NCLEX Success Tips
All nursing school students in the U.S must take the NCLEX exam before they are allowed to practice as RNs or LPNs. It can be the most harrowing experience. Below is a collection of tips for NCLEX success.
What you will find here
What is the NCLEX?
NCLEX Video Tips
NCLEX Success Tips - While Still in School
NCLEX Success Tips Discussions
NCLEX Success Tips - Between Graduation and Taking the NCLEX
NCLEX Success Tips Blogs
Share your NCLEX Success Tips
Disclaimer
I will be updating this lens frequently so be sure to come back and visit for more success tips!
What you will find here
What is the NCLEX?
NCLEX Video Tips
NCLEX Success Tips - While Still in School
NCLEX Success Tips Discussions
NCLEX Success Tips - Between Graduation and Taking the NCLEX
NCLEX Success Tips Blogs
Share your NCLEX Success Tips
Disclaimer
I will be updating this lens frequently so be sure to come back and visit for more success tips!
What is the NCLEX?
The meaning of the NCLEX
The NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) is a comprehensive, computerized adaptive test designed to identify those nursing graduates who can provide entry-level nursing care in a safe effective manner and approve them for licensure as nurses, whether Registered Nurses (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) also known in some places as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN).
What does the NCLEX Test?
The NCLEX is not primarily a test about content. Knowing the content is crucial to passing the NCLEX, but more importantly, the NCLEX tests the candidate's ability to apply the knowledge learned. While testing knowledge, abilities, and skills, the NCLEX also evaluated the nursing graduate's ability to think critically and make competent nursing decisions.
What does the NCLEX Test?
The NCLEX is not primarily a test about content. Knowing the content is crucial to passing the NCLEX, but more importantly, the NCLEX tests the candidate's ability to apply the knowledge learned. While testing knowledge, abilities, and skills, the NCLEX also evaluated the nursing graduate's ability to think critically and make competent nursing decisions.
Passing the NCLEX Forum
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NCLEX Success Tips - While Still in School
Preparing for the NCLEX before Graduation
The first and biggest secret to passing the NCLEX is PREPARATION. But when is the best time to start preparing?
Preparing for the NCLEX exam starts the moment you walk into Nursing School and sit at your desk. Because the NCLEX is the final determining factor whether you will become a nurse, it makes sense that you should start thinking about it and preparing for it from the very beginning. Remember, the NCLEX exam is all about critical thinking and decision making, so he earlier you start the easier it becomes as you go, because habits take time to develop.
So how do you prepare for the NCLEX while in school?
Remember that you're not just preparing for an exam, but for the rest of your career as a nurse. The things that you're learning now will carry you for the rest of your career. Thinking along these lines will help you persevere when the going gets tough and you feel like you can't study anymore.
Preparing for the NCLEX exam starts the moment you walk into Nursing School and sit at your desk. Because the NCLEX is the final determining factor whether you will become a nurse, it makes sense that you should start thinking about it and preparing for it from the very beginning. Remember, the NCLEX exam is all about critical thinking and decision making, so he earlier you start the easier it becomes as you go, because habits take time to develop.
So how do you prepare for the NCLEX while in school?
- Master the content: Make sure you pay attention in class and learn the content as it's taught. If you don't understand something, ask, don't wait until the information has built up to unmanageable proportions before asking for help. You'll end up feeling overwhelmed.
- Practice thinking like a nurse. As you take in the content, think of patient scenarios and how what you're learning applies practically to those situations. Your instructors will often bring these scenarios up in class, so pay attention.
- Use your clinical sessions as learning times. This goes in tandem with the point above. While learning skills, pay attention also to how nursing decisions are made by the nurses and how your instructor critiques your decisions. Watch how tasks are prioritized and how tasks are delegated. This is crucial thinking at work.
- Practicing NCLEX-type questions from the very beginning. Get some good NCLEX review books that have the content arranged by topic, that way you can concentrate on the topics as you learn them and answer questions that are relevant to what you are learning. As you practice answering questions, it will become easier to think like an NCLEX candidate.
