How I Passed The NCLEX In 75 Questions
You’ve probably googled “how to pass the NCLEX” a million times, read a few other blogs, and probably sat through a hell of a lot of anxiety and stared at prep material wondering how the hell you could possibly get through it all. That’s fine. You’re no different than anybody else who is preparing to sit for the NCLEX. I was in your shoes and I, too, was nervous as hell. And I will start off by telling you what I was told: You literally know everything already! You’re smart. You just need to practice test-taking skills for the NCLEX and questions. You’ve got this! BREATHE.
Here’s the truth, well, here’s MY truth to put you at ease:
I did not study for months - that’s excessive ( FOR ME )
I focused on all subjects, not just ones that I thought were my “trouble” areas
I made time for me. I binged a gazillion shows when I could, went out and hung with friends on weekends, and caught up on all of the sleep I never got in nursing school
I freaked out because I had a good 3 or so weeks before my exam and felt unprepared
I buckled down and began studying about 3 or 2 weeks out from my test and did just fine
I had plenty resources on hand but honestly, I only used UWORLD and it was the BEST THING EVER
Now, here are some tips that I give to people and will give to you! As well as some resources that I found helpful to have, if not to just say I had them, rather than obsess over and use them:
Purchase UWORLD. I did a wacky thing and bought UWORLD in the beginning of my last semester and NEVER used it. Some of my classmates did, but I’ll be honest - it was a waste of a couple hundred bucks for me because we were swamped with other things. I renewed around graduation for about two months or so - right up until my test date (it just turned out that way).
Brush up on any patho you may feel lost on, if that’s how you learn and you need to know the WHY and HOW things happen, but don’t spend too much time on this. You can easily do this with youtube videos. A great resource would be The Registered Nurse RN on YouTube. She’s GREAT at breaking things down and getting to the nursing of it all. She also has a website that has an NCLEX review section.
As for UWORLD, I did about 75 questions or 50 a day. Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to sit through the entire 75 because, let’s be real - it’s exhausting. Make sure you read the rationales and understand why answers are what they are. Even if you get it right! I started by writing them all down, but that became redundant and took so much time. Just read and understand. You can jot a few things down if you need to.
Learn your values. BUN, Creatinine, Hemoglobin, PTT, aPTT, ABGs, etc. Know what they are and why they exist. What it means when values are high or low. You’ll surprisingly learn this as you use Uworld, if you ask me. But you can find a list of values if you google NCLEX Lab Values or, once again, Registered Nurse RN can show you values you need to know for NCLEX. (I’m telling you, she’s great!) KNOW YOUR ABGs! Did I mention ABGs?
When you do questions, do not focus on just one topic (i.e. maternity, critical care). Make sure you generate quizzes/tests that are inclusive of ALL topics. Don’t hone in on anything, because the NCLEX will throw it all at you.
Read up on test taking strategies for the NCLEX. Know that you should be looking at what interventions you could implement NOW that would make the patient better. All answers could be correct, but if it’s not SATA then think about what intervention you could implement out of all of them that would help the patient improve if you could only choose ONE.
These packets were helpful in giving some quick strategies to use and facts to remember for the NCLEX. It’s a 35 or so page packet that has been circulating around for ages and proved to be helpful for me. I probably dedicated a day or two to just trying to review certain aspects of the packet and skimming it. It also had test-taking strategies. You can find it here. Scroll and download. If you don’t like that one, I found a free study guide by the overly praised Mark Klimek. You can find that one here. Enjoy!
Don’t worry about the percentages you’re making or what UWORLD tells you as far as if you’re projected to pass or fail the NCLEX. I made high 40’s to 80’s (rarely) on tests. Just focus on learning as much and practicing being confident in answer selection. (Usually, that first answer is right - trust your instincts).
I’d say give yourself at least a month out from your exam to really comfortably prep, or if you’re like me - you can try to prep within a 2-3 week span and really get it together. Remember, you know the material, you just need to prep for understanding the NCLEX’s way of testing you.
The day before the exam, people will tell you to relax - I AGREE. I probably did one 20 question quiz to just get that done and I relaxed and reviewed some lab values. You can do what you feel is right, just make sure to get enough rest the day before your exam.
Day of: wake up, get in a meal or whatever you need, and get to your testing site early. I woke up a few hours early and reviewed labs and a few disease processes I was still sketchy on and got to my testing site early. BREATHE. Have CONFIDENCE. Just do your best. YOU’VE GOT THIS!
Remember, that at the end of the day, pass or fail, you are capable and you are meant to be a nurse. You made it through school and this is just another exam. You pass: Great. You fail: So what? You prep and take it again! Nothing to it!
Pro Tip: If you find yourself getting past 75 questions - it is NOT the end of the world and you still are capable of passing the NCLEX. It doesn’t matter. Do not worry about other folks who may have passed in 75 or finished before you in the room, it’s your exam and only YOU matter when you’re taking it. Just pace yourself and breathe.
Happy studying and good luck. If you have any further questions feel free to contact me through my blog or if the links aren’t working to download you can reach out to me, as well. I can send them to you!
- Begum, Over And Out ;)