You’ve made it! You have either graduated or are close to graduating with a diploma or an associate’s degree in practical or professional nursing. Now that your challenging LPN or RN courses and clinicals are done, you’re probably busy preparing for your National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX. It’s the test you need to practice as a nurse. Fortunately, your courses most likely prepared you for these exams. At Rasmussen College, the nursing curriculum has NCLEX prep work built right into it to help you succeed while taking your test. 

The test, which takes about three hours, is a very important piece of your future in nursing. To ensure you are completely prepared for your NCLEX, we wanted to offer you some tips to help you succeed.

NCLEX Tips

1. Make sure to study

Brittney, The Nerdy Nurse blogger, shared several tips in a blog post. She advised graduates not to cram for the NCLEX. Instead Brittney said, “Retouch areas you had difficulty during school, but only briefly. Do not attempt to memorize your entire drug book.”

2.Practice with review exams

There are many NCLEX prep books available, but according to Stephanie Montgomery, a LPN at Park Nicollet, the NCLEX Prep Book with CD is your best bet. “It was very helpful,” said Montgomery.”The book has a bunch of NLCEX questions for practice and answers. It also has a CD with several practice NCLEX tests that range from test by topic to the whole entire NCLEX practice test.”  

3. Familiarize yourself with the NCLEX test plans

According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the test plans provide a “concise summary of the content and scope of the examination. The test plans also serve as a guide for both examination development and candidate preparation.”

4. Get a good night’s rest and eat a substantial breakfast

To ensure your test is successful, it’s ideal to get a good amount of sleep the night before your scheduled test. It’s also recommended to eat breakfast the day of the test. According to CollegeTips.com, “You’ll want to minimize any possible distractions during the test. It’ll be more difficult to concentrate if you’re hungry. Don’t eat anything that may upset your stomach.”

5. Try to remain calm and confident

You’ve made it this far; you’ve done a great job of preparing for the NCLEX. Now, you need to have the confidence in yourself that you can pass your boards. Use the critical thinking tactics you learned in your nursing courses, and answer each question to the best of your ability.

Taking your NCLEX can seem like a daunting task, but it is your last hurdle to achieving your goal of becoming a licensed nurse. If you follow the above tips, it should help you succeed on your NCLEX. Do you have any tips to share? Tell us what your tactics are for preparing for the NCLEX in the comment section below or on our Facebook page. Good luck!