The Dreaded NCLEX...

So. 

Inevitably you will have to take the dreaded NCLEX to get your licensure as an RN. 

If I can pass the dreaded NCLEX, you can too.

You will hear a lot of rumors about the exam, some of which will increase your

anxiety and some of which will make you feel better. 

For me, some of the 'facts' I heard about the test from other students 

turned out to be completely wrong. One of the tidbits 

I heard from another student was that she heard the NCLEX was 

practically all about knowing drugs. 

Which, when I took NCLEX, I found to be inaccurate and was worried about 

knowing all the medications for nothing.
I also first heard the test is only 75 questions... which it can be if
you are answering enough questions correctly.

To find out what the NCLEX standards are, how adaptive testing works, and all that jazz, buy

an NCLEX prep book like Kaplan or Saunders. These will explain how the 

test works and what you need to do to prepare.  

There are also NCLEX prep courses you can 

take that have classroom instruction and most

of the packages include extra materials for reading and 

online question banks so you can practice. They will also go over
how the test is scored, what to expect, etc.



Don't believe all the rumors you hear. And don't let someone else's experience get you down!

Personally, I decided to take the Kaplan course online to prepare for NCLEX and followed

the study plan they outlined based on when I was taking my test. 

For me, I felt it was money well invested. 

Kaplan teaches you how to use a 'decision tree' on how to pick the right

answer during NCLEX. If you decide to use Kaplan, 

I'll let you know out of my 75 question test that 

I only used the 'decision tree' maybe six or seven times. 

BUT, I felt the course was worth it simply because the questions

they have are so difficult I felt I was getting good practice. 

The question banks are good and the classes they have do help with review

of medications, diseases, nursing process, and so on. It's kind of a 

cumulative review of things you learned in school. Plus

you have all the extra study material. 

Also, if you don't pass you get your money back. 

If that isn't for you though, don't fret. I know some new grads who never took a prep course and 

passed just fine. They
bought multiple NCLEX prep books and practiced questions.
Just make sure that you are practicing questions that are considered
difficult enough to be at NCLEX level.
Basic knowledge questions that don't require a lot
of critical thinking are the type of questions that aren't
going to help you pass NCLEX. 

My advice is to not change your study habits. If

you have habits that were helping you pass in nursing school, 

rely on those to help you through NCLEX.
Personally, I only practiced the questions for 30 minutes at a time, took a 15 minute break, then
studied again. I repeated this pattern until I got
a solid 4 hours or so of practice. This is what
I did during school; taking those breaks helps me maintain sanity. I also
had to study in a quiet place away from home so I didn't get distracted.
The only different thing I did was this time around, I only
practiced questions.
I didn't have time to re-write a bunch of notes or re-read my textbooks much.

Just practice questions, go back and review if you need to. Try not to panic.

This started to happen to me about two weeks away from the test when I wasn't
scoring very high on the Kaplan practice tests. Then I just went
into the 'acceptance' stage of grief and told myself to just do the best I could.
Don't freak out or exhaust yourself with studying.
 That's a recipe for burnout and unhelpful testing anxiety.


 If you are doing questions on a specific body system and find you are missing 

them consistently or already know your weak spots, go back and review

your textbooks or make some notes.
 Based on my study outline for Kaplan, I studied for about 4 hours a day for

about 4 weeks before I took my NCLEX. Some 

days in that 4 week period, I took breaks where I 

didn't study at all so I wouldn't get burned out. 

I didn't study the day before the exam, got enough sleep, ate breakfast, and then just took 

my time answering the questions.
I made an occasion of going down to Phoenix to take my test,
and spent my time relaxing and just having fun. That mentality helped my anxiety.



When you take your test, dress comfy. Make sure you've
eaten so you aren't hungry while you are in there. Follow
the directions the testing center gives you to a T.
While taking the test, do NOT let your anxiety take over.
Read the question and make sure you understand what
it's really asking you.
Take your time. 
An example is 'what's an appropriate diet for a patient with this disease process?'
Reading the question though, I realized there was NOT any diet restrictions for a
patient with this disease, so the answer was what reflected a normal balanced diet.
Tricky tricky.


There were questions on my test that were completely over my head... like, I was
almost sure there were a couple drugs on mine that didn't exist. Never even

heard of them before. There will 

also be things on there you maybe didn't study in school. That's okay. 

Make educated guesses... do the best you can if you don't know. And don't change your answers.

I will say that my 

test had a lot of 'alternative' type questions (select all that apply, listening to 

an audio recording of lung sounds), so practice those. They will

be on there. 

As far as content, it can be anything and everything you learned in school. You may have 

a bunch of alternative questions, obstetric topics, medications... whatever. 

After taking the test, you will probably feel like you failed. 

All of my friends felt the same way after taking it.  

Even though mine shut off at 75
 (which is the minimum number of questions needed to pass),
I figured maybe I was 

the dumbest person ever and missed every question so my test ended the 

agony at 75 (which theoretically, can happen).

At that point, I honestly had no ***** left to give because I was so tired of 

studying I was just glad it was over.
I did try the Pearson Vue trick, where you try and re-register for the test. It won't let
you if you've passed. That's what happened for me, BUT there are
some who the trick doesn't work for. 

So just relax, take a deep breath, and don't count yourself out until you actually

hear from Pearson-Vue and the State Board whether you passed or not. 

Study hard and stay focused! You survived the hell of nursing school and
you deserve those RN initials after your name after all that hard work!

You can do it!