What is the best way to study for the NCLEX?

Answer 1

Let's rephrase the question and ask, how do I prepare for NCLEX?

At this point, you have studied and learned; studied and learned; studied and learned. You are at the point where you need to apply what you have learned.

First, congratulate yourself! You have successfully completed the nursing program!

Answer the following:

How are you with time management? (How do you prioritize your time? How do you separate your time: NCLEX prep, work, family, self-care, social, etc.?)

Do you complete practice NCLEX exams? (How often, how many questions, content, question style, etc.).

How do you complete remediation? (What do you do to address your areas of weakness?)

To prepare for your NCLEX,

1. Start with some practice NCLEX questions. Preferably start with an NCLEX practice test that has a mixture of systems, question types/styles, and case studies.
2. Identify your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Are you an anxious or fast test taker?
4. Do you need to bounce around, shake your legs, fidget, etc...?
5. Do you need to move your lips while reading?
6. Do you bore easily, distract easily, or get lost in the moment?

1. What systems/subjects/topic areas are you weak or strong?
2. Fundamentals, Musculoskeletal, Hematological, etc.
3. Prioritization, Select all that apply (SATA), multiple choice, etc.
4. What is your approach?
5. How do you process each question and case study?
6. Do you read the question/case study first or do you read the election options first?
7. Do you read the question and try to answer it before looking at your choices?
8. How do you analyze the question?
9. Do you look for commonalities? Words, phrases, or sentences that are similar or repetitive?
10. Do you look for "key" words? Best, most, last, prioritize, etc... (Keep in mind "Keywords" are limitless. Look for adjectives and descriptors. Try to answer Who, what, when, where, why, and how.).
11. Do you practice NCLEX tests in an environment setup similar to the test site? (Try to be as realistic as possible).
12. Do you practice NCLEX tests in a quiet area or a noisy one? At work? At home?

1. How do you get to your answer?

Now that we have done a little house cleaning, let's move forward.

Are there any helpful hints?

When looking at an NCLEX question or case study, attempt to answer or prioritize by using the following

ABC's

Safety

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Nursing process

Medical Terminology

Some questions you cannot answer by the process of elimination. For some questions, you just simply need to know or be familiar with the content.

Key is to

Practice! Practice! Practice!

Keep the information fresh in your mind until after you receive the wonderful news "You passed" (You will need the information always, but you can finally relax a bit).

Also, know that we all may have different approaches, at the end of the day what is important is that we all have the same outcome! And that is helping each of you be successful!

If you want to learn more, just send me a message. I cannot wait to meet you.

Answer 2

The biggest mistake people make with NCLEX prep is focusing too much on memorizing content instead of learning how to answer questions.

At this point, you already know more than you think...you just need to apply it correctly!

1. Start doing practice questions daily and focus on the rationale, not just whether you got it right or wrong. The goal is to understand how the question is asking you to think.

When you’re stuck between answers, ask:

1. Which option is safest?
2. What needs to be done first?
3. What would harm the patient if missed?

Also pay attention to patterns—prioritization, safety, and delegation come up constantly

You don’t need to know everything to pass NCLEX.

You need to be able to break questions down and choose the best answer consistently.

Answer 3

The best way to study for the NCLEX is to focus on understanding concepts, not just memorizing facts, and to practice NCLEX-style questions regularly. Start by reviewing high-yield topics like Med-Surg, Pharmacology, Pediatrics, OB, and Mental Health. Make sure you understand why the correct answers are right and why the other options are wrong, especially for prioritization, delegation, and SATA (select all that apply) questions, because these are the hardest for most students.

Create a study schedule, breaking your time into manageable chunks, and use practice questions and rationales to test your knowledge. Focus on your weak areas, but don’t ignore the basics. Finally, practice critical thinking and test-taking strategies, like identifying keywords in the question, ruling out obviously wrong answers first, and pacing yourself so you can complete the exam calmly.

Answer 4

The best way to study for NCLEX is to first LEARN how to break down the questions. There are keywords in the questions and also in the answers. I always have my students strike out 2 incorrect answers and narrow it down to 2 possible right answers. The next step is to always, always READ the rationales for the correct and incorrect responses. This is essential for understanding why you chose the answer you did and for future learning.

