How I passed the NCLEX the first time

Anyone who is majoring in Nursing knows or heard about the NCLEX. For many just thinking about the exam brings anxiety. I can totally relate. The NCLEX is a nationwide exam for the licensing of nurses, and you must pass this exam before you can practice as a nurse. So, to say the least it’s a pretty important exam. It’s also an expensive test, so it would serve you well to only take it once if you can help it. Everyone prepares for this exam in their own way, but I wanted to share with you all how I prepared for the NCLEX.

For starters once I graduated nursing school I took a full two weeks off. That consisted of no studying or working. I really just wanted to clear my mind and relax. Plus after many years of consistently studying hard I at least could allow myself two weeks to do nothing that had to do with school. For me it was well worth it and much needed. So, I recommend to anyone to take a break even if it’s not two weeks, taking some time off can be beneficial to you.

After my break I started to hit the books again. I would start my day early by waking up in the morning around 9am and doing questions from the UWorld question bank. I did approximately anywhere from 75 to 100 questions a day. In addition, I read each rationale to the questions even if I got the question correct. Whenever I got tired or started to get distracted I would take an hour break or less to refresh my mind. Then, I would go right back to practicing questions. I practiced questions only on weekdays. On the weekends I would carve time to hang with friends and family. As you can tell I think it’s important to have a balance between work and play. It serves me well and I find that I’m most productive when I have a good balance of these things in my life.

I studied for the NCLEX about a month and a half. After consistently doing questions over that time period I scheduled myself to take the NCLEX in July of 2017. The UWorld question bank provides you with over 2,000 questions. I did over half of the total questions provided from the question bank. Going into the exam I felt that I was well prepared. Of course, I was nervous as all get out… LOL. However, my studying paid off, because I found out a few days later after taking the exam that I was officially a Registered Nurse. I give all the glory to God! The exam that I was dreading was now over and I could officially practice as a nurse.

That’s my story on how I passed the NCLEX the first time. Hopefully, you can take some of the things I did and incorporate it into how you prepare for the NCLEX. I wish you all the very best on the NCLEX exam. Remember that you CAN do it, and you did not make it this far by accident! If you have any questions or comments about my NCLEX experience please leave a comment below or DM me @nursekimdarpoh on Instagram.