NCLEX Style Tips

NCLEX requires taking it with the right frame of mind and approach.

Nursing school graduates and nurses from other countries wanting to work in the United States share their apprehension for the national nurse licensing exam. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which oversees the NCLEX, has turned it into a dynamic, computerized exam which requires you to answer situational questions of various levels of difficulty. You pass only by answering enough of the most difficult questions. The NCLEX tests critical thinking and judgment as much as nursing knowledge. Preparing well and taking the exam with the right frame of mind and attitude makes all the difference.

Reading Comrpehension

The NCLEX wants to tell you're paying attention and understanding all the information you're given. Its authors toss you subtle curves by asking you questions in the negative, such as "Which is not a way to do...." or "Which is not the way to treat...." Many candidates get so focused on figuring out the right answer from the information given that they completely ignore that their question wants them to identify the worst choice. Additionally, NCLEX occasionally gives an answer choice with a rare medical or pharmaceutical term you might not know. Many candidates stumped on the question will choose the "fancy" term because they assume its something they don't but should know.

The Best Choice

The NCLEX asks you to choose the best answer for each question. With the multiple choice answers you are presented, some if not all could be viable or correct ways to handle the situation described in the question. Remember that your task is to decipher which is the very best option of perhaps several good ones. Similarly, questions can also give four undesirable options and your job is to sift through which is the least poor choice. This is where the critical thinking aspect of the test is so challenging.

Sweating It

For every question you answer correctly, NCLEX makes the next one more difficult until you are getting only the most difficult questions. You may feel as though you're struggling as the questions get harder. For most people this is a good sign that you are answering the questions well. With NCLEX, it's always darkest before the dawn. If you answer enough of those very difficult questions correctly, you will rise above the passing standard by a 95 percent confidence level and pass your exam. When you do, your exam terminal will shut off and your exam will be over -- even if you haven't answered the full 265 possible questions or taken the entire six hours allotted.

Nursing Basics

Many NCLEX questions have to do with reasoning more than technical or specific medical knowledge. The question is designed to test your nursing judgment and skill. Therefore, keep your fundamentals in mind as you approach the questions. Remember your "ABC's of Nursing" -- airway, breathing and circulation. Prioritize patients and solve problems in that order. Remember the basic rule of "Keep them breathing, keep them safe." These principles can help you approach many of the situational questions in which you have difficult prioritization tasks or are allotted inadequate resources to achieve your ideal outcome.

References

• BNet: Nursing: How to Make Assessing Patients as Easy as ABC
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing: Pass Fail Rules
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing: Exam Psychometrics
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing: Current NCLEX Test Plans
• University of North Carolina Nursing School: Top 10 Tips for Answering Questions on The NCLEX
• Brute Force Study Guide: Nursing School Exams