6yrs out of nursing school.Passed NCLEX-RN first time with 120Qs. How I studied & passed.

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I graduated in the Philippines 2009, passed Phil Nursing Exam in the same yr. Moved to NY and couldn't work as a nurse cause i was undocumented, I had no SSN until i got married and became permanent resident. That's 6 years of no nursing- nothing!

I didn't know how and where to begin. Yikes! I can feel the stress creeping up on me.

WHAT DID I DO?? HOW DID I STUDY??

I studied for 2 months. Schedule your Exam so you have a date. so you'll respect the time you have left for the exam.

5 THINGS you NEED:

1 ILLUSTRATED GUIDE NCLEX RN EXAM 8th Edition by ZERWEKH- Concise and straight to the point unlike Saunders.

2 HURST ONLINE REVIEW

3 UWORLD- 2 month subscription

4 Youtube khanacademy channel was very useful to brush up on your pathophysio in a very simple manner. also google stuff you don't know about. Its free! haha

5 LaCharity- only answered until Chapter 15 on 2nd week before exam.

HOW I STUDIED:

Mon-Wed Id start from 10Am-1pm. I would read a chapter/s about one system/ one specific topic (ex. FLUIDS AND ELECTROLYTES) watch one hurst video about F&E, and do 20Qs on UWORLD on F&E ONLY. I say this cause it will help you retain more info if you study and do questions by system/area. Its more organized. After work, i study from 9pm-11pm and do 20 more Uworld Qs and then watch some tv before sleeping.

Thurs-Fri I work full day so i only study when i come home around 9-11. I do 20-30 UWORLD QS.

WEEKENDS- I like to sleep in during weekends, don't you? I begin studying at 10am. I read chapter/s on the book, watch 2-3 hurst videos, and do 50-75 world Qs. I try to tackle harder systems/areas like cardio on weekends where i can study the whole day. I stop at 10pm and watch me some greys anatomy or the walking dead. I love TV.

REMEMBER:

Its okay to suck on UWORLD. These are really higher level questions, BUT make sure your read and UNDERSTAND the rationales. I started doing 5 Qs at a time, then eventually 10at a time i would score 60% more. ASK TONS OF "WHYs" and "WHAT DO YOU DO FIRST?"Why does that happen? Why do you ask your patient to pee if the uterus is boggy after delivery? DO ALL THE HURST Q REVIEW.

REPETITION IS KEY!!! REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT. you won't get it by reading/reviewing it only once. REVIEW OUT LOUD- LIKE YOU'RE LECTURING A CLASS.

Take breaks when you feel like you're not absorbing info anymore. Go out once a week, go out with friends, eat out, go for a walk, etc. This will lessen your stress. Good for the brain.

3 weeks before the test i took a 4 day break. NO STUDYING. It felt goooood.

2 weeks before the exam i read all my HURST notes again and read UWORLD rationales by system. I studied calculation one day before the test-but not really. Only got 1 calc on NCLEX. I studied MEDS 1 week before exam- Only got 2 on NCLEX- is it worth studying?....errrr

DAY OF THE NCLEX- try your best to remain calm, i listened to Red Hot Chili Peppers on full blast on my way to the testing center. PREPARE YOURSELF TO BE THERE FOR THE ENTIRE 260 Qs! This way, your brain will tell you to be patient taking your time answering Qs carefully. Rationalize, use process of elimination. Take breaks. I took two. The second one after 90 Qs and i ate my banana, water, went to bathroom. After the NCLEX you're gonna feel like ****. Everybody knows that. Not to scare you but to prepare yourself that its normal to feel like you failed. I was 99.9% sure i failed that test. If you're driving, try to calm yourself down before hitting the road, better yet, ask a friend/family to drive you.

TRUST YOURSELF. PRAY. STUDY HARD. I KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS. Good luck future RNs! Now go and rock this test!!!

If you want my review notes, lmk.

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CONGRATULATIONS:up:!!

I think most of us sucked at UWorld lol

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Congrats.. I have been out of school for 4yrs n failed Nclex twice .. I'm gonna try your study method for my thirds time taking it. Thanks!!!

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Congratulations! Would you mind sharing me your review notes please. Thank you very much 🙂 ([email protected])

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congrats!! im also doing world with 1 week till my nclex. may i have your notes? heres my [email protected]

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Congrats you rocked it. Way to go if you don't mind sharing [email protected]. Thx and congrats again.

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Congrats on passing and thanks for the study tips. May I have your notes to review as I am taking my exam soon. Thank you in advance! [email protected]

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Congratulations on all your accomplishments.. I would be very interested in your study material.looking forward to mimicking your study plan. I test in a couple of [email protected] for your help!

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Congratulations! So happy to hear that you passed!! Could you please send me your review notes? Thank you!! [email protected]

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Congrats on passing...can you please email me your notes at [email protected] you!!!

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CONGRATS!!!:up: can you please email me your noted too..

[email protected] thank you so much.. good luck on your new journey.

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Congrats! I came from the Philippines and have the same situation like you. I graduated 2010 and have not pass the RN exam yet though I currently have an active LVN license. It is my goal to finish it in a few months. I hope you could help me too and share your notes. My e-mail address is [email protected] you so much for your help in advance...

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