Hey everybody!! I began studying mid January 2017 and scheduled my exam for April 12th 2017 and I passed at 75 questions!!! So I want to share with you some of the resources and strategies I used!! I had to completely start from scratch so believe me I was at times very skeptical that I would be able to reteach myself literally EVERYTHING that had left my brain. So to start out I purchased the Kaplan self paced review program online. I used this mostly as a guide to understanding prioritization and Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. I also learned a bit of delegation. They did a nice job breaking down the adaptive style testing and explaining how it is designed to test each student individually. I was not completely impressed with Kaplan as far as content goes. It seemed a bit outdated and the questions were not NCLEX style exam questions. The rationales were severely lacking and the content was very limited. I was able to get through most of this program with average scores of 55% on the question trainers and diagnostic/readiness tests. I was beginning to lose hope as I didn't feel the study material was very efficient. I began utilizing UWorld with about 3 weeks left to study. It amazed me at how much I was able to learn at a much quicker pace! UWorld is efficient at refreshing your brain with the important content and providing thorough rationales, they truly go above and beyond. But you must be sure to get the most out of this program when you are going through the question bank. I broke it down and did either one 75 question test per day or two 50 question tests a day, give or take my mood and energy levels. Always use tutor mode and READ THE RATIONALES to every question!! Whether you got it right or wrong, skim through the rationales and be sure that your process of elimination was in sync with their explanation. It is also very important to take notes as you go along. Focus on important key factors that you know you need to retain better and WRITE THEM DOWN. Writing helps you retain and then go through your note sheets every couple days from the beginning. I was scoring between 55-66% on the question banks and the assessment tests I scored 75th and 78th percentile. You want to be scoring right around here to get a 90% chance of passing according to UWorld. I also referred to RegisteredNurseRN.com. This woman posts incredibly insightful videos on all sorts of material!! They are on her website and also on youtube. Pause her videos and TAKE NOTES! If you need to touch up on chest tubes for example, watch a video!! You will learn so much more if you actually see it then just by reading it. I purchased LaCharity on amazon ($37?) and it does a terrific job with both delegation and material. TAKE NOTES AS WELL! It is nice having a cumulative set of notes that you can refer to. Always look up drugs you don't know!

Hello, and congratulations!
Thank you for sharing your experience this is motivating.
Did you study beside Uworld, Kaplan and you toube nursing more resources not only questions? I did so far Uworld like you but I'm still not confident to take the exam now.
If you see my message I'll really appreciate your feedback because I'm in the same situation graduated many years ago and I was almost to give up.

Yes is it very stressful to think about having such an amazing degree you worked so hard for and not finishing by "simply" taking the NCLEX. Well its not as simple as many people believe and we know that!!! It takes a lot of determination and dedication to make time and prepare for this in the best way you can. I was waiting until my son started Kindergarten so I could leave my job and dedicate my time to studying and make it a full time job. I made that JUMP that most people are scared of, it was extremely uncomfortable but I knew the time was right and I needed to do this for me!! I decided I needed about 3 months to somehow familiarize myself with literally 2 years of material and concepts that had literally left my brain! I was scared!! But I knew if i made it my priority I could achieve my goal, you have to have faith and most of all you have to let go of the negativity and fear!! you are letting it weigh you down, but its a good sign that you are still seeking ways to make your dream come true!! So I began with Kaplan, and like I said I was wasn't fond of it. I used it to get my feet wet and basically eventually turned to my texts and workbooks from 2010 until I was ready to subscribe to the Uworld a month before my exam. I taught myself all of the material as I went. You cant just learn a little here and there and expect that it will get you through. Pick a place to start and be thorough, read up on everything and take notes so you can refer to a self prepared study guide. EX: I had to learn about Addison's vs. Cushing's Disease, I watched a video on it and made a chart and wrote out notes on ALL of the aspects and key points including nursing implications. It is important when learning the material inside and out that you are learning it from a clinical hands on standpoint. Yes its important to know what those diseases are BUT what you really need to know for the NCLEX is how to diagnose and handle it in a clinical situations. Note the red flags for symptoms and side effects and also typical treatment plans for such diseases.
How long has it been since you graduated?? Have you attempted NCLEX multiple times? I am not sure of your situation but some advice I can give is make sure you are fully preparing yourself and not rushing. You absolutely cant sit down for the exam and just pray to pass, it is not designed that way and if it was there would not be a shortage for RNs!! Ask yourself if what you are doing is effective. Your techniques leading up to this point are not working for you and I think you should reevaluate and create a plan that you can sit down and execute. Studying takes patience its just a matter of dedicating yourself and truly wanting it!!!

Hi,
I graduated 9 years ago, currently, I am working as a full-time nurse and only recently that I finally decided to take NCLEX. Just now I tried the free 25 trial questions here and I am disappointed that with those 25 questions I only got 20%, what???? I need to go back to basic and hone my brain cells again! I know I really need to study diligently and invest my free time reading and learning. I am planning to review the Saunders 5th edition, would this book help? Planning to start answering Qbank after reviewing. Any tips from you guys?

My NCLEX journey starts today!

I am glad to hear you are planning to prepare for the Nclex. If possible I encourage you to work less so you can be completely immerse in your studies for the Nclex. I encourage you to start with content books like Illustrated guide for the Nclex RN exam or the comprehensive review Nclex examination by Saunders. I prefer the Illustrated guide because it provides a lot pictures, graphs and simplify the content/ facts that you really need to learn. So, it is more student friendly. Saunders lacks synthesis. Also, Priority and delegation by LaCharity is very good because now Nclex focused a lot on that. May people got several question on Delegation. Once you have worked in your content buy a Uworld subscription for 1 or 2 months. If you want more Alternative format questions you can also buy the book Nclex RN Alternative format questions By lippincott's becuase test takers are getting a lot Select all that apply questions so you should be ready for that. Blessings and wishing you the best in your Nclex preparation.

Yes if you are truly motivated to accomplish this you must make it your priority, I also recommend limiting your focus on work and other distractions. I spent a solid 3 months preparing roughly 5-6 days a week maybe 5-6 hours a day. I was starting from scratch and I was able to reteach myself majority of the material. I referenced a lot of my med surg and pharmacology textbooks. Lacharity was excellent, registerednurseRN.com, and Uworld I felt were the absolute life savers. Lots of flash cards and cumulative note sheets. Repetition repetition repetition!!! Always read up and take notes on any material you aren't fully understanding. Frequently revisit this material as you go along. You will find that Uworld is a great source to use leading up to the exam (at least 3o days out) only if you feel you have a general grasp on most of the material. Definitely read up on and understand the way NCLEX is designed and how they test you. Higher level questions such as critical thinking and prioritization are important!!!! Maslows hierarchy or needs Also.. good luck!!!

I just passed my nclex and googled “passed my nclex after 7 years,” (hoping to get some guidance) and this was the first thing that showed up. I passed with 75 questions, used uworld and registerednursern. Just surprised to see such a similar story to my own. Congrats on passing and wish me luck!