Took the NCLEX today 06/20/2018 -UWorld exclusively as studying tool

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Hi everybody! I just wanted to share my experience with the NCLEX and hopefully offer some reassurance to people who are in or about to be in this position. I took the NCLEX today, shut off at 75 questions, and had an active license on my state's BON within an hour of taking the exam! Granted that's not the normal wait time, but my state is small. Anyways, I digress. I graduated with honors from an ADN program on May 18th, and got my ticket to test within a week or so. I've generally been a good test taker throughout my schooling, but do get serious test anxiety so I wanted to give myself enough time to relax after graduating while still having enough time to study. I purchased 60 days of Uworld with 2 self-assessments and the unlimited test bank. I used UWorld exclusively to study, and really can't recommend it enough. The questions are tough! They make you think, and get you prepared for SATA questions because there is so many of them. The rationales are clear, and if you take the time to read them thoroughly you'll learn a lot. The feel of the NCLEX is extremely similar to UWorld, which I found very comforting. When I was taking the NCLEX, I definitely felt like I was screwing up because the questions were "easier" to some degree than what I was expecting (UWorld questions were really difficult in my opinion). I had about 15-20 SATA, many priority/delegation/teaching questions, and quite a bit of psych/maternal-fetal-newborn-infant-toddler questions. Several nutrition/dietary questions as well. My biggest piece of advice is to treat the NCLEX like a practice exam. Of course the stakes are high and you want to do your best, but place those fears aside the best you can because that is where people trip themselves up. There will be plenty of questions that you have no idea how to answer (if the testing proctors could see my face during some of them, they would probably have thought I was losing it 😂) but there is SOME piece of information in there that you do know. Take your best educated guess, and move on to the next. And remember, the test and your knowledge are both on your side! You received an education preparing you for this test, and the test is adaptive to your needs. You also have PLENTY of time. Take breaks if you need to, focus on your breathing, and do the dang thing. You CAN do it. It is a tough exam, but not impossible. It is testing the minimum competency needed to be a RN, and you have it. Set yourself up for success as best as you can prior to the test as well. If you do better with books/note taking, then study that way. Don't try to study too differently than how you did in school. I do recommend practice tests though, because it keeps you in the habit of answering weird NCLEX-style questions. Spend time with your loved ones, make time for your hobbies in between studying, sleep/eat well leading up to the exam, and most importantly, trust yourself. Don't burn yourself out or discredit your own intelligence/capability. If I can do it, you can do it! If you have any questions or anything to add, feel free! Best of luck to all of you 😊

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Congratulations with the passing!!! And thanks for sharing your experience. Do you mind me asking about U-World self-test? What was your score? I scored with high passing probability only and I do have an exam anxiety.

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Sure! On the first assessment I scored a 64% which put me in the 77th percentile. Second one I got a 66% which put me in the 84th percentile. I think if you're able to score a "high chance" on the UWorld assessments then you're in good shape. Focus more on reading the rationales of the questions you got wrong (and got right!) rather than your scores. It's hard to focus on anything but your scores, but in the long run it's more important that you retain new info for future tests than focusing on the score you got on this day or that day. Good luck í ½í¸

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I m doing u world my score is between 40- 50%[29th percentile.) how can I improve it .i feels exhausted.i m currently doing 75 random timed mode and reviewing it .

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Specializes in Oncology, OCN.

Nice to hear Uworld worked well for you. I'm about to activate my 90 day Uworld subscription to start my studying for the HESI exit exam and NCLEX. My school also provides a hurst review before we officially graduate. Hopefully between all that my NCLEX experience will go smoothly.

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I m doing u world my score is between 40- 50%[29th percentile.) how can I improve it .i feels exhausted.i m currently doing 75 random timed mode and reviewing it .

Try doing Uworld in tutor mode. Then you can immediately ascertain whether you are thinking about the material in the proper way. I preferred tutor mode for that reason. Also, see what your weaknesses are and concentrate on learning the core content of that material. I found the Hurst book very helpful in that regard. I found Uworld helpful in building on core content and honing in on critical thinking skills and I became very proficient at answering SATA. I passed in 75Q using this method.

Good luck. :)

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I second this! I only used the tutor mode. It's more about learning how to answer the questions than working well with the timer, since you're given 6 hours to complete the NCLEX. Good luck and keep us posted!

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I've heard great things about Hurst. One of my friends from school used it exclusively to prep for the NCLEX, and she passed with 75 questions. Best of luck to you!

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Thank you for your support.i will do in that way too

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I second this! I only used the tutor mode. It's more about learning how to answer the questions than working well with the timer, since you're given 6 hours to complete the NCLEX. Good luck and keep us posted!

thank you for your support

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Hurst review , I don't have .when I searched in all nurses.com I found that people speak about u works in a more strong way.thats why I purchased it .i will check for hurst review too.is it audio or hard copy.

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Thank you for the encouragement! Congratulations! I am wondering whether those of you who have passed Nclex-RN and exclusively studied using Uworld could share what your average performance percentages were when completing practice exams on Uworld. I am 8 months post-graduation and just now studying for Nclex following personal illness. I know that Uworld is designed to be more difficult than boards, but can't seem to find info that says..."if you have an average test percentage of _______, you should feel comfortable sitting for your boards". Any feedback appreciated! Thank you, and again, Congrats on your personal achievement!!

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