Tips on NCLEX Questions
Nursing is a growing career field that offers many lucrative opportunities without requiring a lot of college education. After you complete one to four years of college education, you can take a test to become a licensed practical, vocational or registered nurse. The licensing tests are called the NCLEX, which stands for National Council Licensure Examination. The NCLEX tests are difficult and designed to prove that your education prepared you for the important job of nursing. Because you cannot know the questions in advance, it is important to memorize formulas and facts that will prepare you for the exam.
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Prepare Your Review Materials
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Write down the names of medications and the health conditions for which they are prescribed on index cards. Also write down the formulas commonly used in nursing, such as IV flow rates and medication dosages. Use your notes from your clinical rotations in patient care and from classes such as pharmacology to provide the material for the cards.
Work with a Partner
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Study the notes on your index cards and in a study guide with another nursing student who is also taking the NCLEX at the same time you are. Test each other on the questions. If you cannot work with a fellow nursing student, ask a spouse or friend to quiz you from your note cards.
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Develop Thought Processes
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The NCLEX is less about memorization of facts than demonstrating that you are developing the necessary thought processes for nursing. Pay attention to the way lab test results point to a specific diagnosis and determine the appropriate treatment. For example, a pregnant patient whose fetal monitoring reveals that preterm labor is occurring may be given the drug terbutaline to stop contractions.
Use a Study Guide
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Buy a study guide or check one out from the library. Several publishers offer study guides, and the titles contain some combination of the words NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN study guide. Spend several hours each day answering the sample NCLEX test questions in the study guide until you score above 80 percent.
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References
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