kogepan

Hi. I was 2 years out of the program then took it just this past Dec and passed. I just did questions first and figure out where my weaknesses are and go from there. You need a few books. La Charity, Saunders, and apps on your phone with all those free questions you can do. If you still have ATI books, those would work too. The information is the same. Only thing I think has changed is pharm because they always test you on drugs that are more recent and they are not necessary the ones you have seen before during school. I would just utilize Saunders first. You need at least three months to study before you can go back for your exam as you have been out for a very long time. PM me if you need some notes. I got some really good ones you can use. Remember, you do not know which area you will be tested. so you have to have a very strong content knowledge, Kaplan will not always work on the exam. I had many OB, Peds, Pharm, SATA, and diagnostic questions. They are so random and you have to be very prepared. Every NCLEX exam will look different. I had the least med surg. Good Luck!

sorry about your experience. I honestly don't think Kaplan worked for me. It failed me the first time. It's really strategy/decision tree based, and NCLEX questions are mostly knowledge based questions. So the strategy/decision tree doesn't always apply. Hurst review was good for content, but I think LaCharity and Saunders also helped tremendously. Most importantly, doing questions daily is required to help you get used to the style. I passed the second time. You have to figure out your weakness first and go from there. PM me if you need help. I have notes I can pass on.

Biggest mistake I made were taking the exam early in the morning and not taking a break. I kept going till the end, and I had no idea what I was answering because I was so tired. Please go slow and take a break. It really helps. I took it second time and passed at 75q. I was really going slow, almost 2.5 hours and I took a break in between. Your brain needs to stop and rest for a bit before you go on. I utilized La Charity, Saunders, Hurst and Simplenursing. I also managed to do 50-100 questions a day. Find out what your weaknesses are and study those. Really spend more time on doing questions and get used to that style. I would not recommend Kaplan because it failed me the first time, the decision tree just doesn't always apply. You have to have content knowledge. If you have solid content knowledge then you can answer most of the questions. Good luck!

age is just a number. don't let fear and age stop you from achieving your dreams...whatever that is. Our oldest classmate was 55y, so it's really not that big of deal. We learn everyday in our lives, it doesn't just stop at 22 when you graduate. It's a continuous process until we die. Good luck!! you can do it!

I utilized the free videos for things I forgot and it helped me on my NCLEX. I never purchased the videos, I just used the ones that were free on youtube. I like using LaCharity and apps for questions. His approach is very straightforward and easy to understand, but that's only for content. You have to practice questions and I highly recommend study LaCharity.

congrats!!!

Try Saunders and LaCharity. They are so helpful for the NCLEX and if you have time try youtube simple nursing. I utilized them all and helped me pass my nclex. Fear kept me from succeeding. Please do not fear. If you don't pass, just take it again. I allowed fear and anxiety to swallow me up. I am sure you will find a lot of good sources online. good luck!

wow! above post is so informative. Thanks!

I would never take this personally and honestly I think the professor was only trying to remind the students to follow the dress code. Every instructor is a bit different. I know a good instructor who would make individual comment about the way you show up to clinical. Eg. Please iron your scrub, please wash your scrub ....lol I mean, don't take it personal. I have seen worse, trust me. This one time I bumped into my previous instructor from few semesters ago and I said Hi. Ms. xxx. She looked at me and said...oh please don't call my first name, I am Ms.XXX, call my first name when you get your license. I was like...err I called your last name with a Ms. you just didn't hear it. LOL. You will be amazed with how unique and different each instructor is while in nursing school. Just let it go.....and get on with it.

Hi. my suggestion is to use Saunders, LaCharity, apps for questions. I used all three plus listening to audio while I prepared for my second time. It stopped at 75 this time and I was pretty amazed. You have to know your content. Kaplan failed me the first time because all my questions were knowledge based questions, the decision tree did not help me at all. While others might tell you Kaplan worked for them, it really didn't for me. You should focus on your weakness and refresh them using Saunders. Do not stop doing questions, even if its 25 a day, it will help. I did about 50 to 100 a day. I read my Saunder or notes I have. You can do it!! good luck!

Kaplan failed me. While others may tell you it worked for them, it didn't for me. Decision tree is not applicable to all questions. Many are knowledge based questions. you cannot eliminate, you cannot use ABC, priority or eliminate always or NEVER. It just does not work. You have to have your content. The best way is refresh using Saunders or Hurst, or anything you have, like ATI or school notes. Do questions from LaCharity as they will help you greatly on your NCLEX. Good luck!

Kaplan failed me the first time. Strategy does not really work if you are getting knowledge based questions. You cannot utilize decision tree as the question is not asking you ABC or priority. You cannot eliminate NEVER, ALWAYS, as they are not part of the answers. So it's really useless to me. I used LaCharity and Saunders. Content is so important. I would just do 50 questions daily on any apps available and go from there. Best of luck!

I got the good pop up 48 hours and I didn't see my name posted till exactly four days after my exam. so, sit tight. It will be posted.

It's ok to struggle. We all struggle. Just take one step at a time. If you don't understand something, use your saunders book. Or you can google it. Best thing to do is to ask your teachers as you are still in school. Don't stress. you can do it. Fear kept me from going forward. Don't fear. You can do it! best of luck!

LaCharity is a book you have to purchase, it's not available to download.