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!
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!
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!! I had to settle for a Dairy Queen!
You are too funny! I am still waiting for my ATT. I am still studying at least 50-100 questions per day. I think you summed it up well, it was the hardest in that is was the most important, however, it was the easiest. On the other hand, I am SO confused. For the life of me, I have been puling my hair out trying to figure out what I need to focus on and how to study. I remember every subject from Nursing foundations all the way down to my final day in nursing school. I did very well in school. When I hear the NCLEX is not like any other test you have taken, I get scared beyond belief. I thought those nursing school test were crazy. I walked out many days thinking I got hit by a city bus....come to find out I passed the test:bugeyes:. I am just SO sick of the waiting for my ATT at the moment. I just want to meet face to face with the NCLEX and get on with my life......oh my, are my hormones going? why did I just bust out crying? Ineffective coping here!
I took the NCLEX and it shut off at 75 questions and the board of nursing sent me a letter saying I got everyone of the questions right. JUST KIDDING...seriously.....it is awful....but it's what we make it out to be. I also agree that we impose such high standards on ourselves as that is what nursing school is geared at. I think that some of the best advice is to enforce the fact that if you made it through nursing school you do have what it takes to be a good nurse whether you pass the NCLEX the first time or it takes you a few more tries:)
when i hear the nclex is not like any other test you have taken, i get scared beyond belief. ineffective coping here!
damomma,
this is exactly the reason i started this thread in the first place. we drive ourselves crazy over this test! we fear the unknown and we tend to blow it up to be way more than it really is. the reason, i think, that people say the nclex is unlike any other test is because it's interactive. it's not predictable nor is it topic focused like all of the nursing school tests we take. it covers a wide array of topics and changes direction based on your responses... so there's no telling what you will get. that's what makes it unique... not that it's stuff that you've never seen before or that it's harder than the tests you've already taken and passed.
nclex is measuring minimum competency, therefore the questions are not going to be as detailed as the tests you took in school. and if they are you're probably way above the pass line anyway. i personally thought the questions were far easier than the ones i used to get in my program... now they were hard! my instructors prided themselves on stumping us. sounds like you've had some doozies too! have confidence and try and relax. take a break from the books and do something nice for you!
I totally agree with everything OP said. I walked out thinking I failed only because it was so easy for me. And I don't mean that in a stuck up way, I mean that in the way that everyone made me scared to death of the test that I went in there thinking it was going to be the test from #*##. It was not, school prepares us for that. I think the tests in Nursing school were harder than the NCLEX. Good luck to everyone. And congrats to OP.
Forgot to add: to the future NCLEX takers, the most important thing to remember while sitting for this exam is this: NCLEX exam is the perfect world where we have all the time in the world. Take yourself out of the real world work field. Never pass the buck to someone else if there is something a nurse can do first, and never ever ever restrain unless you have no other options!!! Also remember, what is the one thing that is best that I can do for my patient and walk out that door to go home and know that they will be safe!!! Good Luck everyone.
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.
lisa,
boy... we sure do carry the weight of the world on our shoulders don't we!! we don't want to disappoint our schools, we don't want to look foolish in front of our friends and families, and we surely don't want to be the only one of our classmates that don't pass!! the horror!!!
it's no wonder we have a complete panic attack over this exam when we put such enormous pressure on ourselves to fulfill everyone else expectations. becoming a nurse is a difficult journey and a lot is expected of us. nursing school teaches us we have to be intelligent, resourceful, and determined... but when did they ever say we had to be superhuman or infallible? that's a burden we place on ourselves.
The site is very helpful.. so you mean you just studied 1 week? aw..genius
It wasn't by choice that I only studied for a week, I had things going on and that's just the way it worked out. I decided to just role the dice and see what happened. Not a genius... just smart like all nursing school grads are!
you guys are awesome. i recently took my nclex and did not pass and i was panicking because i have to go through the pain and anxiety all over again. and the pressure is on more than ever!!!!!! but your words are encouraging and i will do my best and try not to put too much pressure on myself... b/c ultimately that will probably be my demise. gonna start on the suzanne plan today!!
Congratulations on passing the NCLEX!!! And thank you for the advice. You are absolutely right. Anxiety has always hindered me in every aspect of my life. And considering this exam is the only thing preventing us from becoming what we went to school for, the pressure is definitely high! And you add in the pressure from everyone else! Sheesh that's a whole lot of pressure for one person to handle. It's nice to hear a point of view that opens my mind to a different outlook.
I have failed twice and hope this time, with a better mindset I can walk out of there knowing I did the best I could!!! (And of course studying a little more will def help a lot) Will do suzanne's plan!!!
Thanks again for your advice and good luck with your new journey!
I think that the OP makes a valid point. I have never had test anxiety before studying for the NCLEX. I don't like the feeling and I think that it will effect my result. So, I am now working to calm my anxiety as well as study for the actual test.
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!
we fear the unknown and we tend to blow it up to be way more than it really is. the reason, i think, that people say the nclex is unlike any other test is because it's interactive. it's not predictable nor is it topic focused like all of the nursing school tests we take. it covers a wide array of topics and changes direction based on your responses... so there's no telling what you will get. that's what makes it unique... not that it's stuff that you've never seen before or that it's harder than the tests you've already taken and passed.
sounds like you've had some doozies too! have confidence and try and relax. take a break from the books and do something nice for you! 
DAMomma
326 Posts
You are too funny! I am still waiting for my ATT. I am still studying at least 50-100 questions per day. I think you summed it up well, it was the hardest in that is was the most important, however, it was the easiest. On the other hand, I am SO confused. For the life of me, I have been puling my hair out trying to figure out what I need to focus on and how to study. I remember every subject from Nursing foundations all the way down to my final day in nursing school. I did very well in school. When I hear the NCLEX is not like any other test you have taken, I get scared beyond belief. I thought those nursing school test were crazy. I walked out many days thinking I got hit by a city bus....come to find out I passed the test:bugeyes:. I am just SO sick of the waiting for my ATT at the moment. I just want to meet face to face with the NCLEX and get on with my life......oh my, are my hormones going? why did I just bust out crying? Ineffective coping here!