Taking the NCLEX-RN in a couple of days....Nervous!!! Any Advice???

moonchildLPN82 · Mar 16, 2010

Take your time and read the questions several times to make sure you understand what they are looking for. You will have more than enough time to finish the test if you know your material. If you've been studying NCLEX style questions you should be fine.

caliotter3 · Mar 16, 2010

Make sure you spend the day before relaxing and practicing your relaxation techniques. Good luck.

goodstudentnowRN · Mar 16, 2010

Psinglet, you will do great....I saw in another thread that you did kaplan review...continue to do the Qbank, it will help you a great deal. Continue to do the questions and read the rationales...Do all of the questions on the Qbank and trust me, you must pass the NCLEX!!

blackhundred · Mar 16, 2010

Good luck lady! My thoughts? We almost all think we bombed. Fact. Know that if you need to take it again, it's okay. I work with nurses way better than I am who had to retake the exam. It's a test, it isn't meant just for you, but as a standard for everybody. Breath. Just posting here, to me, means your heart is in the right place.

AndreaM · Mar 17, 2010

Hi- I just took my NCLEX this morning! It shut off at 75 questions and it took me a little over an hour to complete. I used Saunders book and CD. I studied consistently for 5 days before the exam (i know, i know, pretty bad). I did about 800 questions from the cd and read all of my rationales. I stayed in a hotel the night before the test so that I wouldn't have to make the hour and a half drive in the morning, but I STILL only got 3 hours of sleep because I was so wound up and my brain wouldn't shut off! SO back to the NCLEX... Once i sat down and began, I wrote everything (ABG's, Fluid and electrolyte balances ect) on my dry erase board to use for future reference. Let me just say I left there freaking out because I reviewed so much, but MY exam only tested ME (know it can be different for everyone) on it seemed like 3 topics; infection control, contraindicated meds, and priority of assessing patients. I left there feeling like I failed because alot of the questions I really had to use my nursing judgement and critical thing skills- nothing is factual based of course. When it comes down to it, the question bank is really what helped me to decipher questions and understand rationales- way more important than the book. I am almost thankful I didn't put more effort into studying, because once again, like many people say, you either know it or you don't... I will know tomorrow if I will be eating my words or not! :clown: I got the "good" pop up on pearson vue so who knows! Advice to people taking Nclex prior to April 1 is review Infection control. It seems to be a trend. The only reason I reviewed it was from the awesome advice that other people left on here. Lurk lurk lurk! Will update tomorrow on my NCLEX status! All I can tell you is to breathe. You know this stuff. Go in there with an open mind and use your nursing judgement. Good luck!

Laylani · Mar 17, 2010

I took the NCLEX today. According to the Pearson Trick I passed, but just like everyone says, you do walk out of there second guessing yourself. My advice is to get the HURST REVIEW! I know your taking it soon, so if you dont have it your probably SOL, but everything on my test, was covered on the HURST REVIEW! Even a made up disease called "fifths disease." It really isnt that hard though. Make sure you have all your lab values memorized, and your blood studies. Study contact precautions, endocrine, DKA, hypo/hyerkalemia. It really is just based on your judgement. You have to know which PT you would go see first, which patient to assign to a floater, and safety. Its very easy to understand...and all these posts i read on here that people say they think the NCLEX was spoken in a different language... totally not true. Each question was less than a line long.

Hope this was helpful. If I can pass it...and I usually have poor judgement on tests...especially the hesi... then you can pass it! GOOD LUCK!

GodblesspedsGN · Mar 17, 2010

Thank you all for your advice...it feels so good to here from those that have taken the test and those that are in the same boat as me taking the test soon. I know for sure the day before the test I will not be doing anything nurse related just relaxing and praying:-)...I have about 100 q bank questions left...I have to remember to breathe...believe that I can do this...and this positive...thanks again guys...Ill let you know the results next week!!!

goodstudentnowRN · Mar 17, 2010

Go get them psinglet! You can do it...Qbank is the best! I used it and I was comfortable doing my exam...

anurseatlast · Mar 17, 2010

I think the practice questions help a lot. The NCLEX questions will be written in a similar way. Most nursing school write their test questions that way too to prepare you for the exam.

The day before, relax. How about getting a massage?(If there are massage schools in your area, it is not that expensive.) Go to a movie with friends. Take a walk. If you don't, you will just stress yourself out and will not really learn anything by cramming.

Allow a lot of time to get to the site so you don't stress about getting there late. If you leave a distance from the testing site, consider whether you would be better staying at a hotel nearby or if you would sleep better at home. If you have to drive a distance, consider having someone drive you since you will be very distracted. Be sure it is someone who helps you relax when you are stressed, not someone who will stress you out!!!

Before you start your test, write down some things you might get confused about - ABGs, normal lab values, etc. Once you start reading questions, you may find it hard to remember so it is good to have it in writing.

Take your time with each question. Reread it until you understand what they are asking. With patient priority questions, ask yourself what could happen to each of them - who is at the most risk?

It helped me while I was taking it to tell myself that I was not expected to know everything on the test (unlike nursing school tests). Because it is computer-adaptive (you get a harder question every time you answer one right), it may seem very hard. They are looking for competency. They do not expect you to be an expert. I kept telling myself, "I don't have to know it all. It is okay if I don't know this one." Then I would use the things I learned in my prep to make the best guess I could.

Try not to keep track of how many questions you have answered - it doesn't matter. Some only answer 75 questions and pass. Some get 200 and pass. Just keeping doing the questions one at a time. When you are done with one, move on. Don't keep second guessing yourself. Focus on the one you are doing NOW.

You have been diligent in preparing. That will help you a lot with the test. Hope to hear soon that you passed!

GodblesspedsGN · Mar 17, 2010

@ anurseatlast...thanks for much for the great advice...I am taking all of this in...and I will definitely keep you posted on the results!!!

AndreaM · Mar 18, 2010

Quick update- I passed! I had to wait the whole 48 hours to find out, but it was worth it! good luck!