It's a good idea to understand what NCSBN (National Council for State Board of Nursing) will test you on: there are 4 main areas. They are health promotion & maintenance, safe & effective care environment, physiological integrity, and psychosocial integrity. Two of these areas (safe & effective care environment & physiological integrity) are broken down into subcategories. There are also the most common areas I see students fail in when testing for NCLEX.

The second piece of the puzzle are the NGN test items. You must score above passing in all these areas to pass. NCSBN added this bit to encourage critical thinking of the new graduate nurse. It encompasses understanding how to answer bowtie questions, single case studies, and 6 questions case studies. I always tell the students to remember the case studies and bowties are like a very FOCUSED assessment. Imagine yourself in the room with the patient and what you would prioritize doing first according to problem at hand. Once the students can break this down and analyze the information given along with labs and vital signs, it all starts to come together!

If you need NCLEX coaching or you need to remediate for NCLEX, please don't give up! I have tutored many students that have failed NLCEX at least twice and watched them ace their NCLEX exam after acquiring an understanding of how to approach the questions and the content.

Best wishes to all!!

Suzanna V. NCLEX Coach

Answer 5

Hello!

In order to be successful with the Next Generation NCLEX which was started on April 1, 2023 there are several things you will need to do. First have a plan, focus on time-management when you are studying, keep focused, read content, complete questions daily 5 days a week. It is important to remember when completing questions, decide what is important, identifying the problem, transferring knowledge from one situation to another, improving critical thinking and clinical judgment.

If you need help, reach out to me and I would love to help you!

Best,

Dr. Maria Flavin, DNP, MSN, CRNP, FNP-C, RN

Associate Professor of Nursing

NCLEX Expert

Answer 6

First, figure out how you learn best. Do you like to listen to lectures? Watch videos? Answer test banks? Maybe a combination? There are tons of videos, podcasts, and test banks available. I made my own podcasts, stripped audio out of video, and listened to Mark K. I listened in my car, while riding my bike, and even while fishing and hiking! I hated taking long test bank questions, so I broke them up into 5 question tests and did one in line at the grocery store, one on my break, one while waiting to pick up my kids, one before bed, etc., and before you know it I was doing 50 questions a day.

My point is, you do not need to sit at a desk and torture yourself. If you don't understand the material, find a good video at osmosis.org, Kahn academy or Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology. Or have a tutor explain it to you. Reading those textbooks when you don't have a basic understanding of the material can be frustrating. Learn in layers.

My best tip: study then take a nap. The information sinks in that way, I promise!

Answer 7

First, identify your best learning style. Combining different methods of learning is KEY to not getting overwhelmed.

STUDY. For a while just live and breathe practice questions, subject matter videos, take notes. Look at pictures. Draw if it helps you remember. Take a walk when you feel like you don't have any neurons left, a few deep breaths and keep pushing.

Ask yourself the "why". If you are having trouble with a specific subject try to teach a friend or teach yourself until you understand.

The more you practice the better you will get. NEVER change your answer unless you had a true epiphany. DO NOT GIVE UP. Try to make real-world connections to piece the info together. Dumb down the questions in a way that you understand.

Answer 8

Study. Study. Study. That’s the answer you probably have heard on how to pass the NCLEX. And even though it’s true you need to study, that’s what you have been doing these past years of Nursing School. So what else do you need?

You need to learn how to tackle each question. How to think through it and choose the correct one. That’s where I come in. I can help you do just that. I learned a process on how to answer NCLEX-Style questions. And you can learn it too!

Don't just mindlessly take test after test. Learn my Test-taking strategies and succeed.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Answer 9

Practice NCLEX-style questions every day. I suggest 50 questions per day times 5 days and 75 questions once per week under NCLEX-test like environment. Allow yourself 4-6 weeks to prepare for the exam. Following this plan you should have answered more than 1900 questions. I suggest using a library or some where other than your usual study environment to answer 75 questions. Doing so will help lower anxiety at the testing site and build your stamina for a very long test. Break study times into 25-minute sessions followed by a 5-minute break. After 2 sessions, answer 50 questions over what you just studied in a test-like environment. Don’t cheat while practicing your review questions.