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NCLEX-RN Advice
I passed the NCLEX-RN for the first time in 85 questions and here's everything I did to achieve that result:
Study Time:
I studied for a total of 6 weeks and did practice questions every day. The only day I took off was the day before I took the test.
UWorld (Weeks 1-5)
- For the majority of my studying, I used UWorld
- I did not study the lectures (as that's not how I learn) but I recommend this if you're more of an auditory learner
- I used the entire Q-Bank
- I did a minimum of 100 practice questions every day (sometimes more)
- For each question I got wrong, I would write down the rationales in a separate digital notebook (I used OneNote)
- I made a separate section for each of the subjects (e.g., adult health, child health, pharmacology, etc.)
- Each section had a separate page for the system/topic (e.g., cardiovascular, prioritization, analgesics, etc.)
- If I got a question correct, I made sure I understood why it was right
- If I wasn't sure, I would write down the rationales in the same digital notebook
- I did 1-2 CATs each day or every other day
- I felt like the CATs were way more indicative of my performance because they're structured almost exactly like the actual NCLEX
- I did 1 self-assessment each week (for a total of 5 self-assessments)
- The first self-assessment I did, I completed before I even started studying because I wanted a benchmark for where I was and how much I needed to prepare
- This helped me identify areas that needed the most immediate attention and which ones I could put off a little longer)
Bootcamp (Week 6)
- I finished the UWorld Q-Bank a week before I wrote the exam so, because I was used to the Q-Bank already, I wanted a new one so I could be sure I understood the content based on clinical knowledge rather than memory
- I subscribed to Bootcamp a week before I was scheduled to write the exam
- 7 days before the test:
- I started with the first readiness exam so I could see which areas I scored the least amount of points in
- I then looked at the cheat sheets for the subjects I wasn't the most confident in and missed the most amount of questions in
- After reviewing the cheat sheets, I did practice questions in that subject
- For example, my worst subject was maternity, so I looked at the maternity cheat sheets and then did 85 practice questions in maternity
- Days 6 & 5 before the test:
- I reviewed the cheat sheets for the most high-yield subjects (e.g., prioritization, delegation, safety, infection control, etc.) and did 85-100 practice questions per day of these
- Days 4 to 2 before the test:
- I did 1 readiness exam per day before the test and read through the rationales
- Anything I got wrong, I wrote the rationales down in my OneNote book
- Anything I got right, I read through the rationale anyway but did not write it in my OneNote book unless I wasn't confident on why it was right
- Lightly reviewed cheat sheets for any weak areas
- 1 day before the test
- The day before the test, I only did a readiness exam and read through the rationales and then took the rest of the day to rest
- Your brain should NOT be crammed the day before the test, and it is actually less likely you'll retain much of the information anyway
- The MOST important thing to do the day before the test is to rest and nourish your body and mind, I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH
Key Takeaways:
- Prep sites like UWorld and Bootcamp are designed to over-prepare you!
- The NCLEX feels much more vague and does not give as detailed questions
- Try and get a good sleep the night before the exam
- Do NOT do any practice questions and/or review on the day of the exam
- You already know everything you're going to, don't stress your already stressed brain out
- You might leave the testing center feeling like you failed
- This was me - I left sobbing because I thought I tanked it
- Remember that the NCLEX is designed to test you at your highest level, the questions are going to feel difficult because they're adapting to your ability and knowledge level
- Prepare to go all the way to 150 questions
- Don't go into the test expecting it to shut off at 85
- If it goes to 86, you might get upset and start thinking you're not performing well and then you'll psych yourself out
- Remember, if you surpass 85, it doesn't mean you're failing; it means you're still in the game
- The computer just hasn't decided whether you're clearly above or clearly below the passing standard yet
- Take your time, but also don't feel bad if you finish early
- I only took 1.5 hours to write my 85 questions and the lady at the testing center said "wow that was fast" and it made me feel so weird after
- Don't submit a question until you're sure (or somewhat sure) of your answer
- On that note, though, don't spend TOO much time on a question because it'll start to look like gibberish if you're reading it too much or second-guessing yourself
- USE YOUR WHITEBOARD
- They'll give you a whiteboard, USE IT
- Write out the numbers 1-4 (for MC questions) or 1 to however-many-SATA-questions-there-are and cross out the ones you know aren't right
- This gives you a visual for the process of elimination and help to isolate possible correct answers
- Read the last line first
- The last line is going to be your best indicator for how you should answer the question
- For example, if the last line is: "which of these situations would require the nurse to intervene?" this means that you're looking for something WRONG
- Take deep breaths
- If you find you're starting to stress out, take deep breaths with a method like box-breathing (breathe in through the nose for 4 seconds and out through the mouth for 4 seconds)
u/thebigsad_jpg — 6 days ago