The NCLEX, or National Council Licensure Examination, is an examination for the licensing of nurses that is held nationwide. This was done in the United States in 1982, in Canada in 2015, and in Australia in 2020. It is developed and owned by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.

Graduates of nursing programs must pass the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination Registered Nurse) to become licensed as registered nurses. In the US, Canada, and Australia, this computer-based, standardized test is accessible all year. Which nursing board will issue your first active RN license after you pass depends on which state you decide to take your exam in.

Tips on How to Pass NCLEX

NCLEX Tip #1 Study Plan

1. Make a study plan

Make a study plan that works for you. Each person has their own routine and learning tactics, so find one that suits you well. Make sure that you stick to it. It can be difficult at first because you have to consider all the things that you do aside from preparing for your examination, but this is just the beginning. Once you figure out what needs to be put on hold and put things in order, you can start your preparation for passing your NCLEX. Examinations can be nerve-wracking, and just thinking about them can be overwhelming. But by planning, it can help you make things flow smoothly, or if not, make them tolerable. According to The Higher Education Review, “A study plan is more comprehensive than a timetable”. More than a timetable, it is a method whereby you deal with preparation, planning, and problems that you might face. Constructing a study plan requires you to set a goal.

Here are some questions that you might want to consider when drawing an effective study plan.

1. What time will you be available?
2. How should the course materials be prepared and obtained?
3. How much time, taking into account each student’s needs, should be spent on each subject?
4. How can a favourable environment be created for productive study? One could, for instance, turn off their phone for a set amount of time.

1. Take a break

One person can be excited to prepare for an examination and go all-in on it, or they can be really anxious and feel that all the information they’re taking in is overwhelming and not retain the information. Taking a break between studying is proven helpful and has benefits in doing so. The UCL conducted a study and presented five benefits of taking breaks. Here are the benefits of taking a break. First, it boosts your memory. Taking breaks allows your mind to refresh and recover from the work it has done. It gives you a moment to gather your thoughts and relax. Second, it will energize your body. Studying might have some toll on your body, for it not just uses your brain but also your body. Therefore, you might feel tired after some time. Next, it helps to lessen the stress you’re feeling. Taking in information can be so overwhelming that you experience stress. By taking breaks from time to time, it will help you regain focus and lessen your stress. Also, it will make you healthier. Pushing our bodies and brain to their limits is not good for our health. Short exercises or listening to things that calm or make you laugh can help you study better. It will increase your dopamine, which will lead to the fifth benefit of taking a break. It increases your productivity and creativity. Dopamine, caused by relaxing, exercising, or doing things that make you happy, will help you be motivated. According to Neuroscience News, dopamine is a teaching signal, like a coach who tells his player “good job” or “bad job”.

2. Repeated Testing

We’ve experienced a lot of exams in our lives, and it seems like they will never stop and will just increase in difficulty. A lot of distinguished persons tried to study and understand a better way of preparing for those examinations. According to Henry L. “Roddy” Roediger III, Ph.D., The James S. McDonnell University Professor, “Our study indicates that testing can be used as a powerful means for improving learning, not just assessing it”. Roediger cited a number of theories from earlier research that explain why this phenomenon occurs. One contends that when faced with challenges, we learn more effectively. To illustrate, consider the sinking sensation you get when a quiz is announced. Others contend that repeated testing enhances long-term memory by requiring students to practice the very memory strategies they will need to recall this information in the future. This is known as the “use it or lose it” effect and is thought to improve long-term recall. By repeatedly self-testing, or with the help of a friend, you will be able to learn more in less time than by simply studying the material. This promotes retention of the material and may improve learning. Based on experiments held, it is established that studying with frequent testing helps you absorb more information in a shorter period of time while preparing and studying for NCLEX, doing a self-test or group test. It is essential not just to remember but also to retain the information. 

1.  Get enough sleep

Sleep is crucial in our daily routine. It is said that it plays a housekeeping role that removes toxins in our brains while we’re awake. Getting enough sleep forms and maintains pathways in our brain that help us learn and create new memories. Less or no sleep at all can’t help you in studying. It is harder to concentrate and respond quickly. 

Nearly every organ and system in the body, including the brain, heart, and lungs, as well as the metabolism, immune system, mood, and disease resistance, are all impacted by sleep. As we get older, our sleep needs and habits change, but this varies greatly among people your age. There is no universally effective “number of sleep hours” for people of the same age. In the beginning, babies can sleep up to 16 to 18 hours a day, which may promote growth and development (particularly of the brain). Teenagers and children of school age require on average 9.5 hours of sleep per night. The average adult requires 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but after the age of 60, night-time sleep tends to be lighter, shorter, and more frequently interrupted. Additionally, older individuals are more likely to use sleep-inducing medications.

