when did u start studying for nclex-rn?

katwhit · Sep 13, 2011

It would not be a bad idea to start now, try to do as many practice questions as possible. It will also help you to study for your school exams. I spent the last 3 months of school and all summer studying. Passed NCLEX-RN in August with 75 questions. I felt unprepared when I tested but thank goodness I passed. Best of luck to you.

bobs201 · Sep 14, 2011

I honestly spent 4 faithful hrs studying, or shall i say cramming the night b4 my exam after being out of school for a month & I passed with 141 questions

Blueyz25 · Sep 14, 2011

i graduated june 11, 2011 with my bsn and i took the nclex exam 2 1/2 months later and i passed with 75 questions. for one of my courses in the nursing program, i was required to do the lacharity "prioritization & delegation" book within 10 weeks. i highly recommend that book, btw. two days after i graduated, i began studying. a lot of people i graduated with took nclex and successfully passed within a month of graduation. i took a bit longer because i wasn't super confident. i took a local nclex-rn prep course (mark klimek) over a weekend. i also used saunder's comprehensive review book (blue cover) and saunder's q & a review for the nclex-rn exam (orange cover). lastly, i used a kaplan book that i purchased at a book store to review their strategies.

a lot of people recommend sticking to one book, like books in the saunder's family and such. i found some discrepancies between the correct answers in kaplan and saunders, and it was a bit confusing at times. so i'd also recommend not using a ton of different resources. between the two saunders books and the cds that came along with the books, i was set with questions.

study strategy: for the entire summer, i answered between 500-700 questions a week. it's important to read the rationale whether you get the question correct or not. to do well on the nclex, you will have to understand the concept in order to do well. at least, that's what i believe. i also reviewed my mark klimek books once a week. approximately three weeks before taking the nclex, i sat down with my saunder's book (blue) and reviewed all of the content that was a challenge for me (based on the questions i answered all summer). every day i reviewed a different topic. i studied actual content between 6-8 hours a day starting three weeks before the exam, and i spent about two hours doing questions after studying the content every day. for me, that was the only way i felt confident. and even then, i didn't feel prepared! no one can ever go into the test knowing everything. it's all about understanding concepts!!! keep in mind, though, you won't know everything on the exam. if you don't know the answer, just try to make the most educated guess and move on.

just remember: passing the nclex is not insurmountable. it's a difficult test, but if you understand the concepts of things, you will have a better shot. i swear, i think i had two nervous breakdowns the week of my exam. but i attempted to relax the night before, i had a good 8 hours of sleep, and i told myself before walking into the exam room: "you can do this. it's not impossible to pass. there are a lot of nurses out there, and they didn't give up. you can do this too!" good luck!

Jaye6789 · Sep 14, 2011

I took a vacay for a 4 months (after graduating in May) before taking my exam. I spent about one whole month studying and then I locked myself down to do nothing but study (and workout [what fuels the body also fuels the mind]) one week before my exam. Just took the exam yesterday, computer stopped at 90 something, tons of SATA/priority (LaCharity really helps once you get up to the higher level priority questions) and got the good pop up after doing the PVT :) Good luck!

mzznurse · Sep 14, 2011

I graduated June 10, took Kaplan classes for 8 days starting June 13. I took my NCLEX on July 7. I had 3 weeks of reviewing. I only used Kaplan and passed. :) Good luck!

metricalpound · Sep 14, 2011

I'm graduating in May and I want to take the NCLEX by the end of June so I'm going to start studying probably right after New Years.