What is it that makes the NCLEX so hard?

jazzymin27 · Dec 12, 2010

I found the NCLEX to be really hard. It was my 3rd time taking it because the first 2 times #1 I wasn't motivated to study because I was so excited from finishing nursing school and #2 I basically thought since EVERYONE from my class was passing the 1st time, I thought it was gonna be handed to me. Boy was I wrong!!! But I really found something that motivated me to study and everytime I wanted to quit, I kept thinking about what motivates me. I was lacking more on content than practicing questions every day so I focused on that. Good luck to you in january and I know that you will pass!!! Praying also helped me as well!!!!

Leonardo Del Toro, RN · Dec 13, 2010

Hi Marcos,
Thanks for your response. I agree with you, however, I feel like I had enough 'speed' during both attempts. 4 Hours and 10 minutes the first time and 4½ hours the second (got 265 at both) My results where, on all subjects, near passing standard...
I had several questions about diseases I'd never heard of, I assume many people come across those questions.
I wanted to look it up once I got home, but by that time I couldn't remember what it was. Stress I guess.
But I'm gonna give it another go. I will pass at one point don't you think?
If I may ask, at how many attempts did you pass?

Good. If you got the speed then you are very...very near. Another indication that you are a hair line away is the fact that you are going consistently to 265. According to a conversation with someone from the PearsonVue, going all the way to 265 is more significant then the score report you get on the mail.

Frederique-NL · Dec 13, 2010

it's hard, because you can't figure out the right answer based on critical thinking. Your thinking over the questions is not going to lead you to the right answer, because your nursing school and texbooks haven't taught you what information to focus on when you study nursing. NCLEX is designed in such a way that you have to KNOW, not logically deduce, not guess what the right answer is. A lot of times the rationales don't make sense, so using your "rationality" also is not going to help you select the right answer. Another reason is -- if we assume that NCLEX uses similar guidelines as nursing schools for pass or fail, which is 77% on average -- this is a very high threshold. Think about it -- answering 75% of NCLEX correctly is actually a big number -- it shows that you know a lot, yet it's not eough to pass the exam, and you fail.

The only way to study for NCLEX is to see as many NCLEX style questions, their correct answers and rationales as you can. You will soon notice that you get a lot of similar questions. They might be worded differently, but the correct answer is always the same.

Don't bother with content review, don't bother with test taking strategies. Get as many NCLEX books from the library for free as you can, and only go through the questions and answers, and memorize them, memorize rationales for the correct answer.

Have you done that? How did you study for the exams?

Hi,

The first time I used Saunders and Kaplan rationale, I studied/answered many questions. But did not memorize them. The second time I did the online review of "Nursingreview online". Again did many questions and scored around 70%. I wrote down everything I had never heard of and studied that. Both exams I got 265 questions...

Now I got the LaCharity book on delegation, prioritization and assignment. This book helped me understand these things. So I've gained on that part. I'll have a look in the library, but not sure these books are available in the Netherlands. Thanks a lot for your response and advice!

Frederique-NL · Dec 13, 2010

Good. If you got the speed then you are very...very near. Another indication that you are a hair line away is the fact that you are going consistently to 265. According to a conversation with someone from the PearsonVue, going all the way to 265 is more significant then the score report you get on the mail.

Marcos,

you made my day! I honestly thought I wasn't good enough because of the 265! Your post gave me a boost to keep going! Thank you so much for this!

:up:

Frederique-NL · Dec 13, 2010

Everybody; thank you for all your kind words and support!:redbeathe

You're all wonderful people!

Frederique

dblpn · Dec 14, 2010

What makes it so hard? Honest answer...you. The test is only as hard as you(or anyone else) let it be. That and word of mouth make it sound so hard. People have made it into something so infamous and scary, but it's really not. If you understood the basics from school, you should be able to knock it out in 75 questions, as long as you don't let nerves and anxiety get the best of you. You can't really say that the NCLEX is "hard" because every person will have different questions. What's hard for one person, may be easy for the next

You're exactly right. when i took the nclex-pn, i was nervous mainly from hearing scary stories and how many times a person took the nclex. i believe the exams in school were alot harder than the nclex. it was straight to the point no trick questions and the answers were easy to navigate through to the right one. like you said, if you know the basics from school and payed attention, you'll do fine.

frodo-dog · Dec 15, 2010

Its the holidays, I have just finished block 2 of AAS program - did med surg. I am busy trying to spend my month off doing as many NCLEX questions as possible.

I am very disillusioned. There are questions that cover material that we just didnt get taught. Like postcholecystectomy syndrome.

I am getting 65% on the generalized tests, but am having to take away questions that I dont know and study them daily.

Now I am really scared about the NCLEX as I dont know what I dont know. I got 92% in my semester 1 and 2 classes, but cant pass generalized tests. Thats why I posted the question about an official body of knowledge.

As for block exits, I only got 859 on HESI, but passed ATI with flying colors.