Why is this question always asked?

[RNsRWe]

I genuinely would like to know, since I see it CONSTANTLY. And the question strikes me as odd.

"What did you use to study?" when responding to "I PASSED!!" posts.

They always use the same study tools, so....why the question?

People pass with Saunders, and Kaplan, and Lippincott's, and NCLEX 3500. They pass with Hurst, and LaCharity, and on and on. They also fail with Saunders, and Kaplan and....you get the idea. One person passes...YAY! Great book!! Another fails....argh, horrible book.

Every new grad who is preparing for the NCLEX has the identical list of study/review programs available.

So what is it you are hoping to learn, when you ask "what did you use to study"?

I'd think a FAR MORE valuable way to assess if an NCLEX prep system is good for YOU is by simply taking a look at each of these programs' outline online. That would tell you whether it's set up like you would like....or not.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

I get what you're saying and it's true - it seems like someone is always looking for the "key," that magic "it" factor missing from their preparation.

What about having permament thread topics for each of the major test preps? That way, people can report on which one they used, how it helped or didn't, etc. etc. and those others can browse and see if it will work for them or not.

Then again, I don't really know -- My program preps us with ATI and I have a Saunders prep book (my former boss got it for me as a going away present - about 3 years early but hey, free practice). I'm not really banking on any one strategy to get me through the test. I just want to be able to grasp what it is to think like a nurse and really understand these concepts.

[YourHero]

@RNsRWE

I may have posed a similar question, mainly to seek clarification and get advice.

All nursing schools don't teach at the same level; hence some schools wouldn't be on Academic Probation.

I sense arrogance in your question, but maybe that's not you're intention. The NCLEX-RN has been magnified to be a challenging exam! How do you expect a novice nursing student even a straight A student to know what program works best without getting a personal testimony. Every program purports to be the best with a money back guarantee! How would one know to seek a content based review, if they already believe they are sufficient with content. Why would one seek a strategies-decision based review if someone always performed well on tests? Hell why even study!!! People are anxious they want to succeed, and they want all the information they can use. Sometimes people may overlook or undervalue a review, it may prompt them to check it out. So congratulations on your achievements, but realize we want to be where you are.

[rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN]

I agree. Why complain about questions asked? No one is forcing you to read them. New grads are nervous and asking what helped, that is a fair enough question. It is called the NCLEX discussion forum for a reason :)

So I read this post from the beginning and nowhere did I get the idea that anyone was complaining about people asking the questions "what did you use to study?" It seemed fairly clear that the OP was pointing out the facts about how meaningless this question can be in most circumstances. The only person that might be complaining is me when I stated that I have a pet peeve about people posting emotional rants about "I did the PVT and what does this mean...."

I may be on the wrong page here, but the OP just pointed out (in question format) that the response to this question depends on who is being asked and not related in any way to what the person that asks the question truly needs. Some people may need more content oriented preparation and others are extremely lacking in test taking skills and/or test taking strategies.

I have seen the OP spend time answering questions of stressed and emotional posters and offer valid advice as how to proceed or how to visualize a problem in a different light. I have also seen people take swipes at the OP's posts for starting threads that point out how nursing students need to change their approach to nursing school, NCLEX prep courses, and the NCLEX exam. I am sure it isn't done for nefarious reasons, but to promote further discussion and learning for all involved.

I think the best solution is to access the needs of the person asking the question, diagnose the person's specific needs, formulate a plan for probable success, help the person implement the plan and then evaluate the outcome after they attempt the NCLEX. Starting subsections or sub-categories for each review course might be a good addition here. But if someone asks the question without respect to his/her specific needs then the only correct answer might be "all of the above".

We will keep helping the people concerned about their next steps toward the NCLEX and I don't think that this post will prevent anyone from talking about nor asking "what did you use to study?"

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

So I read this post from the beginning and nowhere did I get the idea that anyone was complaining about people asking the questions “what did you use to study?” It seemed fairly clear that the OP was pointing out the facts about how meaningless this question can be in most circumstances. The only person that might be complaining is me when I stated that I have a pet peeve about people posting emotional rants about “I did the PVT and what does this mean….”

I may be on the wrong page here, but the OP just pointed out (in question format) that the response to this question depends on who is being asked and not related in any way to what the person that asks the question truly needs. Some people may need more content oriented preparation and others are extremely lacking in test taking skills and/or test taking strategies.

I have seen the OP spend time answering questions of stressed and emotional posters and offer valid advice as how to proceed or how to visualize a problem in a different light. I have also seen people take swipes at the OP’s posts for starting threads that point out how nursing students need to change their approach to nursing school, NCLEX prep courses, and the NCLEX exam. I am sure it isn’t done for nefarious reasons, but to promote further discussion and learning for all involved.

I think the best solution is to access the needs of the person asking the question, diagnose the person’s specific needs, formulate a plan for probable success, help the person implement the plan and then evaluate the outcome after they attempt the NCLEX. Starting subsections or sub-categories for each review course might be a good addition here. But if someone asks the question without respect to his/her specific needs then the only correct answer might be “all of the above”.

We will keep helping the people concerned about their next steps toward the NCLEX and I don’t think that this post will prevent anyone from talking about nor asking “what did you use to study?”

Thank you, thank you for 'getting it'! I only asked a question, and as a means of clarifying what seems to be a common misconception. Period!

Some people just jump all over someone without reading what is actually being asked, or said. My ONLY intent here is to help those I am able to, and sometimes that help comes in the form of heading off questions that don't necessarily NEED to be asked.

Considering how much I am paid for my assistance, LOL, it sometimes isn't really worth it....but people like YOU definitely make it worthwhile. Thank you, again.

[Spangle Brown]

Talking about the issue isn't "jumping".