Remember that you're not just preparing for an exam, but for the rest of your career as a nurse. The things that you're learning now will carry you for the rest of your career. Thinking along these lines will help you persevere when the going gets tough and you feel like you can't study anymore.
NCLEX Success Tips Discussions
AllNurses.com forum NCLEX Discussions
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The Intense NCLEX Preparation Time
So now you've graduated and it's time to prepare to take the NCLEX. Here are some pointers for you:
- Don't wait too long to take the NCLEX. Generally, the sooner you take it the better, because the material is fresh in your mind.
- Take a Review Class. Review classes are helpful because they condense the material and bring out the most pertinent information. There are many review classes out there, including Kaplan (which has a money-back guarantee if you don't pass!). Ask your faculty what class they recommend.
- Practice, Practice, Practice. Get a hold of NCLEX review books with questions and practice daily. Answer the questions and then go over them and read the rationales to understand the answers.
- Practice taking computerized exams.Both the Kaplan review program and the ATI program have computerized practice tests that will help familiarize you with taking exams on a computer.
NCLEX Success Tips Blogs
- Helpful NCLEX Tips | Nclex Guide
- Below are a few NCLEX test tips that will help you in the tests. These tests can be difficult, even...
- Important Tips to Pass NCLEX and Nursing Board Exam | NCLEX Reviewers
- Important Tips to Pass NCLEX and Nursing Board Exam Pretty scary when you look at it that way. But,...
- Medicine Pearls: NCLEX Notes
- NCLEX Notes. Just some tips for those who are planning to take the NCLEX in the near future. The pla...
- NCLEX Test Taking Tips
- NCLEX Test Taking Tips. Test taking tips and staretgy. The Parts of a Question The question contains...
Useful NCLEX books
Books to help you prepare for the NCLEX
Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination (Saunders Comprehensive Review for Nclex-Rn)
Amazon Price: $51.25 (as of 07/13/2009) 
Kaplan NCLEX-RN Exam 2010 with CD-ROM: Strategies for the Registered Nursing Licensing Exam
Amazon Price: $23.10 (as of 07/13/2009)
Kaplan NCLEX-RN: Medications You Need to Know for the Exam (Kaplan NCLEX-RN Exam)
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/13/2009)
Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-PN® Examination (Saunders Comprehensive Review for Nclex-Pn)
Amazon Price: $39.55 (as of 07/13/2009)
Saunders Q & A Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination (Silvestri, Saunders Q & A Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination)
Amazon Price: $38.76 (as of 07/13/2009)
Share your NCLEX Success Tips
What are you doing/did you do to prepare and pass the NCLEX?
Lensmaster
Chastity wrote
Good luck to all! I go for my NCLEX next month, hopefully!
Posted October 13, 2008
Lensmaster
Backiam wrote
NCLEX Exam evaluates one's application of theoretical Nursing knowledge in practice. One must focus on this application more than anything else when preparing for this exam. Based on my experience I can give you the following tips that may be useful for your preparation.
It would help if you first get a deep insight on the subject. Once you have sound knowledge of the content it will be easier to learn and practice applying this knowledge in situations encountered while practicing nursing.
It would also help to the assistance of an experienced coach who will be able to guide you to concentrate on frequently questioned areas. An experienced coach may be able to recognize the areas of deficiency that you may not be aware of without help.
Another very important tip is to practice as many questions as possible. Make sure you concentrate on each category and once you have mastered the category wise tests upgrade to the comprehensive tests.
Backiam RN
www.gs3india.com
Posted March 02, 2008
Disclaimer
This lens is in no way affiliated to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. , and all views represented herein do not in any way represent official information from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. . You may not hold the author of this page, or the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. liable for any consequences that may arise from using the information on this page.
NCLEX, NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN, Nursys, and NCSBN are registered trademarks, and NNAAP and the NCSBN logo are trademarks, of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.
NCLEX, NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN, Nursys, and NCSBN are registered trademarks, and NNAAP and the NCSBN logo are trademarks, of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.
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