Become a Nurse – Pass the NCLEX – Part 6

All nursing students must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), which was created by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), in order to work as nurses. Students looking to become Registered Nurses (RNs) take the NCLEX-RN, while those who want to work as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) take the NCLEX-PN. While these two tests cover similar material, the scoring and number of questions included in each exam differs. The need to pass the NCELX is discussed extensively during nursing school, and nursing instructors will often structure their test questions to model the NCLEX style with multiple-choice questions.

Before You Can Sit for the NCLEX Exam

Before they can take the NCLEX, students must first apply for a nursing license from the state board of nursing in their particular location. The board decides whether or not they meet all the necessary requirements and are eligible to take the exam. Students will receive an NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin by mail (it can also be downloaded from the Internet), which will provide information about registering with the testing service of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

Registration Process

Students can registered by phone, mail, or online. When the state board determines that a student is eligible to take the exam, which usually occurs after graduation, he or she will receive the Authorization to Test (ATT) and a list of testing centers, as well as instructions on how to make an appointment to take the test. After scheduling a test date and paying the examination fee, students can move on to actual test preparation.

#1 Testing Tip

The most important thing to remember when taking the NCLEX is to relax. Nursing students often get overly anxious about passing the exam, but statistics from 2005 show that 83 percent of students pass on their first try. This means that the odds of passing are very good, and students who have earned average grades in nursing school and who have not had to struggle too much with their studies are likely to do well on the NCLEX. Getting adequate rest before taking the exam and avoiding caffeine can reduce test anxiety as well.

Preparing for the NCLEX Exam

There are many study guides available to help students study for and pass the NCLEX. Experts recommend answering as many practice questions as possible and to pay close attention to the tips given in these guides for answering multiple-choice questions correctly. For example, some guides tell students to be on the lookout for words like “except,” “always,” and “not” in a question and to always take a guess if they don’t know the answer, since there is no penalty imposed for incorrect answers in the test scoring. Other study help can be found online in the form of virtual study groups, nursing student forums, and websites that feature practice questions and study aids organized by topic.

Some Tips on Question Types

Prioritization is one of the most common themes students will find in the NCLEX. Questions will offer several scenarios, and then ask which one should be handled first. According to test experts, these types of questions can be answered by remembering the mnemonic “ABC.” This stands for Airway, Breathing, Circulation. When considering prioritization, Airway is always first, because if patients can’t breathe, additional treatments are useless. Next is to determine whether a patient is actually breathing, and then next step is to determine Circulation by taking a pulse. NCLEX questions often test the knowledge of this concept among nursing students.

Students should not attempt to “cram” for the NCLEX. Instead, they should begin their studying early, read every question carefully, and answer every question. If they follow these simple steps, there is every indication that they will pass and obtain their nursing license.