This Isn’t Nursing School, The NCLEX-RN exam is a standardized exam-very different from many of the tests you took in nursing school.
Don’t Underestimate Yourself; you have a body of knowledge. Use it.
Recall is Just the First Step, how to apply what you recall is more important.
It’s the Principle of the Thing, The NCLEX-RN exam is a test that requires application of nursing principles.
CRITICAL THINKING
What does the term critical thinking mean? Critical thinking is problem solving that involves thinking creatively. It requires that the nurse:
• Observe
• Decide what is important
• Look for patterns and relationships
• Identify the problem
• Transfer knowledge from situation to another
• Apply knowledge
• Evaluate according to criteria established
The NCLEX-RN exam asks few minimum competency questions at the comprehension level. It assumes you know and understand the facts you learned in nursing school.
Minimum competency NCLEX-RN exam questions are written at the application and/or analysis level. Remember, the NCLEX-RN exam tests your ability to make safe judgments about safe client care. Your ability to solve problems is not tested with recall/recognition or comprehension level questions.
Sound Familiar? Analysis questions take the familiar and put it in the unfamiliar.
STRATEGIES THAT DON’T WORK IN THE NCLEX-RN EXAM
• “Cramming” in hundreds of facts about disease process and nursing care.
• Recognizing and recalling facts rather than understanding the pathophysiology and the needs of a client with an illness.
• Knowing who wrote the question and what is important to that instructor
• Predicting answers based on what you remember or who wrote the question.
• Selecting the response that is a different length compared to the other choices.
• Selecting the answer choice that grammatically correct.
• When in doubt, choosing C.
No Need for Caffeine, cramming wont work on the NCLEX-RN exam.
Picture It! Use imagery when reading tests questions.
Remember the Client on the NCLEX-RN exam, Picture yourself caring for a real person.
SUCCESSFUL NCLEX-RN EXAM TESTS TAKERS:
• Have a good understanding of nursing content.
• Have the ability to tackle each test question with a lot of confidence because they assume that they can figure out the right answer.
• Don’t give up if they are unsure of the answer. They are not afraid to think about the question, and the possible choices in order to select the correct answer.
• Possess the know-how to correctly identify the question.
• Stay focused on the question.
