The concept of finishing up your many semesters of nursing school with an hours-long test after graduation may feel daunting. Taking the NCLEX in the midst of the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic can add an extra layer of nerves and uncertainty to the experience. The good news is that NCLEX preparation starts with your first nursing class – your whole education has helped prepare you for this test. Once you pass, you’re a practice-ready nurse!
While nursing school has no doubt helped you find some excellent study strategies, here are some more tips to help you prepare for this final testing hurdle.
1) Register and take the test as soon as you’re able to
Once you’ve applied to the state board and received your Authorization to Test email, make sure you get your date scheduled and start preparing your study plan. Don’t wait too long – one study from NCSBN found that students who waited longer than 54 days experienced a significant drop in their first-time pass rates.
2) Find a coach to help you prep
There’s no better way to get personalized NCLEX preparation than working with your personal Virtual-ATI Coach. Your coach will use content assessments to help you find the areas you need to focus on, and they’ll give you the “green light” when you’re ready to go.
If you don’t have access to Virtual-ATI through your school, learn more about purchasing it here.
3) Get the most out of your practice questions
Going through practice questions is important – it helps you get used to the types of questions that will be asked, the ways they’ll be phrased, and how to answer them appropriately. Don’t just stop there, though: When you’re going through practice questions, make sure you take time to understand the answers for questions you’ve gotten wrong and to make notes on what topics still need some work. To help you study, BoardVitals has adaptive quizzes that mimic the Computerized Adaptive Testing feature of the NCLEX. BoardVitals has thousands of questions ready to go, with detailed rationales for the answers to help make sure you understand why the answer is what it is.
4) Online Live Review
Why not get some extra tips and tricks through a mini NCLEX review webinar recording? Click here to watch it now.
Curious about COVID-19 impacts to NCLEX testing? Here are the NCSBN’s guidelines.
5) NCLEX Question of the Week
Keep yourself on your toes with a free NCLEX question and detailed answer in your Facebook feed! Follow ATI Nursing Education on Facebook for a quick and easy way to test your knowledge.
Remember, you don’t have to learn a lot of new information to pass this test. The NCLEX is really a great chance for you to show off everything you’ve already learned during your nursing education. Keep studying hard, and you’ll be a practicing nurse before you know it.
Want more NCLEX study tips? Check out more posts about passing the NCLEX here.