Student Success Story – Jasmine Pinto, Columbus State
A couple of weeks before graduation (from a 2-year BSN program), I purchased the 60-day UWorld package with the Self Assessment 1. I did not yet know my NCLEX date, but I anticipated taking my test within the 60-day window.
I had always heard great things about UWorld, so I was eager to get a jumpstart on my study plan.
Right of the bat, I was extremely impressed by how convenient the UWorld app was! Not only does it have different modes such as “tutor” or “test” style, but I loved that you get to customize each test.
For example, you can choose the content you want to practice (adult health, pediatrics, etc), the system (renal, GI, etc.), the number of questions, and even whether or not you want the questions to be new ones or previous questions that you have missed in the past. In addition, while reviewing, UWorld NCLEX has the great feature of adding any important information or question rationales to flashcards tabs, where you can study them later.
For myself, I focused mainly on compiling quizzes from every category and testing over at least 100 questions a day, then reviewing those questions daily after receiving my score. In my opinion, I felt it was important to mix all the categories since this is the most accurate representation of what the NCLEX is truly like.
I would add missed questions that I wasn’t sure about to my flashcards, and review them daily until I felt confident in the rationales. Once I reviewed a quiz completely, I would then create another quiz (usually 60 questions for each quiz).
My overall average started in the high 40’s and low 50’s; however, after about 2 weeks of using UWorld and practicing daily, my average increased to low 60’s, which (according to UWorld) is a good indication of high likelihood of passing the NCLEX.
Overall, I studied UWorld for about a month and a half, with my final average still in the low 60’s and scored 59% on my self-assessment! UWorld predicted that I had a “high chance of passing” after I completed the self-assessment. I took the assessment exactly one week before my NCLEX test date to see what areas I needed to focus on the most during my last week of studying.
Well…UWorld was correct! I passed my NCLEX in the minimum amount of questions (60), and I felt extremely prepared thanks to UWorld!
UWorld helped me build upon the foundation of knowledge I learned in nursing school and effectively refreshed important concepts that I needed to brush up on.
The best advice I can give to someone who is preparing for the NCLEX is to USE UWORLD! I cannot emphasize this enough. UWorld covers the most important content and is SO detailed. After taking my NCLEX, the 48 hours after my test were not agonizing because I felt confident that I had passed. Thanks, UWorld!
