If you’re getting ready for the NCLEX-RN®, you might be overwhelmed by getting prepared for it. Here are three tips to developing an effective NCLEX® study plan to help you ace your exam.
1. Figure out what the NCLEX-RN® exam is.
The first key to creating an effective NCLEX® study plan to pass your NCLEX-RN® exam is to gain an understanding of what the exam actually is. The NCLEX® can easily be compared to the final leg of your registered nursing education “marathon”. You have spent years preparing for this final stretch.
The NCLEX-RN® exam stands for National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse. It’s created by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The NCSBN website will help you correctly register and apply to your testing center as well as help you understand how the exam uses computer adaptive testing to determine if you will pass or fail. Don’t make the mistake like bringing the wrong identification or prohibited materials on your test day.
2. Develop a plan that best fits your situation.
Nurses come from all walks of life. Many nurses preparing for the NCLEX® have children and are working another full-time job. Some are entering their second, third, or fourth career while others are entering the workforce for the first time. You need to first decide when you are taking the NCLEX® and how much time you have to commit to studying.
For those of you who have just graduated within the past three months, the nursing content should be familiar. At the most, we recommend spending 15% of your time on content. You graduated nursing school; trust yourself that you know the material. The vast majority of your time should be spent on practicing questions. Regardless if you get the question correct, it is important to read every single rationale. If you get a question incorrect, we recommend making a notecard or creating some way to reinforce the information into your brain. This is where learning styles can come into play.
3. Never forget what the purpose of the NCLEX really is.
The NCLEX-RN® exam is in no way a determinant of how successful your nursing career will be. The NCLEX-RN® exam is just the best way the NCSBN can determine if a nurse is able to make competent and safe decisions in practice.
While taking the exam, always have one key thought in the back of your head: “How can I keep my patient the safest?” That is what the purpose of each question is trying to determine. Let this guide you while studying. If you have no idea what the answer is, simply just change the question to: “How can I keep my patient the safest?” You will be surprised by how often this can bail you out. Currently, the passing standards are based on what judgments the NCSBN thinks an “entry level nurse with six months of experience or less” will make.
The NCLEX® does not expect you to know the great majority of its answers. It does expect you to be able to critically think to the point of keeping your patient safe. While developing your NCLEX® study plan, always remember what the purpose of the NCLEX-RN® really is.
