 75% (I'm taking the "shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you will land among the stars" approach. Cheesy, I know...) Anyway, I'm doing plenty of their practice questions and reviewing all of them, even the ones I got right, but I'm still not happy with 60%. Now, maybe I'm expecting too much of myself, but I would really like to see that number go up. What more can I do??

I found that doing practice questions was the best way to prep for exams! There's only so much I could get out of passively reading and re-reading my notes, so testing myself was a good way to assess how much of the material I actually understood. Doing practice questions will also help you develop your set of test-taking strategies. I got my practice questions from my nursing med-surg textbook, as well as the supplementary study guide paired with that textbook. But there's lots of practice questions on the good ol' InterWebz too. Just Google "NCLEX questions " or something like that. Nurselabs.com usually has some solid ones. I'm not a naturally good test-taker, but practicing NCLEX-style questions has helped me become a better one. Here's a CV test to get you started. Good luck! Medical-Surgical Nursing Exam 16: Cardiovascular Nursing (6

I want to prepare myself well by doing as many questions as I can, but at the same time I don't want to get burned out before I even take the exam (which I plan to take late May, early June). How did you NCLEX-conquering RNs prevent and/or minimize study burnout?

Maybe try framing your question around some interesting things that you've seen on the floor? especially if you have to write a research paper based on your PICOT question.

"ripe" and "cervix," should never be used in the same sentence *shudders*

Anyone know if there are NCLEX RN review books (paper or electronic versions), websites, or question banks that are divided specifically by body system? I understand that the NCLEX is divided into Safe and Effective Care Environment, Health Promotion and Maintenance, etc., but I have found that I learn best when breaking down my review by physiological system. Thanks!

Thanks for the tips! I have considered applying as a tech. However, I have 1.5 years as a CNA at a different hospital. Would it be a waste of time to apply to a tech job on that clinical unit when I'm already close to graduating and the RN job hunt, and I have a CNA job already?

I completed my fall semester clinical on a unit (we'll call it Unit A) that I definitely plan on applying to after graduation in May 2016. I expressed this intention to one of the Unit A nurses, and she advised me to "stay a familiar face around here." Since I'm going to be on a different clinical unit in the spring, how can I follow this nurse's advice to "stay a familiar face?" on Unit A? Is there more that I can do than simply stopping by Unit A to say "hello, how are things going around here?" Thanks in advance!

Not a nurse yet, but in nursing school. We've been talking about edema a lot lately, and last night I dreamt that I had peripheral edema. My ankles were HUGE (and for some reason, my legs were necrotic). I remember thinking "I hope this is a dream!" Thank goodness it was.

Well, if I had the brains for it, an astrophysicist. My dream dream job (as in, this could only happen in my imagination) is to be an APRN on the International Space Station, so I guess I couldn't really get away from nursing even in space

thanks for the advice! i won't have to worry about the facebook thing since i got rid of mine last year (one of the best decisions i've ever made), but it's a good reminder about using social media wisely.

One of my professors is retiring after this semester, and I'm bummed because she is such a knowledgeable nurse educator and a very kind woman in general. I would love to stay in contact with her as I go through my next two years of nursing school because she's been a great prof but as I said, she's retiring. What should I do?

I just started nursing school, so I'm unfamiliar with nursing culture in the real world. Why is floating an "area of contention" and what's the cause of the negative attitudes about it?

Yep, I'm definitely aware. Typed out my original post rather quickly. I meant it to say that question would ask something like "Order is for x mg of Some Oral Suspension. If you add y mL of water and each mL contains z mg of medication, how many mL will you give that patient?"

great!! i'm going to rock this med calc exam. thanks, all.

Thanks! The calculations are nothing advanced. We're covering IV drop rates and converting mg of something to mLs, things like that. I also found a past post with the same question as mine, and there were some great responses there too. Here's the post if anyone else is interested. https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/dosage-calculation-practice-767329.html

Hi all. I've got a med calculation exam coming up. Has anyone come across some good practice exams they'd like to share a link to? I've found a couple, but I'm looking for more so I can get this stuff down. Thanks!

Ah...never would've thought of more air. I'll give this a try next time. Thank you!

We just started learning parenteral medication in my program, and lots of us are going nuts with bubbles in the syringe when drawing up the practice medication. How do you keep the bubbles away??