Took NCLEX-RN near the passing standard in all areas

quiltynurse56, LPN, LVN · Apr 23, 2017

Try the app NCLEX-RN Mastery and add it to your routine. Make sure you read the rationales too. Saunders is pretty good too. You are so very close so next time may be the time

FutureRn2018ly · Apr 23, 2017

Thank you so much for your reply quiltynurse56. I will do so! Bless!

ArceusAlpha · Apr 23, 2017

Hello!

I was wondering, how did you go on about studying? Did you study several hours a day? How many days a week did you devote to studying?

Since you took UWorld, if you don't mind me asking, what was your percentile? Is there any particular part that you have a weakness on (Medications? Side effects? Prioritization and delegation? etc.)

I'm asking because rather than just giving you tips to what sources to use, maybe we can help with how to study or prepare for the exam :)

FutureRn2018ly · Apr 23, 2017

Hello!

I was ranking around 50's-60's and sometimes 70's. I have a 4 year old with me at home so in terms of hours of study I spent 4 hours in the morning and then 2 hours with breaks to take care of the little one, and did night reading. I studied for 5 days a week and sometimes saturday. And now that you mention it, I do feel a struggle with the medications, i get them confused. Some diseases give me a hard time as well because of the similarity in s & s. I guess thats what I think im lacking. Also when I took NCLEX, the question answers where soo tricky that I just wasn't 100% sure which one to pick, i ended up torned between two options every single time haha. But yes thats about it... thank you for your reply!

ArceusAlpha · Apr 24, 2017

Hello!
I was ranking around 50's-60's and sometimes 70's. I have a 4 year old with me at home so in terms of hours of study I spent 4 hours in the morning and then 2 hours with breaks to take care of the little one, and did night reading. I studied for 5 days a week and sometimes saturday. And now that you mention it, I do feel a struggle with the medications, i get them confused. Some diseases give me a hard time as well because of the similarity in s & s. I guess thats what I think im lacking. Also when I took NCLEX, the question answers where soo tricky that I just wasn't 100% sure which one to pick, i ended up torned between two options every single time haha. But yes thats about it... thank you for your reply!

Medications are pretty difficult, especially since we need to know the common S&S, adverse effects, contraindications, given with or without food, compatibility, diet restrictions, etc. What helped me quite a bit was the use of picmonic. It helped in that I identified a lot of these information with drawings. I'm not a stickler when it comes as a visual learner, but visual cues do help immensely especially in the world of medicine.

I wrote down major medications over drug classes and had the main information on each one with the names of meds under each class. Repetitive is key. I'd review this page (roughly 3 pages) at least once every other day.

There are A LOT of lab values you have to memorize. I wrote them down on paper and taped it beside my bed wall. So every night, I would review ONLY a few lab values by testing myself "What is the value of BNP?" If I got it right, go to another one. If I got it wrong, repeat the value in your head 10 times over or more and look at your sheet.

I had a lot of lab values (everything from troponin, cholesterol, HDL/LDL, INR/PT, PTT, etc. in addition to Erikson's Theory, Insulin times, electrolyte ECG changes, you name it)

After continuous testing every night, all these values become stuck inside my head, either from outright memory and/or memory from the visualization of the paper on the wall.

Studying for hours a day may sound good in practice, but it can bad because one can over study. Our brains require rest, and reading plenty of information can just end up going nowhere because of mental exhaustion. So it is imperative you take things slowly, do not study for hours on end - pace yourself.

I would suggest to quickly review some core content - I used Saunders for this area. I spent 1 month studying core content + RN Mastery app.
Then I used Prioritization and Delegation by LaCharity for 1 week.
Then studied using UWorld. You've used UWorld, and what is important is that it doesn't really matter what percentage you get as long as you understand the rationales. I really can't say much more about this because UWorld is the closest thing the the actual NCLEX; so it's the best practice qBank around for preparation.
Picmonic was used all throughout the study period. I also went on YouTube to watch their free webinars (I thought the medication webinar was really good!)

So in the end, it's finding what's best for you. I can offer you the best sources to use but it depends on how you can utilize them. Practice questions is the key at this point. I did 4000+ practice questions, so your mind has been exposed to practically anything the NCLEX can throw at you.

Good luck and message me if you need anything else :)

FutureRn2018ly · Apr 24, 2017

Thank you so much for all the tips! I have seen picmonic and now im conviced to invest in that. I will definitely take more rest time in between. I was very tired the whole time and maybe that was a factor. Thank you for all the advice I will definitely put it into practice! Bless!

Dmarie96 · Aug 24, 2019

On 4/22/2017 at 9:31 PM, FutureRn2018ly said:
Hello everyone:
I decided to share my NCLEX experience with you and maybe vent a little bit from the whole experience, which was a very difficult one for me. A little bit about me, I am a Hispanic Nurse graduate that moved to the states and found out that my next step was NCLEX (which is very different from the preparation that was given to me in School for the boards of my country Puerto Rico) either way I decided to go for it but the first time I did horribly bad, my test finished in 75 questions and I did not felt prepared at all. After that I put myself together and decided to study hard and cover everything that my school did not cover or what I did not understood well. I took 4 months to study I used Uworld, and read the fundamentals section from Saunders book. After those months I felt I had a good shot at passing and went in there and took the Test. I was at the center for the whole 6 hours took breaks, breath and I believe did try my hardest.... But unfortunately I failed again and when I received my results all the areas where Near the passing standard. Its been 2 weeks since my test and I feel confused kind of depressed but hopeful. I am just not sure what to incorporate this time or how to do things differently. I am not trying to come here and complain I'm just venting with y'all and seeking guidance on how I can change the strategy and see if finally I can pass this test. I really put my heart to it and I felt so disappointed when I saw my results. Also the Nevada board has a limit of 4 times to take NCLEX and that has me a little anxious, I really do not want to keep failing. So if any of you have any suggestions or advice for me I would really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Have a blessed weekend y'all and thank you in advanced!

Hi! I’m wondering if you finally passed? I’m also a GN from Puerto Rico and failed the test the first time and i’m about to take the nclex again on September 11. The first time i only focused on content( Saunders book) so now i’m using Uworld and i do fee more confident but it’s still so stressful!