NCLEX! This word is always on the mind of a nursing student, especially during the last semester of nursing school. The NCLEX exam is a licensing exam students must pass in order to work as a nurse. Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are both required to take this exam.
In this article, I am going to give you four tips on how to increase your chances of passing the NCLEX exam first try. Also, be sure to watch the video below on this topic!
4 Tips for Passing the NCLEX Exam First Try
1.“Develop a Study Plan Early and Stick to it”
The students who pass the NCLEX first try begin by studying diligently in advance. Typically, it is best to start prepping for the exam several months prior to taking it (at least 6 months).
I took the NCLEX in June and started studying hard that winter in the month December. Here is my study log of how I prepped for NCLEX.
My study plan was to practice at least 100-200 NCLEX style questions 6 days out of a 7 day week and read in my nursing books/study guide the material I was rusty on. This type of studying not only helped me prep for NCLEX but for my nursing lecture exams as well.
2.“Take Nursing School Seriously”
Some students try to do the bare minimum in order to get by in nursing school. They don’t prep for nursing lecture exams like they should. However, they pass the exam, but after the exam they do a “brain dump” and forget the material they learned.
In nursing school, it is not a very good idea to do a brain dump after an exam because you need this material for NCLEX and eventually your job. So, take good notes (so you can refer back to them while prepping for NCLEX) and study hard.
3.“Purchase an NCLEX-RN study guide”
This is a must because these NCLEX study guide books break down the exact material you need to know for NCLEX and come with practice questions. When using an NCLEX study guide to prep, read the material and practice the questions it comes with, especially alternative format questions. Also, pay attention to rationales and re-read areas you are scoring low in. Here is a video on how to answer NCLEX select-all-that-apply questions.
4.“Go into the test day strong!”
Don’t let test anxiety ruin your chances on NCLEX. I’ve known people who knew the material frontwards and backwards, but on the day of the exam (while taking the exam) they weren’t confident in themselves and failed. You have to have deep concentration and confidence while answering NCLEX questions. Don’t let negative thoughts occupy your mind and take control of you. Forget those negative thoughts of: “How about if I’m the only one of my friends to fail?” “Oh no, it didn’t cut off at 75 questions…I’ve bombed it!” “This is too hard…I know I’m failing!” Remember you graduated from nursing school which is very hard, so you got this!
You may be interested: “What to do if I fail the NCLEX exam?”
*Disclosure: The clickable link to the NCLEX-RN study guide book is to Amazon.com and is recommended in this article based on my own honest personal opinion and experience. This website is an affiliate with Amazon.com, and when you buy the products recommended by us through the link above we obtain a commission which helps support this free site.