What is the real NCLEX deal???

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Specializes in Eventually Midwifery.

I have read so many study plans, success and failure stories, and have seen a plethora of study materials.

My questions is this, I realize that a thorough review of nursing school is necessary before taking the exam, but is it really necessary to buy all of these study guides? I mean, shouldn't nursing school itself be preparing you for the exam?

I had to take a comprehensive exam when I was in grad school and studied about 3 weeks before- is the NCLEX really that much more challenging?

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Nope. I wouldn't say it's seriously challenging at all. It's made to test whether or not you're a competent BEGINNER level nurse. It has an 85 percent pass rate.

I went through school and walked into the test after buying ZERO study guides. I did a couple hundred practice questions in the days before the test and that was enough for me.

I'm a good test taker. I knew this way before nursing school ever started. Only you know how you study. Continue to follow whatever path has served you well so far.

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Honestly, I didn't review a whole lot of content for NCLEX. The content that I saw on NCLEX was mostly stuff that was covered in school (even though some of it was vague). I used VATI which I thought helped me a lot. It was basically taking assessment after assessment and reviewing what you missed and built on it. I had to take an exit Hesi to graduate from my school and I honestly felt like NCLEX was 10X easier than that Hesi!!! I will recommend one book that I would definitely use for NCLEX and that's Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment by LaCharity. That book will be a life saver when it comes to NCLEX. I think so many people freak themselves out before they even get into the testing room and they fail before they even begin. Please go into that testing room expecting 265 questions and having to sit for the whole 6 hours so you don't freeze up if you go past 75. If I could go back, I probably wouldn't have had to have VATI and just went through questions in PDA by LaCharity and still would have passed. I may not have passed at 77# but I would have still passed. So to answer your question, no, you don't have to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a review or study materials to pass NCLEX. You just have to be confident in yourself and your knowledge base.

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Easy to say when you just finish nursing school. Not the same for those of us who graduated 3, 4, 5 plus years ago and because of situations beyond our control, was unable to do the NCLEX after graduation.

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Easy to say when you just finish nursing school. Not the same for those of us who graduated 3, 4, 5 plus years ago and because of situations beyond our control, was unable to do the NCLEX after graduation.

That's a very long time. What prevented you from testing for so long?

I believe in my state you only have two years to test and if you do not test in that time frame you have to do nursing school all over again.

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Specializes in Eventually Midwifery.
Easy to say when you just finish nursing school. Not the same for those of us who graduated 3, 4, 5 plus years ago and because of situations beyond our control, was unable to do the NCLEX after graduation.

That is a great point! I am planning to take the NCLEX within a month of graduating, however if I had to take it years later, I would definitely need heavy review

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Specializes in Eventually Midwifery.
Nope. I wouldn't say it's seriously challenging at all. It's made to test whether or not you're a competent BEGINNER level nurse. It has an 85 percent pass rate.

I went through school and walked into the test after buying ZERO study guides. I did a couple hundred practice questions in the days before the test and that was enough for me.

I'm a good test taker. I knew this way before nursing school ever started. Only you know how you study. Continue to follow whatever path has served you well so far.

^^ This! I am a pretty good test taker. I guess I just read so many intense study regimens on AN that the whole prospect of taking it is freaking me out!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, OR, ICU.

NCLEX is more of knowing How to answer questions more so than the knowledge behind it. Granted you need a strong base of understanding all the concepts to know what to look for but most importantly, I believe, is understanding what the question is asking you. Understand the test taking strategies in the front of every Saunders nclex review, it'll be a life saver

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
^^ This! I am a pretty good test taker. I guess I just read so many intense study regimens on AN that the whole prospect of taking it is freaking me out!

Then you should be good.

I had a three month delay in taxing my most recent NCLEX; I had to still take university-required coursework after my nursing courses were completed. I spent at least two months on reviewing questions and rationales; I really didn't pay attention to content unless it was known subjects or questions that had the best of me while in school.

When I took the exam, it was two weeks after my official graduation: I went on a cruise, returned on Wednesday, took my exam on a Friday, and had my license by Tuesday.

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^^ This! I am a pretty good test taker. I guess I just read so many intense study regimens on AN that the whole prospect of taking it is freaking me out![/quote. Managua, don't let others experience scare you. We all had a different experience on the NCLEX. You will do great. Put that fear behind, because fear is torment. Go get your license.
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