studying content vs practicing questions?

RN403, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2014

It all depends on what you feel is best for you. I personally believe that it is important to balance both studying content and practicing questions.

Initially, I also felt overwhelmed, so, I decided to break down my studying by making a schedule. Write it out on a calendar what you wish to study each day. You have 6 weeks, which should be plenty of time to study a few hours each day and still balance in some "down" time which is important.

You might try starting with your weak areas. Get away from the areas you feel strongest in right now. Hone in on your weaker areas, study that content, and practice lots of questions within that area. Once you feel comfortable you can branch out.

You might try studying some content in the morning, taking a break, and then doing some practice questions before bed. Something like that. Just remember to take breaks... Especially when you start feeling overwhelmed.

hope this helps a bit. I know it's overwhelming. Just take it one day at a time.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2014

It's a mix of the two. On one hand, you are not going to pass NCLEX if you don't know the content. On the over hand, you are not going to do well if you don't know how the questions are asked. You went over the content in school. If you have any weak areas, study them. Otherwise, do practice questions. They will show you how NCLEX questions are asked and identify what areas you need to brush up on.

RN-joy · Aug 20, 2014

i agree with what's been said. i would review in the morning and then do practice questions to see how much you're actually retaining and able to apply the information. i was overwhelmed as well looking at everything but i also broke the topics down. for the first few days i would review one topic and only do questions for that section, then move to the next topic

good luck!!