hi everyone,

I just wanted to post in the forum about my nclex experience because when I was studying prior to taking the boards I scrolled through all the posts a lot for study tips and reassurance that I was doing the right thing to prepare. I took my boards October 21st 2019 and passed in 75 questions.

In nursing school I was a good student, certainly not the best. I worked hard and always prepared for tests (but we all know nursing school was hard) so I maintained A to B range for a majority of my classes. I was never a good standardized test taker however, it didn't matter how much i prepared. So ATI proctored tests, SAT's, ACT's I never did great.

So going into the NCLEX, I knew I needed to study a good amount. I graduated in May of 2019 and took my boards October 2019. The long wait was due to a health problem I needed to have surgery for so hence the long gap between graduation and testing. Anyway, I started seriously studying late August through September and October. I attempted to start studying in July using the Kaplan test bank but I hated it.

I started using UWorld in August and I loved it. Typically, my studying would include doing anywhere from 30-150 questions a day. It really just depended on how I was feeling mentally that day and how much my brain could take. I have been really big on using notecards to study since middle school. So my first recommendation would be if you are not the type of person that can just remember every detail from reading do notecards! Every question I did on Uworld I would read the whole rationale (whether I got the question right or wrong) and make notecards of any information I thought was important/topics I was unfamiliar with. This really helped me because even on days that I didn't feel like doing the Qbank I would go through my notecards and that helped me get down the information and I was able to quiz myself in a way. Other than Uworld question bank and my notecards I really didn't use any other resources. The only other thing I would look at occasionally was my ATI pink NCLEX book and I really only used this to study in depth the material I need a real review of (maternity, pharm, and delegation/prioritization). Just to add, I would study mon-weds most weeks and then have kind of a loose study schedule the rest of the days.

My BIGGEST recommendation would be to understand how the NCLEX tests you. Understand how to work through select all questions, be able to eliminate the answers you know are not correct, and READ THE QUESTION AT LEAST TWICE. They try to trick you and at the end of the day the test is largely about safety and protecting the patient's. Also, know your lab values!! Sometimes this seems so small in the grand scheme but if you are able to identify that a patient's lab values are normal/abnormal it is a super easy first step to guide towards the (most) correct answer.

When it comes to test day, eat a good breakfast/lunch and go in with a clear mind that you did all that you can do to prepare. If you made it through nursing school, you can definitely pass the boards. After, stay calm and have a glass of wine or a few and just know that you did your best!