Winging the NCLEX

I don't know if you'd call what i did 'winging' it. I graduated 3rd week of May and took my NCLEX the first day of June...so a week after graduation or so. I passed. I didn't really have time to do any intense studying. We did have to do the Kaplan in class course for the last two weeks of class before graduation. And we were required t do 500+ NCLEX questions the last semester of school. So I did a ton of NCLEX questions. Other than that, I did a few hundred or so more in the week between graduation and testing.

The way I figured it. It took me 2 years to learn it all, there was no way I could study and study and study those 2 years worth of information in such a short period of time. I would either know it or not. I brushed up on areas I knew I was a little weak in for most of the NCLEX questions I did.

It worked for me. I did the same thing with my NCLEX-PN exam. Tested a week after graduation and passed. For both tests, the info was so fresh in my mind at that point because I had just graduated. Do I recommend my way of doing it to others...nope...only you know what you know and what you don't.

I have not heard of anyone who passed without preparation and a lot of it!

Then again, there are surprising things everywhere. I (and probably a lot of our peers) would be very interested to know how you do.

I winged the NCLEX-PN. I took it about a month after graduating. Took me 30 minutes and 85 questions!

That's actually what I have been saying too. I either know it or I don't. I've been exposed to this stuff for 2 years so I should be able to pass it with latent knowledge or something. I would have taken it earlier but all the slots were taken already by the time I got my ATT. At least in my town anyway. I wasn't really willing to drive out of town for the test lol

I wouldn't do it but its too late to do anything now. Just do your best on the exam tomorrow. Take your time reading the questions and make sure you know the topic before answering.

Good luck :)

When I look back I believe I could have taken the NCLEX without all the prep I tackled. For the most part I only answered questions with very little content review. I answered about 200 to 250 questions a day and reviewed the rationales for each question.

I walked into Pearson feeling like a million bucks. Didn't expect 75 or 265 questions. I just told myself one question at a time. Didn't care how long per question, just do the best I could on each question.

One of my classmates went in expecting 75 questions only because everyone in the class had seen only 75 questions before the computer went blank and when she hit 76 questions she freaked. In the end she went to the mid 100's and didn't pass. The frustration of not finishing with 75 questions was too much for her. She was the only one in the class that didn't pass the first time. She is planning on taking it again in a few days, but is so flustered about her previous performance.

So yes, I believe a confident attitude is paramount. What you need to do to achieve it, just do it. Could I have winged it? I think I could have.

I passed in 75 with very little preparation.

My school did put us through Hurst in our last month before graduation, so keep in mind that I had that under my belt. But other than sitting through the class, I didn't do hardly any preparation on my own.

I say the following not to brag, but to put my lack of preparation into perspective: I have always been a good test taker. Even if I didn't know the material 100% I could always figure out the right answers and get a decent grade. So I treated the NCLEX like the SAT or most other tests I've taken and didn't do a whole lot of outside studying. I had the mindset of "well, if I don't know it by now, it's either not that important or too confusing to cram into my head for one test."

Best of luck to you!

A lot of people I work with/went to school have passed NCLEX easily without preparation, and many at 75 questions. I think it depends a lot on how well your program prepared you. My program is very big on NCLEX style questions, and we take the ATI comprehensive predictor in the last week...so those who don't score well on that know they need to study. Like someone said, you can't relearn everything you learned in two years, and the first time NCLEX-RN pass rate in the US is around 85%...so as much as we stress over the exam, statistically the odds are in your favor. However, I really believe a lot has to do with the type of program you came from.

Many people I know who did study said they believed after taking NCLEX they could have passed with less preparation, but for obvious reasons didn't want to risk it. I did very well in school, but I am studying for NCLEX because I have a lot of anxiety and personally I wouldn't be able to walk into the test knowing I hadn't done much to try to prepare. But kudos to those who can!

I didn't study. I was planning to but then life got in the way. I took it about 2 months after graduating, cut off at 75 questions, and passed without a problem.

The 5 days before the test, I used a CD with questions on it. I just did questions. I concentrated on medications because memorization is not my thing. After the test, I realized I really could have done without the prep work. I found it easy.

As a side note, I was at the top of my class with a high GPA and various awards, so that needs to be considered too.

I wish you the best of luck. Just relax and think like a nurse! (A nurse who always has the items she needs at hand and works in a well staffed unit where she can spend as much time as needed with each patient...)

I skimmed the Saunders book on vacation (with a few margaritas in my system) and took one or two practice tests. Took the exam like three weeks after graduation, passed in less than an hour and 75 questions.

I had a friend who winged it.

That person study maybe for 3 days before the test. That person took the test 2 years after they graduated. I'm guessing it is possible.

I did. I tested about a month post graduation. I passed in minimum questions in less than 30 minutes. I test well and quickly. I always have. Early in my academic career (elementary school) I was taught excellent test taking skills and efficiency and the logistics of tackling questions. (Kind of like the Kaplan Decision Tree). My content was all covered in my nursing school education combined with being a compulsive reader (I actually read every page of each of my textbooks. Probably one of the first to have ever done that in the history of my school).

Even so, I walked out of my exam having no idea if I passed or failed. I turned off the countdown clock. I had no idea I finished so quickly until the proctor said something. (I walked in worried because I had a critically ill family member.)