Every nurse would probably agree the worst part of school was the dreaded NCLEX exam. From the first day of nursing school, every teacher stressed the importance of being prepared for the NCLEX -- you know it’s true! You graduate nursing school but yet there is still one more hurdle to jump before attaining your license. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) developed this test to ensure knowledge and competency before you can apply for any type of nursing license. It’s scary to think that after years of hard work and studying could be ruined by one single test. The best thing you can do for yourself is to prepare and follow a study plan. Here are a few study tips to help you crush your NCLEX exam the first try!

Follow a study plan.

Once you finish school, you will receive your notice that you are now able to take the test. Try to not wait too long after you finish school. You want all of that knowledge to be fresh -- and you want to get that first nursing job! Grab yourself some NCLEX study material. There are plenty of books and study guides available -- use them! Design a study plan that works for you. This type of the test isn't a cram the night before kind of deal. You need to give yourself ample time to prepare. Set a schedule of specific days you will study and which days you will take off. Determine how much you want to get done each day and stick to it. Use one of your off days to take a practice test. This will help you determine which areas to focus on.

Take a test prep class.

Now I know the last thing you want to do is take another class but taking a test prep course can be very beneficial. These prep courses are specifically designed to help you prepare for the dreaded test. The class will help you focus on your studying and test taking skills. Test taking strategies are a real thing! These prep courses may also provide study guides and other materials to help you prepare -- the test is tough so take as much help as you can get!

Understand the NCLEX.

The test is computerized so no test will be exactly the same. This type of testing style may make it harder to study but we do know the areas of nursing the test will include. The main chunk of the exam is divided into four parts:

1. Providing a safe environment.

2. Health promotion and maintenance.

3. Psychosocial integrity.

4. Physiological integrity.

Those four categories are then broken down further into specific topics. One important thing to remember while taking the test is the questions refer to a perfect hospital -- we know they do not exist but just go with it! The perfect hospital the exam refers to means that it faces no issues that you may have seen in your own experience. No staffing issues, perfect patients, and perfect equipment (remember just go with it). Remember to always assess the patient first! That cannot be stressed enough. Follow your assessment skills -- airway, breathing, and circulation. If you don’t know the answer, deduct the answers you know are 100% wrong.

The night before.

The night before the exam is just as important as all the time leading up to that day. No more studying! The night before your test should be spent relaxing and doing something you enjoy. Stressing yourself out trying to cram in more info will only drive you crazy and potentially affect your test the next day. Every nursing student understands the importance of the NCLEX exam. Take studying seriously but do not stress yourself out! Do not make studying your entire life. Take the test one question at a time. Do not stress yourself over every question. Don’t assume you are doing bad if you get a few “easy” questions. Do the best to your ability until the computer shuts off. Stick to your study plan and you will crush it -- good luck!