Try Not to Panic Over NCLEX!

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Specializes in Ltc, Hospice, Spinal Cord.

everyone gets way too stressed out about nclex! we spend years in nursing school learning mounds of content and passing test after difficult test and still second guess our abilities. any decent nursing program should be sufficient to prepare us for nclex. every school mate of mind, regardless of how smart and together they were in nursing school, had a complete meltdown over this exam because they worked themselves into such a panic over it! we later had a good laugh at how unnecessarily unraveled we all became.

i personally studied for about a week for my test. i concentrated on content that i hadn't studied for a while to review (i used saunders book and cd practice questions). i looked over the contact precautions recommended by the cdc (link below) and familiarized myself with important values. i decided that if i failed i would have a better understanding of what the test was like my second time around. fortunately that wasn't necessary.

the test wasn't nearly as bad as i had thought it would be. i felt confident i knew the answers to some questions and with the others i use educated guesses to narrow the options. my weakest area is meds and my exam was 80% meds! but even though i didn't know every med they threw at me they worded the answers in a way that i was able to work it out logically. you don't have to know all the answers with this test; you need to be able to critically think a question through.

i'm convinced that people get themselves so unnecessarily anxious over this test they sabotage themselves. i was so panicked during the test i had to read the questions several times just to understand what they were asking me. i was hyper sensitive to every sound in the room and had a terrible time focusing. then after i took it i cried because i was sure i failed. not because it was too hard mind you, but because i thought it was too easy. i thought for sure i was riding below the pass line the entire test.

keep in mind nclex is measuring minimum competency unlike the tests you've already taken in school which were much more in-depth. also keep in mind that you will only get about half of the questions right because the computer program is assessing and reassessing your level of knowledge... so expect that and don't panic. also remember, for whatever reason; nearly everyone thinks they've failed, and that the vast majority pass!

:twocents: my advice to all of you nclex takers is spend as much time de-stressing as you are studying and trust in your abilities. you just graduated from one of the hardest degree programs available which is an astounding feat in itself. take pride in that and know that this is just one more test... no harder or more tricky than any other test you've taken, and already passed. the big difference with this test is the enormous pressure you put yourself under. no one expects us to know everything nor should you!

go into the test confident and feeling good about who you are and all you've accomplished. and if for some reason you don't pass don't beat yourself up about it. you'll then know what you need to focus on and you'll take it again. it's not the end of the world... you've already been through the hardest part of becoming a nurse... nursing school!

cdc infection precaution guidelines:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/guidelines/isolation2007_appendixa.pdf

all the best to all of you! :heartbeat

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Thanks for the good advice and congratulations on passing.

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Specializes in Just passed the Boards :).

thank you so much ....I so needed to here this because I have been freakin out lately the closer I get to my date the better I am feeling ...I am trying to builtup my confidence and forget all the negatives

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Specializes in Ltc, Hospice, Spinal Cord.
thank you so much ....I so needed to here this because I have been freakin out lately the closer I get to my date the better I am feeling ...I am trying to builtup my confidence and forget all the negatives

When I was waiting to take my exam and came to this site I found that most of the posters were just as freaked out as I was. So it kind of made me feel even worse. But then I came across a couple wonderfully inspiring posts that really helped me put things into perspective. So I thought it would be good to add what I could. We have a right to feel good about what we've already accomplished and not base all of our worth on this one exam. :mad:

All the best to you!

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Specializes in DOU.

I almost started a thread like this one when I took my NCLEX-RN, but I was afraid of hurting the feelings of some of the posters who didn't pass.

I think the reason so many people freak out after the exam is because they are too focused on the questions they didn't know the answer to (in my case, I had to totally guess on 12 questions out of 75), and they forget about all the questions they could think through.

I kept track of the number of questions I knew, the number of questions I didn't know, and the number I narrowed down to 50/50 chance. I was confident when I walked out that I passed. And yes, I think it was easier than I expected.

Congratulations on passing.

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Specializes in Ltc, Hospice, Spinal Cord.
i almost started a thread like this one when i took my nclex-rn, but i was afraid of hurting the feelings of some of the posters who didn't pass.

i really hope i didn't hurt anyone's feelings with my post! i assure you that my intension was the complete opposite. i just want people to see nclex for what it is... just another test. my hope is that everyone who sits for this exam realizes that they have gained that privilege because they have earned it, and that they go into it feeling a sense of pride not dread, happiness not sadness. if at all possible... to enjoy the experience.

failing this test does not define who you are or devalue what you've accomplished, it just postpones the inevitable. there are countless posts here that tell stories of great nurses who failed this test before they became nurses. i am not downplaying the disappointment of failing... no one wants to fail... but i just want to put this into perspective. of all the stories i've read here together with of all of my personal accounts i have yet to hear of anyone graduating from nursing school and not becoming a nurse. we need to keep our heads up and our eyes on the prize!

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I KNOW right.... you are right this NCLEX is about to cause a massive case of MI for all nurses students...

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Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.

OP, you're entirely right!!

NCLEX was the hardest test I've ever taken simply because it was the most important test I've ever taken. By the same token, it was the EASIEST! I only had one knowledge-based question (about Cushings Triad) and the rest was common sensible that required critical thinking.

That said, the first thing I wanted to find post-test was a BAR!! :D I had to settle for a Dairy Queen!

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Specializes in Ltc, Hospice, Spinal Cord.
NCLEX was the hardest test I've ever taken simply because it was the most important test I've ever taken

Actually, looking back I think the most important test I ever took was my last final. 14 of my friends are retaking the last semester of nursing school and redoing 70+ hours of clinicals because they failed. I would much rather have to retake NCLEX than redo another semester of nursing school any day!! ;)

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Specializes in Just passed the Boards :).
When I was waiting to take my exam and came to this site I found that most of the posters were just as freaked out as I was. So it kind of made me feel even worse. But then I came across a couple wonderfully inspiring posts that really helped me put things into perspective. So I thought it would be good to add what I could. We have a right to feel good about what we've already accomplished and not base all of our worth on this one exam. :mad:

All the best to you!

thank you and Congratulations :yeah:

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Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.
Actually, looking back I think the most important test I ever took was my last final. 14 of my friends are retaking the last semester of nursing school and redoing 70+ hours of clinicals because they failed. I would much rather have to retake NCLEX than redo another semester of nursing school any day!! ;)

Me, too :D

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Specializes in BSc, ASN- RN, MBA.

I soooo needed that "don't freak out" pep talk! I am scheduling the test in 20 days and totally have been freaking - ONLY 20 DAYS AHHHHHH!

I graduated in December and took a break till January. I did a Kaplan course, but have had the hardest time staying focused to even study. I am starting to get back into it - but feel like I know nothing! I just pray that I will get thru it and whats the worst case scenario? I fail and have to do it again. I have to get the thought of letting my school down (dang pass rate expectations) and letting myself down. I made it thru nursing school, through clinicals and made decent grades. I have to trust that I made the right decision and that I am supposed to do this. It will all work out even if it takes a few tries.

Thank You

Lisa

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