How To: Study for your NCLEX Exams

Okay, so your NCLEX exam is coming up and your mind is going crazy with nerves and anxiety. You are worried because this is your chance to show the world, and the exam association, that you are capable of being a great nurse! You are ready to put your skills to good use and help everyone you can. Here are some ideas for you to use when studying for your exams:

1. Take review classes. These classes will give you a great idea of the questions that will be on your exam. Review classes allow you to retain information that you learned in nursing school, by turning it into general knowledge. They say practice makes perfect, and it certainly is true! Hearing something over and over really makes for great memory retention.
2. Do daily practice tests to help you remember the material. Reviewing a few questions each will jog your memory in areas you have forgotten, and reinforce your knowledge of other areas.
3. NCLEX tests your critical mind, so you will be posed with many questions that beg for great consideration. You need to be prepared for anything and you need to be focused and organized enough to answer the questions posed correctly, so make sure to get enough sleep before studying so that you can have a clear head when trying to concentrate.
4. Acquire a good NCLEX prep book to help you organize the topics and break down the material. This should help you stay on task if you have trouble focusing on studying. Try to cover a few topics each day so that you don’t get stuck cramming with only a few days to go!
5. If you get an answer incorrect during your practice sessions, write down the correct answer. As you teach yourself, you are more likely to retain the new information and least likely to get the same or a similar question wrong on the actual exam.

Eliminate all your distractions! Medical uniforms are only relevant after you pass the exam! Stop thinking about the chic medical scrub tops and bottoms you will be wearing to work and focus on preparation! Happy studying!