Written by Logan V., Delaware Technical Community College
When nursing students are preparing for upcoming NCLEX® exams, some of the most valuable tips they receive are from those who have gone before them — students who have been through the grind and successfully passed their NCLEX exams. Logan’s story is the perfect example of a peek behind the curtain for exam success. Below is her story, in her own words, detailing how she passed the NCLEX-RN® in the minimum amount of questions.
I was a full-time nursing student in an ADN RN program. I’ve wanted to become a nurse ever since I was little because I love helping others in need.
In school, I usually did about average on my exams, sometimes higher. One of the biggest struggles all nursing students have are the NCLEX-style questions; I know I did! When I graduated nursing school, I couldn’t have been happier! But now came time to study for the NCLEX.
Many of my peers recommended UWorld. I used their tutorial to see how I felt about it, along with reading reviews online and searching through some YouTube videos of recommendations. I’m so glad that I chose Uworld as my study tool!
I purchased the 60 Day RN package that includes the self assessment. I studied for about a month-and-a-half and finished all of the questions in the QBank. But don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get through all the questions in time! UWorld’s features that I loved the most include:
- You can make flashcards for the questions to go back to later and review.
- They include every format of questions you could possibly get on the NCLEX and even have the new format questions including SATA (questions where it can be one answer or all).
- The rationales!! So well written and explained.
- After you answer the question, it tells you the percentage of people that answer correctly and how long it takes you to answer the questions.
- The format is identical to the NCLEX.
Here is how I studied for my NCLEX-RN and passed the NCLEX in the minimum amount of questions:
- I did 75–225 questions per day. I rewrote my incorrect questions, the rationales, and the category they fell under in a binder.
- I did my tests under the random category (as the NCLEX asks topics at random) and under the tutor mode so I could see the rationales. There were some topics UWorld taught that we never learned in school, and I’m so glad that UWorld explained it in such a way that I was able to understand it before my test.
- I made flashcards based on my incorrect questions with the flashcard feature. I also added the pictures UWorld includes to my flashcards; the visuals are amazingly helpful.
- I love that UWorld uses all the same format questions as the NCLEX and that the format of the practice tests with UWorld are identical to the NCLEX! So, when I sat down to test, I felt at ease.
- A week until my test date, I finished all 2000+ questions, and now it was time to take the self assessment. I chose to do the self assessment when I did because if I didn’t do well, I wanted to make sure I knew what to review. I got up early, ate a good breakfast, and took it as if I was taking the NCLEX. I scored in the 76th percentile with a very high chance of passing, and I passed my NCLEX one week later on my very first try!! Up until my test date, I would review the rationales I rewrote in my binder up in preparation for my test.
Here are some more study tips in general:
- Make sure you take breaks and do something nice for yourself! Let your brain relax.
- The day before your test, do something relaxing and do not study.
- I scored anywhere from a 54-69 on my quiz banks. Don’t focus too much on your scores but more on how you’re doing on the questions and that you’re grasping the content.
- I personally felt (and it seemed like many others did too) that UWorld is harder than the NCLEX. I feel that this is beneficial because you feel much more prepared to take the NCLEX and you are used to the complexity of the questions. UWorld finally made me feel confident with the NCLEX-style questions!!
Best of luck to all you future nurses! You can do this! And thank you to UWorld. I couldn’t have passed my NCLEX on my very first try without your amazing service!
You can have a story of exam success just like Logan’s! If you’re preparing for an upcoming NCLEX exam, we’d love to give you the tools you need for test mastery. UWorld is the industry leader in NCLEX prep, and we can help you pass your exam on the first attempt. Our online learning tools will have you confident and prepared on exam day. With NCLEX-style questions, detailed and thorough rationales, and precise performance tracking, we’ll have you ready for exam success. Click here to discover why we are the students’ choice for NCLEX prep.
