I PASSED MY NCLEX-RN ON MY FIRST TRY!! 🩺🤍✨
First and foremost, all glory goes to Jehovah. 🤍
Nursing school was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but we made it. If you’re preparing for the NCLEX, I just want you to know that you are capable of passing this exam. I’ve quietly read every post that came up prior to taking my exam. I passed and I figured that I would also do my best to pass on what I know and what helped me like everyone else has in this chat. I think the main thing is people have a lot of anxiety going into the exam and that makes you second-guess yourself so much more.
A few things that really helped me:
Mark K Lectures (ALL of them, especially Lecture 12 on Prioritization & Delegation)
NCLEX Bootcamp for question practice and case studies
The NCLEX is unlike any exam you’ve taken in nursing school. It might resemble Bootcamp or UWorld in some ways, especially the case studies, but the wording is much broader. The goal isn’t to know every disease or every medication. It’s to know what every safe nurse should know.
Focus on:
Safety
Prioritization
Delegation
Patient education
Critical thinking
Know your critical patients versus your stable patients.
Know:
Which patient is safe to discharge.
Which patient needs to be seen first.
Which assignment is appropriate for a float nurse or UAP.
What teaching is the highest priority.
For example, if you see a patient with preeclampsia, your brain should immediately think about magnesium sulfate, reflexes, seizure precautions, respiratory status, and monitoring. The NCLEX wants to know if you can recognize what matters most.
Some topics I personally saw included:
• Autonomic dysreflexia
• EPS (Extrapyramidal Symptoms)
• Maternity
• Celiac disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Medication teaching for psychiatric
• Prioritization and delegation (a LOT)
There were medications and diseases I’d never seen before. But instead of panicking, I asked myself:
“Which answer is the safest?”
That mindset helped me so much.
I went all the way to 150 questions, and honestly, I never cared about the number! It doesn’t matter once you have your license. My only goal was to answer each question as safely and thoughtfully as I could.
I took my time.
I reread every question.
Sometimes the smallest word completely changes what they’re asking.
When I got to the point where I wasn’t even sure what they were asking anymore, I just trusted my nursing judgment from nursing school as well as the practice questions from Boot Camp and Mark K and kept going.
My biggest advice:
Don’t rush.
Read each question twice before looking at the answers.
Think safety first.
Trust what nursing school has already taught you!
The week before my exam, I prayed constantly. The morning of my exam, I listened to Mark K Lecture 12 during my drive, played calming worship music, reviewed a few scriptures, and prayed before I started. During my break, I went to the restroom, drank some water, washed my face, prayed again, and finished the exam.
I walked out feeling calm not because I knew every answer, but because I trusted that I had done everything I could.
If you’re religious, lean on your faith. I personally study with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and these scriptures gave me so much peace:
📖 Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”
📖 Philippians 4:13
“For all things I have the strength through the one who gives me power.”
📖 Isaiah 41:9-10
“I have chosen you; I have not rejected you. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you. I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.”
📖 Proverbs 10:22
“It is the blessing of Jehovah that makes one rich, and He adds no pain with it.”
To everyone studying right now:
You do not have to know everything.
You just have to think like a safe nurse.
Trust yourself.
Trust your preparation.
Trust your critical thinking.
You made it through nursing school. You are capable of passing the NCLEX too.
Good luck to everyone taking it soon! 🤍🩺
If you have any questions about my experience, feel free to message me. I’d be happy to help however I can.