Study Plan: Hurst, Kaplan, LaCharity

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Just as each of us is different, so too are our study skills, our comprehension and our retention. With this, there is no 1 full proof way to adequately prepare for boards. What works for one may not work for another. This is where AN came in handy- reading through hundreds of posts I was able to personalize my own 'study plan' by adopting many of the study techniques, resources, tips and strategies graciously offered by fellow NCLEX takers- now it's my turn to pay it forward.

NCLEX and the journey to can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming! Please know that if you feel this way, you are not alone- I was consumed with anxiety, fear and doubts. I had no clue as to how I was supposed to prepare for this beast and that only added to my stress level. In my daily AN lurk, I soon found a common theme in many of the NCLEX posts- organization. Although it is impossible to alleviate all stress associated with NCLEX, a great way to tame some of that undue stress is to get and stay organized while preparing for boards- this was my saving grace. But what's the best way to organize yourself? Well, a great starting point is to pick out the resources you will be using to help you prepare- the real meat and potatoes if you will.

Resources

This is another area that can become very overwhelming. There are hundreds upon hundreds of resources available to you and everyone will tell you something different about each one of them. It's important that you do your research on recommended products before purchasing, because again, what works for one may not work for another. In picking resources it's also important to self assess- do you need a good content review? Do you need testing and question strategies? Do you need access to tons of practice questions? Do you need a little bit of both? These sorts of questions will help you narrow down resources and hopefully save you from purchasing anything unneeded. For myself, I used a three-prong approach in what I like to call 'The Trifecta':

Hurst Online Review*
Kaplan Strategies Practice and Review book & Qtrainers*
LaCharity PDA*

I also used a few books and websites strictly for practice questions, such as ExamCram and NCLEX 3500. Overall, I was very, very pleased with my resources and felt they really balanced and rounded out my studies. I included a quick review of them near the end of this post.

So now that you have your resources, what should you do? My suggestion would be to organize a study plan- figure out what you are going to study and how you are going to study it.

Study Plan

I struggled with this at first and wasted three weeks of precious study time because I didn't have a plan. I didn't really know where or what to start studying and tried to wing it- big mistake. My days were unproductive as they were not structured and I ended up feeling very overwhelmed. So I sat myself down and organized a study plan- what a difference that made. Start by asking yourself what you want from each of your resources and how you are going to do that. What helps you learn- reading the information? Creating mnemonics? Making flash cards? Giving mock lectures? Drawing pictures, tables or charts? Watching videos or listening to audio? What works for you?

For me, in regards to my resources, I knew with Hurst I wanted to master core content; with Kaplan I wanted to familiarize myself with the NCLEX test plan while also completing their practice tests and with Lacharity I wanted to master priority and delegation. I also know that my comprehension and retention of information is enhanced by giving mock lectures and making flash cards- so that's what I did. My study plan looked a little something like this:

Hurst

Goal: Master core content

Cover 1 topic per day (watched the online lecture)
Make flashcards for the 'need to know info' from the Hurst topic covered
Give a mock lecture over the topic
Complete 1 practice test per week

Kaplan

Goal: Master NCLEX test plan & practice questions

Cover 1 section of NCLEX test plan per day
Research the topics in the correlating section of the test plan
Create mnemonics and/or phrases for important guidelines to remember
Complete 1 practice test per week

Lacharity

Goal: Master priority and delegation

Cover 1-2 chapters per day
Cover 1-2 case studies per day

Answer 50-100 miscellaneous questions & rationales per day

I found that my stress leveled off after I made a study plan- I felt productive and my practice scores increased dramatically. I also found I was retaining the information I was covering because my method of study really helped me understand the why behind things instead of the what. On the days I would focus on Hurst I would watch the online lectures and then write the 'need-to-know information' from that lecture on flashcards. Then I would stand in front of my bathroom mirror and give a lecture over that material as if I were lecturing to a class. On the days I would focus on Kaplan I would cover 1 section of the NCLEX test plan. For example I would dedicate an entire day to Physiological Integrity: Pharmacological & Parenteral Therapies in which I would research associated topics such as blood products, central lines, TPN etc. To remember important tidbits or guidelines I would use mnemonics or sayings (i.e. SPIDERMAN for infection control or 'Good Men Equal Gentleman' for PPE). Then I would do practice questions over the material I covered. I would also do 50-100 practice questions per day then I would go over the rationales for every question regardless if I got it right or wrong.

Ok- so now we have our resources and our study plan, now all we need is a study schedule.

Study schedule

Study schedules, of course, will vary greatly between people- but the key is consistency. Do what works for you but stay consistent and don't overextend yourself. I graduated in December and took boards in March but I didn't really start seriously studying until February. I studied 5 days a week and alternated Kaplan and Hurst between days. I would take my Qtrainers at the end of the week- this also is a great time to evaluate if your study plan and methods are working. Use those tests to assess your weak areas and focus on them. I would study throughout the day a few hours here, a few hours there. When I got tired-I took a break; when I lost concentration- I took a break. As for the weekend, I took them off! Is studying important-absolutely! BUT do not overload yourself- you will burnout and your retention will be in the toilet. Make studying a priority, but not your only priority.

