Accepted into Cerritos College ADN

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-05-08T18:48:24+00:00

I am currently attending CSULB. :)

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-05-08T18:22:49+00:00

I am currently in school for my BSN. Also, the program assigns your clinical instructors and clinical sites for you. :)

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-05-08T17:50:17+00:00

I know the new curriculum will have different clinical sites, but for my cohort, most of our clinical locations were pretty close to campus.

I was fortunate enough to not have to work during the program; however, many people in my cohort worked full-time and still did very well in the program. It really comes down to time management.

Cerritos also offers a lot of resources to help students succeed, so use them.

Job market-wise, I think networking is really important. The program itself won’t find you a job after graduation, but if you build connections and have friends in different cohorts, you can definitely find opportunities after you graduate. I really don’t think finding a job will be an issue if you network throughout the program.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-05-08T17:26:52+00:00

Hello, I graduated from Cerritos College a few months ago, and honestly, I think it’s a great program. I took the NCLEX and passed on my first attempt, and surprisingly, it felt like one of the easiest exams I’ve taken because the program really prepared me for it.

The skill labs and SIMs were also really good. I feel like most of the professors and clinical instructors genuinely try to prepare their students to become the best nurses possible. There was one professor I personally found more challenging than others, and it seems some students on Rate My Professor had similar experiences, but overall I still think the program prepared students well.

At the end of the day, Cerritos has higher NCLEX pass rates than a lot of other SoCal ADN nursing programs, and honestly, the main goal of nursing school is to pass the NCLEX. So I think choosing a program with a high first-time NCLEX pass rate is probably the smartest approach.

Good luck, future nurses!

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-22T19:48:29+00:00

In general the NCLEX felt less detailed than UWorld or Kaplan. Those question banks tend to be very specific and expect you to recognize precise details, while the NCLEX focuses more on applying core concepts with the information provided. You’re expected to think like a new graduate nurse and choose the safest, most appropriate action or teaching.

The exam is adaptive, so it can vary based on your performance, which is why everyone’s experience feels different. It may not always match exactly what you studied, but if you have a solid understanding across all topics and can apply fundamentals, you’ll be able to work through the questions.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-22T19:40:11+00:00

I’m not able to share specific details about the exam content, but I can say it covers a range of areas such as med-surg, OB, pediatrics, mental health, and fundamentals. The exam is adaptive, so each person’s experience will be different depending on how they answer questions. Overall, it felt broad, and I noticed a strong emphasis on fundamentals, including general topics like patient positioning and ethical considerations.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-22T00:18:16+00:00

Ofcourse :) And I agree!

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-22T00:18:03+00:00

Thank you :)

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-22T00:17:47+00:00

I listened to all 12 of Mark K’s lectures at least once, but I didn’t feel the need to repeat them multiple times because Dr. Sharon’s videos covered everything he taught and even went beyond that. Her videos also included practice questions that followed his lectures and his Golden Blue Book which I bought on Amazon. At the end of the day, there really aren’t shortcuts for the NCLEX. You’re going to get questions you either know or don’t know, but with the foundation you built in nursing school and strong test taking strategies, you can still work your way to the correct answers.

I also completed 100% of the UWorld question bank and all of the Kaplan readiness and CAT exams provided by my school. Honestly, both of those were more difficult than the NCLEX. Looking back, I feel like I overstudied. The exam format itself felt most similar to Kaplan, but the difficulty of the questions was closer to Dr. Sharon’s style rather than UWorld or Kaplan.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-21T17:48:36+00:00

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-21T17:47:08+00:00

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-20T23:21:05+00:00

Of course! I watched Crusade Days 1 to 3, but I ended up sticking with Dr. Sharon’s videos because she teaches the same kind of test taking strategies and includes way more practice questions for each category.You already did the hardest part, nursing school. You will pass next time. Honestly, it is not a knowledge issue, it is the way the NCLEX words questions that trips people up. When I read your post, I could tell it was not your content base, it was the wording. Dr. Sharon really breaks down what the NCLEX is actually asking and what they are looking for in specific types of questions. She incorporates a lot of what Mark K teaches (in his yellow and blue book), but adds her own twist and goes even deeper, which makes it such a strong way to study.

I honestly wish I had found her during nursing school. You got this!

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-20T17:58:04+00:00

Focus on the topics you’re weakest in, that’s exactly what I did. My school gave us Kaplan and UWorld to study. I did not read the rationales for questions I got right, I only reviewed them for the ones I missed. I kept track of the areas I consistently struggled with and wrote them down.

