why they say the REAL NCLEX is not what they expected

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so i thought, why not ask those people who already had a FEEL of NCLEX?

here is my share. (i'm yet to take the big test but at least this is what i found from other threads)

- NCLEX mostly use only BRAND NAMES for drugs. thus, the reason why everyone pretty much say they come from planet PLuto; also these are the ones that you mostly see in your regular TV commercials.

- the questions are simple, in a way that they use one sentence and one word answer choices.

( unlike the killer Kaplan).

- study INFECTION CONTROL (i honestly printed the infection control facts from CDC)

-NCLEX has a lot of prioritization. Use La Charity.

what are your thoughts? (nclex passers and non-passers who took it).:redbeathe

we will appreciate your help.

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I thought they gave both names of the drugs...I haven't taken it yet. But that's just what I thought. That's not good if they only use the one name lol. You might say oh yea I know Nexium, but you're saying they'll give me "Esomeprazole Magnesium" instead of calling it Nexium. Or you know Ambien, but they give you "zolpidem". A lot of people may not have learned both names, of even simple drugs like those.

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I have taken it and passed...

They give both names for the drugs, and yes it does seem that they are ones that you see on commercials...never thought of it like that, but its true.

There is alot of infection control, and priority questions...

For me, I had lots of SATA questions, so that is a big thing to practice.

THe questions do seem pretty straight forward, unlike Kaplan

I didn't find it to be that bad, and let me just say I am not some nursing whiz, I had a bit of a rough time thoughout nursing school adjusting. SO I did close to 5000 questions to get myself in the mode of long test taking, and sitting still for long periods of time. Plus I did alot of Kaplan, because the questions are hard, when I took the NCLex I just kept going and didn't let myself get freaked out to much if I didn't know the answer, just used the process of elimination. Anyhow my best advice I can give is to do tons of questions and walk thru the door with confidence the day of the test. Stay positive, and don't doubt what you know...Good luck to all, remember you can do this!

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YES! I am staying positive! I have taken the NCLEX and failed the first time. I am retaking it on Aug. 24th. I have come up with the conclusion that when I took it the first time, I was really anxious and was somewhat in a hurry. I still don't know what was wrong with me, but I've moved on and doing questions everyday until I retake it. I hope I pass it this time. I am keeping the positive attitude with me and I will definitely take my time when I walk in that testing center again. Most of my friends have passed already and there are days that I feel really down but I pull myself back up and tell myself...I can do this and I will pass. I put sticky notes such as: "You are an RN", "I will pass", "I can do this" everytime I do questions. A friend/mentor told me, "Remember you are a nurse, all you want is to be an RN"... and I keep telling myself that everyday! Wish me luck you guys and please pray for me. I love this site and I am so happy I found it... :)

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On my test, I found they used both the trade name and classification of drugs. I had alot of common drugs and only a few I hadnt ever heard of, but knew the classification. I also had a herbal question.

My test had about 6 or 7 SATA's, and one was for a procedure I hadnt ever heard of. But I answered it as best as I could.

I had tons of priority, delegation, and infection control. I also had a couple of legal questions about informed consent and HIPAA.

I had one medication question and it was a fill in the blank.

All in all, I found Kaplan to be harder than NCLEX. I even had some questions that were very similar to the questions I've done in Kaplan's QBank.

I passed with 75 questions on my first attempt.

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I will know my results tomorrow morning, but tried the pearson vue trick and if it's true then I think I passed. I had 78 questions,

4 math that I remember and not simple like 0.5 tab answers

maybe 5-6 SATA

and some medications

overall I think it was easier then Kaplan tests and other questions I did to practice

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I believe the drugs were listed with trade and generic names anytime a drug was used in a question. Questions and answers seemed much more straightforward on NCLEX than on Kaplan - more like you either knew it or not. I had heard of all the drugs or procedures I encountered on NCLEX, but I didn't necessarily recall what I needed to in order to answer the question confidently.

I did study infection control very thoroughly and carefully from the CDC website, and I did complete the La Charity book before taking the test. I had spent a reasonable amount of time on Kaplan, but didn't actually finish the q bank.

Best of luck on the test! :wink2:

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Specializes in ICCU - cardiac.

I had a mix of some with brand and some with generic but never both. And if I wasn't sure, I went with the answer that would most likely harm the pt or disrupt their life, ie, noncompliance. Yes, the questions are short and to the point. However, u may find the options listed are not what u anticipated. Thats where knowledge base comes in. U should be prepared and definitely know all the infection/isolation precautions. Because remember, this is a test about 'safe' entry level nursing. In regards to priority questions, be sure to read the question and options twice before choosing. When u get an SATA, look at each option separately when deciding if it applies. Best advice: be confident, calm and focused. I loved the earplugs they gave cuz I have serious ADD!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Hospice.
so i thought, why not ask those people who already had a feel of nclex?

here is my share. (i'm yet to take the big test but at least this is what i found from other threads)

- nclex mostly use only brand names for drugs. thus, the reason why everyone pretty much say they come from planet pluto; also these are the ones that you mostly see in your regular tv commercials.

- the questions are simple, in a way that they use one sentence and one word answer choices.

( unlike the killer kaplan).

- study infection control (i honestly printed the infection control facts from cdc)

-nclex has a lot of prioritization. use la charity.

what are your thoughts? (nclex passers and non-passers who took it).:redbeathe

we will appreciate your help.

in response to the red underlined statement, i just took the nclex yesterday and it has both the brand & generic name.

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On my test, I found they used both the trade name and classification of drugs. I had alot of common drugs and only a few I hadnt ever heard of, but knew the classification. I also had a herbal question.

My test had about 6 or 7 SATA's, and one was for a procedure I hadnt ever heard of. But I answered it as best as I could.

I had tons of priority, delegation, and infection control. I also had a couple of legal questions about informed consent and HIPAA.

I had one medication question and it was a fill in the blank.

All in all, I found Kaplan to be harder than NCLEX. I even had some questions that were very similar to the questions I've done in Kaplan's QBank.

I passed with 75 questions on my first attempt.

You said you had a fill in the blank, was it a fill in the blank with a word...or do a math problem fill in the blank?

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You said you had a fill in the blank, was it a fill in the blank with a word...or do a math problem fill in the blank?

It was a fill in the blank math calculation problem.

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lol whew

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