D- day

So after weeks and weeks of study, unrelenting anxiety and perpetuating fear it finally arrived- March 08, test day. I went in at 0800 and walked out at 0930. It was by far the most stressful 90 minutes of my life. During the test, I was so nervous all I could hear was my heartbeat. So what was it like? Was NCLEX hard-YES! I will not lie it is hard-really, really hard. I had 75 questions and felt like I guessed on 90% of them. I had things I have never heard of before- but I relied on my core content and knowledge of patho to help me narrow the answer choices down to at least 2. Needless to say, I left feeling like I absolutely failed. I went as far as telling the testing attendants I would see them in 45 days! So, what hand was I dealt- TONS of SATA, 4 EKG, handful of meds and 3-4 drag and drop. Was I well prepared- yes and no. I am not a confident person, so going into the test I did not feel prepared. But after the test I realized there is no way you can be 100% prepared for that test. There is far too much information and it is impossible to know everything- so yes I felt I was as prepared as I was ever going to get. I kept myself busy for as long as I could, but at 6pm I broke down and did the PVT- I got the good popup!!!!!!! Although I heard the PVT was 99% accurate, I was convinced I would be the one person it didn't work for. Four agonizing days later (today!), I saw my name on the BON and was officially an RN!

Tips

Spare yourself the trouble and please do NOT adopt memorization as part of your study technique. NCLEX is not testing you on content, they are testing your judgment- therefore, aside from labs, memorization will do you no good! Instead focus your studies on the why instead of the what. Understanding the why will help you critically think, it will help you anticipate outcomes- this is what NCLEX is looking for
Do as many practice questions as you can and read the rationales for every question!
Master infection control! There are great infection control mnemonics floating around this site to help you remember things- my personal favorites were: 'My Chicken Has TB, So Sad' for airborne; SPIDERMAN for Droplet; 'MRS. WEE' for Contact and 'Good Men Equal Gentleman' for PPE.
Do not get hung up on your practice test scores- use them as a tool to guide your studies.
Practice alternative style questions. I had so many SATA questions that I lost count. I am horrible at SATA and I mean bad! NCLEX 3500 is a great source to practice these boogers. I will tell you (and I didn't believe the hundreds of other posters who said the same thing), the SATA on the actual NCLEX are not as bad as the SATA on practice tests- but still practice the heck out of them.
Know your labs!!
Trust your gut
Pray!!

Quick Resource Review

*Hurst: I loved Hurst! I needed a good content review to refresh what I left in NS and for that, Hurst was amazing. I did the online review and watched the video lectures. They made the information incredibly easy to understand and remember- not to mention the videos are pretty entertaining. The great thing about Hurst is they focus on the 'why' behind things. It was expensive but it was worth every penny- I highly, highly recommend Hurst. I didn't care for their practice tests as I didn't think they compared to the difficulty of NCLEX.

*Kaplan: I did not use the Kaplan review, I only used their strategies book and Qtrainers. I loved this book because it offered helpful strategies to answer questions. But my main focus with this book was for the breakdown of the NCLEX test plan. It had the entire test plan broken down by section and offered a brief overview of the topics included in that section. This book is not content heavy, so I researched topics I was weak or unfamiliar with using the internet or my NS textbooks. The Qtrainers were helpful to an extent. I appreciated Kaplan's practice tests/questions because they were analysis and application, which is what NCLEX questions are. But personally, I thought the Qtrainers were easier than NCLEX.

*Lacharity: Wow- I love this book! This book consists of over 20 chapters of practice tests dedicated solely to priority, delegation and assignment. The questions are hard, but they WILL prepare you for what you will see on NCLEX. I also liked the rationales provided- they were very detailed, something I appreciated greatly. The SATA are much harder in this book than they are on NCLEX.

End note

I want to end by saying, I did not pass NCLEX nor make it through nursing school on my own accord- it was 100% the work of my Father, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is only through Him I can do anything. In the world in which we live, it is hard to surrender control- but for Him I surrender my life. It was through His word, His promise, His faithfulness and mercy that I was delivered of this. Throughout this journey I was reminded so many times that worry and anxiety do nothing but deplete your soul, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you- 1Peter 5:6-7. I was reminded to trust in Him, truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you- Matthew 17:20. I was reminded to surrender to His will, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope- Jeremiah 29:11. I was reminded of His faithfulness, then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek and find me, when you seek me with all your heart- Jeremiah 29:12-13. And most of all His love, the Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing- Zephaniah 3:17. Glory be to God!