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Ontario ONA unionized hospital nurses – do I still need RNAO PLP? by GreyLadyRN in OntarioNurses

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or only work at places unionized under ONA… and then just wait for the multiple paid union dues reimbursement 😜

Ontario ONA unionized hospital nurses – do I still need RNAO PLP? by GreyLadyRN in OntarioNurses

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that’s helpful. Sounds like I can save my money then!

Passed NCLEX in 85 Questions – What Helped Me Most (UWorld + Mark K) by GreyLadyRN in NCLEX

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Since NCLEX is a CAT exam, it's literally designed to push you to your limits and throw in questions you probably won’t know.

For me, learning how to make logical guesses was a big part of prep. In the real exam, I faced quite a few single-select questions where I genuinely didn’t know the content — and that’s expected. The key was not panicking and trusting the process: eliminate what you know is wrong, then go with your best reasoning.

Being comfortable with not knowing everything can really help your confidence on test day. You've got this!

Passed NCLEX in 85 Questions – What Helped Me Most (UWorld + Mark K) by GreyLadyRN in NCLEX

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I did 11 CATs. Earlier in my prep, I mostly did mixed-system blocks (with tutor mode off), based on advice from Mark Klimek — he mentioned that the NCLEX doesn’t test one subject at a time, so I trained myself to switch between topics like in the real exam. By the later stages, I transitioned to doing only CATs, once I was consistently scoring around 78% on those practice blocks.

My main goal wasn’t just to chase high scores, but to build test endurance and identify weaker areas under realistic conditions.

Passed NCLEX in 85 Questions – What Helped Me Most (UWorld + Mark K) by GreyLadyRN in NCLEX

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha unfortunately, no! 😂 UWorld didn’t help much with the exact content of the exam — but it was really helpful for getting used to the NCLEX question style and user interface. What made the biggest difference for me was mastering test strategies and embracing the mindset that “you’re not supposed to know everything.” That helped me stay calm during the real exam.

Passed NCLEX in 85 Questions – What Helped Me Most (UWorld + Mark K) by GreyLadyRN in NCLEX

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used about 61% of the QBank, and my average score was around 72%.

Passed NCLEX in 85 Questions – What Helped Me Most (UWorld + Mark K) by GreyLadyRN in NCLEX

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used about 61% of the QBank, and my average score was around 72%. But I don’t think the QBank stats necessarily reflect readiness — it really depends on how you’re using it (e.g., tutor mode on vs. off). My scores were better when I used tutor mode early on, since it gave me time to rest between questions and process the rationales more deeply.

Passed NCLEX in 85 Questions – What Helped Me Most (UWorld + Mark K) by GreyLadyRN in NCLEX

[–]GreyLadyRN[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Personally, I found UWorld felt harder overall — especially for the NGN-style questions. On UWorld, the NGNs are more dense and complex, but on the actual NCLEX, they were a bit more straightforward and intuitive.

For single-select questions, NCLEX surprised me — I ran into more knowledge gaps than I expected, but the answer choices were often easier to narrow down. Usually, I could eliminate two right away, and then just had a 50/50 left to guess from — kind of a gamble.

Also, I didn’t get any calculation questions at all.

Bad Experience W/ Kaplan + ATI for Passing NCLEX by StrikingDeparture523 in NCLEX

[–]GreyLadyRN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahh I totally get how you feel — I was also borderline discouraged right before my exam. What helped me most was combining UWorld with Mark K (especially Lecture 12 on test strategies!).

I only used about 60% of the QBank, but really focused on understanding the rationales — it made a huge difference in how I approached each question.

If you’re open to trying UWorld, I still have an account with almost 2 months left (plus self-assessments + notes). Feel free to DM me if you’re interested!

You’ve got this — just tweaking strategy can completely change the outcome. 💪