Many people believe they can “catch up” on lost sleep over the weekend. This might be a result of longer working hours and the availability of 24/7 entertainment or other activities. But depending on how severely they are sleep deprived, sleeping longer over the weekend may not be sufficient. Studying for NCLEX is difficult as it is, but don’t forget to take care of your body. Sleep is as important as eating healthy food to pass the examination. 

NCLEX Tip #2 You must know what NCLEX is and everything about its format

Making a study plan and preparing yourself for the examination is important. After that, you must know what you are preparing for. NCLEX is essential and you must understand how it works. Here are some of the things that you must know about NCLEX:

Two Types of NCLEX Examinations

The NCLEX is available in two formats, the NCLEX-PN and the NCLEX-RN. The NCLEX-PN is a test that evaluates aspiring practical nurses, also known as licensed practical nurses or licensed vocational nurses.

While the NCLEX-RN is a test allotted for registered nurses.

These two tests are similar in some ways, but they also have significant differences.

The RN exam concentrates on care management and evaluates the advanced scope of practice of registered nurses.

More questions about care coordination are included in the PN exam. 

NCLEX focuses on Four Areas of Practice

1. Providing safe and effective care environment

This area has two subcategories: for the NCLEX-RN, it is about the management of care and safety and infection control, and coordinated care and safety and infection control for the NCLEX-PN.

2. Health promotion and maintenance
3. Psychosocial integrity

This area has four subcategories. Both RN and PN share 3 same categories which are basic care and comfort, reduction of risk potential, and physiological adaptation. While having these similarities, they differ in one category. The NCLEX-PN has pharmacological therapy and pharmacological and parenteral therapies for NCLEX-RN.

4.  Physiological integrity

You must know the examination question types

The NCLEX examination uses a random-question format.

This means that the computer adjusts the questions based on the performance of the test takers. The NCLEX-RN exam has 74-145 questions. This includes 15 pre-test questions that do not contribute to the test takers’ overall scores. The NCLEX-PN consists of 85-205 questions, with 25 of them being non-scored. Both exams have a time limit of five hours. 

The majority of the NCLEX exam’s questions have multiple choice answers that are worded questions. Approximately 80-90% of the NCLEX questions are multiple choices. However, the NCSBN has recently added new question types that don’t just require multiple-choice answers. Examples of the new formats include locating and selecting a specific region of a drawn body part, using checkboxes to select several correct answers, asking open-ended mathematical questions that typically involve calculations involving medications, and listing the steps of a medical or nursing procedure in the correct order. 

The test includes questions in a variety of formats.

1. Multiple choice
2. Fill in the blank
3. Ordered response
4. Hot spot questions

The scoring system

Rather than utilizing a grade based on a percentage, the NCLEX employs a pass-fail approach, which is more complex than it appears. The NCLEX employs computerized adaptive testing (CAT), to individualize the score of each test-taker. After each question is answered, the computer selects the subsequent question based on the accuracy of the previous responses. The computer selects questions that have a 50% chance of being answered correctly. You will continue to answer questions until the computer determines whether you have succeeded or failed in answering the question based on one of these three criteria:

1. The 95% Confidence Interval Rule: The computer will stop the test once it is 95% sure that you have passed or failed.
2. Maximum Length Exam Rule: The computer follows this rule when you are close to the passing mark and will require you to answer the highest possible number of questions. After finishing the test, the computer issues a final assessment of your ability as either a pass or fail.
3. The Run-Out-of-Time Rule: In case the time expires and the computer cannot determine whether you have succeeded or not, one of the following outcomes will occur:

• You must answer the minimum number of questions; if not, the computer will fail you.
• If you were able to answer the minimum number of questions, the computer will determine if you pass or fail based on your final ability to estimate the questions that you have answered.

NCLEX Tip #3 Invest in test prep courses.

Investing in test prep courses is beneficial in preparing for the NCLEX. Prep courses are intricately designed by experienced RNs who can help you with real-life situations that you might experience as a nurse. The NCLEX is more than just an examination; it is a preparation for your nursing career. Life is important, so you must know very well all the things in the medical field. More than studying by yourself, you will learn more from accomplished and skilled registered nurses. It actually improves the examinee’s scores because the lesson is comprehensive.

It is said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” The NCLEX can be difficult and might make you feel scared, but success is never an accident. We have to persevere and work hard. There will be a lot of learning and studying involved in the process, but it will be rewarding in the end. It’s important to believe that you will pass. After that, make a move, take a step, and prepare for it.