And yes, such discussions can effect what a new persons asks. Some ( my self) read a board, to understand the flow and what is expected from posters, Before ever posting. I have been in groups where if you asked a question that has all ready been asked, you will be told to read the whole thread to catch up.

Define "need?" We could also question why people post "I Passed" threads. What is going on there. How many of those are they? Personally I think the two are connected. People feel the need to share their story and people feel the need to hear it. It's a live, open discussion going on. With energy and giving hope. "What did you use" is one of the questions that can open up such a thread and keep it going. It gives the op a chance to further shine and talk. It allows the questioner to be part of it without asking a stupid or illegal question. Give and take. Communication. Conversation.

It's a connection. This need can not be met by read on old posts. You don't know of the OP is even still around. But a fresh post, yep, they are around.

[itsmejuli]

On the website at the top of the forum is an Articles tab. Under this heading there are multiple articles discussing preparation for the the NCLEX.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Some people just jump all over someone without reading what is actually being asked, or said.

They are pretty much the same people who can't read NCLEX questions and discern how to answer them. And judging by the overall thread here, the recommendation to work on general literacy in English, so as to be better at reading and writing, would be about the best advice around.

I have a standing offer of a substantial reward (my famous sour cream cinnamon sticky buns for life, with or without raisins and/or pecans) to any techie on the AN staff who could figure out a way to automatically combine all the threads that include "PVT," "did i pass????" and the like into one big monster thread, in the interest of internet hygiene. Likewise the others, the "incredibly scared" threads, the "failed for the Xth time!!!!!" threads, and the "Kaplan/Saunders/ATI/etc" threads. Believe this: No winnahs yet.

Look, we get that the current standard for communication with tweeting, IMs, and FB is to do data dumps every few minutes with no real effort to see whether said dumps are unique, or even remotely wanted, not to mention read. Reading past threads, the thousands of them that say exactly the same thing that you posted so breathlessly, is just sooooo not all about your special snowflakeness. There's no real conversation for the purpose of meaningful communication here. If there were, there wouldn't be so much of the same old, same old, same old, same old... There would be, like, conversations. We do, really, get that.

Do you think that same attitude, when applied to the critical thinking that's so needed in nursing, might just be a teeny-weeny bit counterproductive? When your first impulse is to go to the net to exclaim, data-dump, or ask your question without looking in real authoritative sources, how do you think that's going to work out for you in the world of work? Hint: not too damn well. People who use that as their overall conceptual framework are the ones who show up in the "First Year of Practice" forum wailing that nobody appreciates them and their preceptors say they ask too many questions and it's just so haaaaard.

I would be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts (or even, to cinnamon sticky buns) that those too many questions ought to be researched a bit first, that the situation ought to be scoped out a bit first, that an actual book be cracked before walking onto the unit tomorrow morning, in order to avoid that sort of feedback. This is largely why we say, "We don't do your homework for you" when you come to the student fora and, well, want us to do your homework for you. We say, "Tell us what you know already and then we can talk," and it's like, "Ooooh, they say we ask too many questions!" No, we want to engage you in more professional behavior. It's called, like, a discussion. Not a posting wall.

And this brings us back around to the multiple-NCLEX-failers. Their attention spans are too short, they see things in such tiny packets, they focus on the minutia but the big picture eludes them. It's not what book did you use to study, or how did you pass NCLEX in X number of questions, or should I attend this review course. Those are the wrong questions to ask, because they assume the answers will make them NCLEX-passers. They won't. They don't read widely, they don't get the concept of critical thinking, they don't see the bigger picture anywhere. They will focus feverishly on memorization of data points, not what they all mean when put together. And they will fail, because they don't even realize they're doing it. And they, and the rest of this bunch, will forget (if they ever bothered to find out) that the vast, vast majority of NCLEX-takers pass on the first try, without all this self-centered drama.

Please, if there's anyone out there who just did that: just made the appointment, took the test, and waited calmly for the results without "freaking out!!!!!!!!" ... speak up. Some of us (maybe a lot of us) really need to hear from you. :flwrhrts:

[AmyRN303, BSN, RN]

I wish I was a techie. I want those cinnamon buns.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I wish you were a techie. I want to give them away!

[Cream and sugar LPN]

Personally I think it's annoying because I come on here looking to be enlightened and at times all I see is the same redundant, often desperate pleas for help regarding the same questions over and over again.

I for one, vow to NEVER ask any questions pertaining to study guides, reviews, good pop ups versus bad pop ups, How many SATA I got and if it's an indication that I passed (personal favorite) along with "I failed NCLEX" 2,3,4 and even 5 times! Let's not forget all the pick me up responses of " don't give up! you can do this! even though you've repeatedly failed!"

As a matter of fact no one will even see mention that I'm taking NCLEX, PERIOD. And if I don't pass you'll never know:)

All kidding aside most of the repeats are because the new members do not utilize the search bar or even glance at "Whats New"... But for some people all the repetitive questioning looks like a huge cry for help and obvious self worth issues because it's all they ever post or respond too.

Someone a few weeks back, possibly Grn Tea or Ruby Vee suggested lumping all the threads together with the word NCLEX in the title and hiding it from the majority of us who have just had enough! As a matter of fact I believe there was a promise of baked goods to anyone that could figure it out and pass it along to the powers that be?

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Someone a few weeks back, possibly Grn Tea or Ruby Vee suggested lumping all the threads together with the word NCLEX in the title and hiding it from the majority of us who have just had enough! As a matter of fact I believe there was a promise of baked goods to anyone that could figure it out and pass it along to the powers that be

I *think* GrnTea posted it on the thread of the article I wrote, entitled "NCLEX questions? READ THIS!"

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

The baked goods, that was me, an offer to any AN techie who could do that. See above (#30). The offer still stands.