quixmix

Congratulations! Well done! Wishing you all the best in your new career.

Best of luck! Let us know how you do. :)

Hurst! I loved Hurst. I know it wasn't as in depth as other nclex stuff, but the videos were awesome. It changed the way I thought about nursing exams because I was so used to just memorizing everything and taking wild guesses at times. It was a nice refresher and it helped me prepare myself. The Lacharity book is very resourceful. I bought it a few days before the test, so I had to get the kindle version. If I could go back I'd have bought the hard copy book for nursing school. It really gave me get a better understanding on prioritization and delegation. I didn't have time to go through the entire book, but I did a few of the chapter exams on the major systems. It was well worth it, going over the rationales. I also had the Kaplan book from nursing school. I never read the thing and did a couple of the chapter exams and half of one of one of the practice exams. I probably should have done more, but it really wasn't my cup of tea. Also I did a lot of NCLEX 4000 over the month... Not really a set number of questions a day, but I'd answer them whenever I had free time and didn't feel like studying. They're easy questions but they give a broader view of what might be asked on the test. Whenever I got a question that I was completely unfamiliar with, I'd pop open the old med-surg book and read the patho, assessment, treatment, etc. Then I'd make a notecard and put down the important stuff. Whenever I got a question about that topic again, and I was unsure of my answer, I'd revise the card or just make a new one. It helps a lot. Also med cards, should be included and make sure you're familiar with infection control. I got a few of those. If you're rusty on skills, then you might want to watch some of the videos and take notes on the correct order of certain procedures. Check to see if there is any different measures that are taken for an older, younger or immunocompromised patient. Just find the time to study and focus.. You know it already.

Do you have the Hurst program? I wish I would have made some decent note cards on those meds, but I just highlighted some stuff and didn't bother memorizing much of it. I can send you a list of them if you don't have them.

Congratulations ! Aren't you glad this nightmare is over?

I finally took the Nclex for the first time today. I had been putting it off for a while. Frankly I was in a daze from the moment I arrived to the testing center. I did everything they tell you not to do. I stayed up for most of the night studying (bad, right?). I just couldn't sleep, I was so nervous. I didn't even eat breakfast either, because I was feeling nauseous. And boy did I regret that because my stomach kept growling loudly in the testing center. For some reason, every question seemed beyond my scope. "Why am I spending 6 minutes on a question about basic hygiene?" I had to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths at the screen. It's like the NCLEX people knew I wasn't very familiar with meds, so they kept giving me med after med. In hindsight, I wish I would have made an effort to understand the meds a little more, rather than just learning a few of their names, what they treat and some adverse effects. I mean, why couldn't they have just given me a bunch of questions about Lasix, Dig, and insulin? I know those meds. I felt dumb and unprepared. I almost wanted to get up out of my seat and walk right out of there. When I approached 70 questions, I kept praying that the test would continue on to 200 because I was pretty sure I was getting more wrong than right. Then as I hit the answer to 76, screen turned blue and I was done. I walked out feeling like a dunce. I messaged my friends and family and told them that I had most likely flunked. They were all supportive. I then drove home and played with my two dogs, and debated doing the Pearson trick. Maybe I was holding on to a little hope... So, I've checked the site four times today I keep getting the same message, "our records indicate that you have recently scheduled this exam." What the heck? Am I one of the few exceptions? It can't be right... I didn't even recognize a number of those drugs they questioned me on today! I was out of there so quickly and I'm usually the last person out of every other test. This has to be a fluke. On another note, thanks to everyone on the forums for the advice and suggestions. I've never posted, but I check this site from time to time. A lot of what you've recommended is exactly what I saw I on the test... I just wish I would have spent more time going through it, rather than just reading it once and saying, "yeah, I'll remember that... what's next??" I guess I'll see in two days.