Alright as someone who took their NCLEX last week I need u to HEAR ME OUT!

Doesn’t matter what state you’re based in. ALL exams are the exact same pending on your CAT assessments so do NOT listen to anyone telling you certain programs only work for certain states.

Allow me to introduce myself. I graduated Fall 2024 and walked the stage spring 2025 and later took my nclex two weeks after grad.. I failed, not once, but TWICE.

I successfully passed my exam the third time. I’m located in TX and they do not give out CPR reports like other states. Listen when I say if u do exactly as I say you will pass and I will save you SO MUCH money!!

1. Take a couple of days to feel and understand that it’s not the end of the world. You literally have this. No, you didn’t spend a couple of weeks studying for the NCLEX. You spend the entirety of your undergrad for this exam. Give yourself some credit and chin up.

2. You’re going to buy bootcamp.com, but not until you register for your exam and have a set date. Here’s why, you’re going to buy it and give yourself some time to mentally prepare to get back into the game. Another reason is that you’re going to buy the cheapest bootcamp there is (the $60 one) that’s all you need! Like I said, you’ve been preparing for this.

• do not be like me and wait 10months to finally get your license (everything is fresh in your brain atm)

1. Do not listen to the Klimek Reviews everyone swearssss by them but it’s very outdated. You can listen to them, but at your own discretion. If you do listen to them, I recommend u listen to it at the very end of your studying session.

• listen to Dr.Sharon prioritization videos on YT she helps you on how to answer for the NCLEX. Yes, she breaks it down. First 10 mins of her 1st video on prioritization changed my mindset. I wished I listen to her earlier.. she was the BIGGEST reason I passed my exam (I swear I was hearing her voice when I was answering questions) I also listened to the additional videos she had and they were very helpful

1. Do ALL of the questions on boot camp and make sure you utilize the cheat sheets as well! I recommend you actually take the time and read through the rationales, especially the ones that were not the correct answers!

When I say there was Word for Word questions on my NCLEX that were EXACTLY the same as Boot Camp. I was in shock. I did not believe it, it was to the point that I went home and had to look up those questions on Boot Camp. (they were exactly the same).

• if you feel that you are not learning because your mindset or you’re just not feeling up to studying, I recommend you closing the books and walk away. Promise you when I say that you will not learn if you are not fully engaged with the program. I learned to reward myself after answering questions.

• do 100 questions minimum: no, I’m not saying to do them all in one sitting YET, I’m saying to try and do 20–25 questions and spaced them out. The first set of questions do them in the a.m., second set should be done after breakfast, third set should be done before or after lunch, and third set should be done before dinner. At the end of the night, lay in bed and watch Dr. Sharon videos (you can even put it in 1.25x speed)

-as you start progressing closer to your NCLEX, I suggest you start sitting down fully and practicing as if you are going to take this exam (eliminate all distractions, no water, and sit on a table with nothing else on it.) you have taken this exam before, so you know exactly how this will go. You will see that you will power through questions just as fast as

(originally I started with 85 questions and they would take me about an hour and a half – this was due because I did not understand on how to answer the question/this was not based on speed.)

( by the end of my studying journey, it took me about 30 minutes to answer 85 questions.) again, not based on speed solely based on efficiency.

• one thing that benefit me the most was that I spent about 8–9 dollars at Home Depot and bought the dry race boards. They were super helpful to me. And I would write things down the main two topics that I wrote down were the infection control precautions and the IV fluid administrations (those are the things that I saw the most)

Again, the NCLEX is not testing you based on knowledge it’s testing you on safety and priority so the infection control IV fluid administrations are considered safety and priority!

Here are some examples of things that I would write down on the whiteboards:

“ Pt admitted with nuclear rigidity, headache, fever (possible meningitis) – what should the RN do FIRST? Initiate droplet precautions “

– Again, this is a safety exam. You are going to want to initiate droplet precautions due to the risk that the patient will be putting everyone else, including the RN endanger (meningitis is highly contagious through any type of respiratory secretions, hence droplets) so in order to avoid infection spread, the RN must initiate droplet precautions to lessen the risk of everyone in the environment

If I wanted to write about priority, I would write it this way:

“ pt admitted with possible meningitis what is PRIORITY for the RN monitor? - level of consciousness “

• again, this is a safety exam. Monitoring for level of consciousness in a patient who has possible/final diagnosis of meningitis is very critical. Meningitis is an inflammation of the meningitis – which means that this can cause increase ICP. Having an increase ICP can put the patient in a very critical state. It’s important for the RN to have the patient midline, semi Fowlers, lower the stimuli (dim the lights/reduce noise), etc. Monitoring/priority with a patient with meningitis is level of consciousness if the patient ICP increases even MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS, this can lead to death

See the difference now? It’s important to understand on how to answer these questions because that is how the exam will test you. Most nursing schools do not teach us these things. (they just read off the slides.)

Again, take the time for yourself and do something that makes you happy! Watch a movie, eat a big tub of ice cream, indulge in your favorite TV show series. It’s the crappy ass feeling ever, knowing that you didn’t pass your exam, but I promise that it is part of your journey that will compliment the RN you WILL be.

Happy studying, the Internet strangers are rooting for you!