Waiting to take the NCLEX?.....

DelanaRN, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 15, 2008

I graduate in 10 weeks (or 67 very long days!!), and I am going to test as soon as I can get a date to test!! Statistics show over and over...the sooner you take the test after graduation, the greater your chances are of passing!! However, between the time I graduate and the time I take the test I will be studying like a mad woman. I have at least 4 PN Study guides I've already started on here and there.

Fiona59 · Apr 23, 2008

We have set dates up here for our national exam. Students are expected to write on the first date after graduation. Some classes write within two weeks, others wait up to four months. Some work experience is helpful but not necessary.

The knowledge is already there if you paid attention during your course work and clinicals. It's all just down to understanding the question.

Jules A, MSN · Apr 24, 2008

I have read studies that showed that the chances of passing drops significantly with each month that students wait after graduation to take the NCLEX. I tested within 3 weeks for my LPN boards and plan to do the same this spring for the RN boards.

agldragonRN · Apr 25, 2008

this is premature for me but i am just curious .....
what is the benefit to waiting to test? my school said that we can test within a few weeks of graduation. are there people purposely waiting beyond that point just to study for it? is there anyone who does not buy extra books and study for weeks prior?
in my personal situation, i want and need to test asap after graduation as allowed by the school/ board. is this going to hinder my chances of passing? basically, is better to test asap or should i wait and study?

i just took my nclex last month. i think it was about 2 weeks after graduation.

you should take the nclex as soon as you can because all the nursing info in your head is still fresh.

i do not know why many people wait. if you just graduated and were able to pass all the exit exams, you should be like almost ready for the nclex-pn.

maybe it also depends on your testing sites. after pearson sent me my authorization to test (att), i went on their website to schedule my test and i was shocked to see that all the dates were already taken for march. this testing site was the closest to me like 15 mins away.

so i had to look for another pearson site which is like 40 mins away from my house and the earliest date i could have was within 2 weeks so i took it and scheduled it.

VNNSA · May 8, 2008

I just got mt ATT and it is only good for 8 weeks. I too thought I wanted to take my test ASAP after grad date. Well that was till now. I finished 2 weeks ago and am scheduled to test in 10 days from now. I only work 2 days a weeks and feel I still need more time to study. I've read it's based on critical thinking and in practice exams I end up choosing the second best answer.