Where are you writing the NCLEX?

suzanne4, RN · Jun 9, 2004

You have to apply to a state board of nursing to get permission to sit for the NCLEX exam. It no longer matters where you are getting inititally licensed, as you will need to go thru the Visa Screen process which will take a few months. This used to be required of nurses only applying for a green card, but now it includes even those nurses wanting a TN. You need to send in your complete set of transcripts to the BON, which means that you have to wait until afte you graduate since you will be considered a foreign grad.

Visa Screen will not consider processing of any of your documents until you have a full set of completed transcripts sent to them.

:balloons:

beausud · Jun 21, 2004

hey, got mine through florida... but you are right everyone that i spoke to has mentioned minnesota as being one state that is "faster" in terms of getting your NCLEX processed; there are other states.. someone has mentioned new hampshire, but dont quote me on that. check this site out if you havent already: http://www.ncsbn.org/ . it also has a list of all the state nursing boards... i took the kaplan online course.. its pricey though... but it did help alot for ME. there are cheaper options. i personally did a lot of NCLEX practice questions, just to get used to the way the NCLEX is structured.. the TYPE of questions etc.. this course also discussed strategies and also explained how the NCLEX works, i.e.: how it determines a pasing grade; this is related to the NCLEX strategies. in my case i worked a couple of yrs before i wrote the NCLEX. as for the canadian boards, i bought a book. i did as many questions as i can. i personally did not go throught all the systems.. did that in school already. i studied and learned from all the questions i got wrong. it also helped that i didnt work that summer, so all i did was study. good luck!

Hello fellow Canadian nurses,
Just wondering where you're writing the NCLEX. I'm still a year away from graduation at the U of Calgary and am curious to know how to apply to write the NCLEX in order to work in the US. I've been told that Minnesota is a good state to license through, but I'm not sure how one actually applies to do so. Also, how soon did you guys start studying for the CNAT and NCLEX, and can any of you recommend good study guides or methods of study? Did your nursing schools provide you with any info re: how to study for the CNAT? I'd like to be able to pass this info on to my classmates, too. Thanks to all for responding.

CANADIANA · Jun 22, 2004

hello fellow canadian nurses,
just wondering where you're writing the nclex. i'm still a year away from graduation at the u of calgary and am curious to know how to apply to write the nclex in order to work in the us. i've been told that minnesota is a good state to license through, but i'm not sure how one actually applies to do so. also, how soon did you guys start studying for the cnat and nclex, and can any of you recommend good study guides or methods of study? did your nursing schools provide you with any info re: how to study for the cnat? i'd like to be able to pass this info on to my classmates, too. thanks to all for responding.

hi,

i applied through minnesota and found it straightforward. there phone # is

612 617 2270. it cost about $60 us and then the fee from your professional body to state you are a graduate from a nursing program and you are licensed in canada. you have one full year from the time you register with them to pass the nclex. if you fail its another $60 to them (you dont have to go through the whole application process again) and the $200 us it costs to sit the nclex each time. so rather than pay twice it might be better for some of us to use this money for an online course and pass first time. i am studying now but have just started with a book r.n review for nclex and will probably take the kaplan online review or state boards review http://www.ncsbn.org/ . i would like to know if anyone has found one better. once you register to take nclex with pearson (the organizers) you have 3 months to sit it. so dont register before you are ready to "write it" as you will be given a date within 3 months. i plan to register to write the nclex after i have done some studying and feel prepared. however,

i am not fresh out of nursing school and need to review.

good luck

canadiana

RNBN2B · Jul 31, 2004

Thanks so much for taking time to reply ... this info really helps me! Good luck to you. :)

Charly · Aug 1, 2004

You know, I just wrote my NCLEX & CGFNS exams 2 years ago (I have been avoiding this for 10 years by working in states that accepted my Ontario license by endorsement status). Needless to say, I was quite nervous about writing as I would be mortified if I failed and I would have had my temporary Michigan license revoked. I got used study guides for the NCLEX from a new graduate and remembered what a fellow nurse suggested: Answer all the questions according to the "nursing process"...He was absolutely right. You know when you look at the multiple choices and 2 are very possible? Under the "nursing process" you'll pick the correct one. As far as drug questions went, I tried to get to know categories of classes I knew I was clueless with like oncology meds. I'm a cardiac nurse and so very rarely see onc meds. I take care of onc patients that have MI's or have pulmonary edema, but I call the onc unit if I have a chemo med. Anyhow, we all had to test out, so don't stress out too much. By the way, when I did the CNATS, it was heavy in psycho-social stuff back then. The NCLEX and CGFNS exams were very similar to each other. I wrote the NCLEX for the state of North Carolina. Good luck!!

purseOnalityRN · Aug 4, 2004

ACK!!! I'm writing the CNAT's tomorrow here in Edmonton!!!!!!!! I feel pretty confident... THE BEST study guide you can buy for it is the AARN Canadian Nursing Exam Prep Guide.. It's a red book and is fairly new.. It has two exams 130 questions each, with rationales for each MC question and it also comes with a CD.. In my last clinical all of the new GN's told me the following about studying for the CNATS:

1. Do the red book and don't bother studying for more than a weekend.

2. On the day of the exam do not study during the lunch break.

3. Do not study the day before the exam - just relax

4. The red book and only the red book, read all the rationales and know how to read the questions thoroughly.

What I did:

1. Bought the red book.

2. Took the two exams for the first time two weeks prior to the exam date without studying anything at all.

3. Wrote down concepts I didn't quite have a grasp of and whipped out texts to review the concepts..

4. Read all the rationales +++ for all the questions I got right and wrong.

5. Rewrote the two exams the weekend prior.

6. Got together with classmates to discuss questions etc.

Hopefully I did enough prep.. I feel pretty confident - but I won't really know till Sept!

I'm writing the nclex in october and i'm taking a prep class and I bought Kaplan's NCLEX review guide which is supposed to be the best one... I've also applied to Minnessota but plan to write in Montana...

Hope all this lengthy info helps!??? If you need any more tips closer to your cnats you can send me a message on here and I'll be glad to help!!

- Kim