How to Pass NCLEX Exam - 6 Study Tips and Strategy
It's time. You are almost at the end of your nursing program. The NCLEX exam is coming. It's time to start studying!
You know you need to start studying for the NCLEX, but what's the best way to study? There are so many options out there - flash cards, practice tests, reading, study groups, videos, podcasts, and more. So, what's the best approach? Well, it might be a little bit of all of those, depending on your learning style!
Tips to Pass NCLEX
1. Make A Plan
First and foremost, make a plan for your study time. If you look at any review book or website on the market today. the first thing everyone agrees on is that you need to make a plan. You may not have your exact test date yet if you're still in school, but you can have an approximate date range. Most students who graduate in May are able to test sometime in May or June. December graduates can usually test in early January. Ideally, you will start your studying 8-12 weeks before your anticipated testing date. How many hours a day can you devote to your test preparation? While you're still in school, it may seem difficult to fit in any more studying. (Everything you're still learning that last semester is still applicable to the NCLEX, so that's just bonus studying!) But if you can devote even 20 minutes of a busy day for reviewing, it will be beneficial. Look at a weekly calendar, and block off the time you are in class, the times you have clinicals, and the times you work. Block off any family time that is non-negotiable because taking care of you and your family is still important! Now you need to block off your study time. Here's a sample guideline to use for blocking off your study time.
- 8 - 12 weeks before anticipated NCLEX test date: block off 20 minutes to an hour at least 6 days a week. As you get closer to your anticipated test date your study time should increase.
- 6 - 8 weeks before anticipated NCLEX test date: block off 1 hour per day, at least 6 days a week.
- 4 - 6 weeks away from anticipated NCLEX test date: block off 2 hours per day (if 2 isn't always possible, be sure to block off at least 1 hour and squeeze in some extra time whenever you can)
- 4 weeks or less away from anticipated NCLEX test date: 2 hours every day, twice daily whenever possible. Plan to listen to audio reviews whenever possible for extra study time.
2. Identify Areas of Weakness
Whether you are 12 weeks or 4 weeks from your exam, take a practice test before you start your study plan. Taking a practice test helps you identify areas you may have a weakness, which are also the areas you will want to focus on. Practice tests also help prepare you for the actual testing experience of sitting at a computer and taking a long test. Many nursing programs have this available to students, so be sure to ask your advisor what resources are available.
3. Review Your Weak Areas
Once you've identified your weak areas, you should focus the majority of your study time on these areas. Go back through old class notes for that class. If you still have access to any online lectures for those areas, rewatching them may be the key to better understanding the concepts now. Or maybe you need a different approach to a topic? How about listening to a podcast while you go for a run? Is there a mnemonic that might help you remember a particular topic or actions to take? Mnemonics are a great way to make information easy to retrieve in a high stress situation such as taking the NCLEX as well as in a real situation you will experience in your career as a nurse. Here's a couple just as a reminder:
Myocardial Infarction - emergent action = MONA
Morphine
Oxygen
Nitroglycerin
Aspirin
What questions should you focus on in the Prenatal Care of a pregnant woman? ABCDEF
Amniotic fluid?
Bleeding?
Contractions?
Dysuria?
Edema?
Fetal movement?
Videos can also be helpful to understanding difficult concepts - sometimes you just need someone different with a different approach to explain a hard concept! Another fun way to challenge yourself with a difficult concept is to teach it to someone else. Grab a friend or family member and teach them all about acid-base balance! Sometimes you don't realize how much you know until you're explaining it to someone else.
4. Practice, Practice, Practice!
You can have every chapter of a textbook memorized, but that knowledge is worthless if you can't apply it to answer a question. Whether you use a pencil and paper book to practice questions or online question banks, your practice should first focus on the areas you identified as a weakness. Now is the time to apply your critical thinking skills you've been developing throughout your nursing program. As you read each question, picture the scenario. Find the key words in the question to determine what the question is asking. After you answer questions, review the rationales for all answers, even if you got the questions right. They are a great way to solidify your understanding of a concept. Rationales often focus on the critical thinking behind the answer and break the topic down into bite-size pieces.
5. Take Care of YOU!
It can be tempting to over-commit yourself during this time. You're still in school, still have clinicals to prepare for and attend, you may have a job and/or a family, and now you're being asked to add in many more hours of studying on top of all that? It can be easy to let your body get rundown and get sick when you're stressed and running on empty. Now is the time to focus on eating well and getting quality sleep. Make sure you're getting plenty of protein, and don't overdo the caffeine - as much as you might want to, you can't live on coffee! Take frequent breaks, and go for a walk, or stop to do some stretches. Just take care of your body as well as your mind!
6. Schedule a Review Course
Even with all these tips, many students benefit from a professional review course to prepare for the NCLEX. A professional review course offers an expert approach to preparing for your exam, with tips for understanding and remembering certain concepts, medications and lab values as well as studying and testing advice. EduMind offers the NCLEX-RN Exam Test Prep Course to help you prepare for your exam. Be sure to register for a class that fits your scheduling needs!
Peterson's. (2019). 1 - About the RN Profession and the NCLEX-RN. In Master the NCLEX-RN. essay.
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