PART ONE TRUTH NCLEX EXAMINATION EXPERIENCE
BY Stephanie Hooks, RN. .
I would like to know about NCLEX. I have Been meaning to share my NCLEX experience. Graduated May 9th.
Took my NCLEX on June 27th and failed on all 265 questions. I was upset because I saw so many classmates passing including seeing people pass on all 265 and I had to face the NCLEX again.
But I basically failed because of anxiety over people asking me when I was going to take my test. People also kept telling me to take it within a month of graduating,
don’t wait longer than a month, don’t wait too long, etc. To top that, for my first attempt, I did very minimal content review.
I mostly relied on the Kaplan Q bank and Kaplan question trainers for my preparation. For content, I only looked at fluid and electrolytes and Acid-Base Balance for Hurst and the Maternity topics from Saunders.
I felt so much pressure and my anxiety got me.
Second attempt: I decided I was going to be calm and really take my time and not discuss my NCLEX prep with anyone. I did this and felt so calm at my NCLEX and calm during the 48 hour wait period.
I didn’t discuss the NCLEX with hardly anyone except managers, close family members, and one neighbor.
Basically, I only told the people who asked that absolutely had to know. Otherwise when people asked me when I was taking it, I just said “Soon.” I didn’t tell many people my test date.
So that I was amazed at how much calmer I was.
The second attempt:
I took the 4th of July week off and started studying again July 10th. A classmate who had already passed her NCLEX let me use her U World account that was good until August 2nd. I took that time to go through the questions and write down a bunch of rationales in a notebook. And practiced questions on there.
I reviewed my U World notes prior to my NCLEX. Back in July, I was discouraged by my U World scores so I decided that UWorld was not quite enough and decided.
So that I was going to complete Hurst Review in its entirety like Aunt Marlene says. I focused a lot on content for my second attempt.
Regarding the Hurst Review, I went at my own pace after the U World account expired. I took the month of August and first half of September to watch/study all of the Hurst content videos.
I went through them very slowly and as I was watching them, I focused on understanding the “why” behind patho, S&S, nursing interventions, etc. If I didn’t understand something,
I utilized the message icon on the videos and typed questions to Hurst review. They would get right back with me within 24 hrs or less. Very helpful. After I finished a chapter on Hurst, I would study the content from the Hurst book plus any extra notes I took from the videos and then do the post content quiz after each chapter. Then I’d move on to the next chapter.
When I was eventually done with all the videos, I then took a month to review all my Hurst and U World notes and my Hurst book. I reviewed one Hurst chapter a day studying the content cover to cover.
Part 2 we will provide after publishing part 1.