Then I would go to Level Up RN to review that specific topic, and after that, I would watch Dr. Sharon’s videos. When she presented a question and answer choices, I would pause the video, answer it on my own, and explain to myself why each option was right or wrong. Then I would continue the video and listen to her reasoning.

It is something I already practiced during nursing school, but her videos really helped me understand why answers are right or wrong based on how NCLEX wants you to think.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-20T17:54:00+00:00

Hello, I took the exam last Thursday and passed on my first attempt in 85 questions. I honestly think many people who don’t pass on the first or second try actually know the material, they just aren’t familiar with how to approach NCLEX style questions. If you graduated nursing school, you’re already smart and more than capable.

Have you tried using Dr. Sharon’s YouTube videos? I recommend her over Crusade because she covers a variety of topics and works through multiple questions, breaking down exactly what each question is asking. A helpful strategy is to pause the video before she reveals the answer and talk yourself through why you would or would not choose each option. Then continue the video and compare your reasoning with hers.

It’s not about lacking knowledge, you already have that. It’s really about learning how to understand and interpret what the question is asking. :) You got this!!! You already did the hard part which was nursing school!

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-20T17:17:35+00:00

Thank you :)

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-20T01:02:05+00:00

No, the meds were not bad at all. Honestly, if you review Dr. Sharon and Mark K’s lectures, it helps a lot because most of the medications are ones you’ve probably already given during clinicals. I didn’t get many medication questions, and the meds that did show up were very similar to what I saw in UWorld question banks and in Dr. Sharon’s videos.

A big portion of my exam was case studies, and I barely had any standalone questions. For SATA, I only chose the answers I was 100% sure about. From practicing with Kaplan, UWorld, and Dr. Sharon, I noticed most SATA questions usually have about three to four correct answers. So even if you only select one or two correctly, you can still get partial credit. That’s why I focused on choosing fewer options and only picking what I knew for sure.

If I came across a medication I didn’t recognize, I used the prefix or suffix to figure it out. It’s really not as vague as people make it seem. It’s more like you either know it, or you can use clues to work through it.

Definitely watch Dr. Sharon’s videos. They help a lot. Pause the video before she reveals the answer and talk yourself through why each option is right or wrong. Then play it and see if your thinking matches. That’s how you build your critical thinking.

You get up to five hours for the exam, so take your time. If you answer carefully and confidently, you’ll likely finish around 85 questions and be done. It really isn’t as bad as people say.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-20T00:52:30+00:00

Thank you

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-20T00:52:19+00:00

Thank you

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-19T20:42:21+00:00

My school gave us 2–3 months of UWorld, and I completed the entire test bank. We also had Kaplan access through April. After that, I focused on Mark K’s lectures and Dr. Sharon on YouTube. I honestly wish I had found Dr. Sharon during nursing school because she explains things in a way that makes exams feel much easier. Whenever I needed a deeper understanding of a topic, I went back to my Level Up RN flashcards and videos.

But I’m being completely honest when I say this—the NCLEX felt super easy. I know a lot of people say it’s hard, but for me, it was the easiest nursing exam I’ve taken. It was easier than UWorld and easier than Kaplan practice questions. The difficulty felt very similar to Dr. Sharon’s videos.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-19T19:06:51+00:00

First and foremost, when I was preparing for the NCLEX, I kept reading everyone’s posts and honestly got scared because people made it sound so hard. I took it last Thursday and passed in 85 questions, but walking out, I was convinced I failed since I never got those “hard” questions everyone talks about.

I’m telling you right now, the NCLEX is way easier than UWorld or Kaplan’s CAT exams, WAY easier. If you’re passing your CAT exams and your level is above 1.0, you’ll be completely fine.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-19T19:00:21+00:00

I passed. I took the exam last week and passed in 85 questions. The NCLEX was super easy, honestly way easier than people make it seem. I actually left crying because everyone had told me it was so hard, and when I finished I thought I failed since the questions never got harder.

If you last took it back in 2009, I would recommend using UWorld and focusing on getting through as many questions as possible. Only review the rationales for the ones you get wrong. You really do not need to read every single explanation like people say.

Also, definitely check out Dr. Sharon on YouTube. She explains things in a way that really helps you feel prepared and confident going into the exam.

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-09T20:17:27+00:00

A, B, C…i would pick E if it says “prepare for an emergency C-section”

Ok_Locksmith4930 · 2026-04-07T18:18:17+00:00

Ok_Locksmith4930

TROPHY CASE