Updated May 2022 (most testing centers are fully opened now)
Due to COVID-19, many students had their NCLEX cancelled or rescheduled and are wondering how to study? As of mid-April there are only about 1/3 of the testing centers are open. This is a real problem that many of my students are struggling with.
Many students have gone through an NCLEX review course, then to be disappointed that they can’t test. They are concerned that they will start to forget content and don’t know how to proceed after finishing a review course.
And what if a testing date/time suddenly opens up in two days and you want to test? Will you be ready?
Here are some great tips to keep you fresh with content and how to answer questions while you are waiting for your test date.
Tip #1
Every day do a variety of practice NCLEX questions. Depending on how much time you have available do between 25-100 questions daily. Yes, you will be sick of doing questions! However, it’s better to overprepare now so you don’t have to take the NCLEX again. The longer you wait to take the test from graduation, the lower your chances of passing. However, with discipline, you can be totally ready!
Tip #2
Continue to review general nursing content. I made a 4-week study plan that you can follow for which topics to review. If your test is farther off, such as 3 weeks or more, then you will want to do a re-review of content you already covered. Every day, choose 1-2 topics from the study plan to review. Then practice 10-50 NCLEX questions from that topic.
Tip #3
Every week review the “hard topics”. These are the topics everyone forgets. This includes labs, the top meds, infection control, acid-base, ekgs, milestones, etc. I actually made a list that you can go over. You want to go over these topics in case a surprise test date opens up.
When your NCLEX test date gets cancelled, it can be really frustrating to know how to study. With these tips you will be ready at a moment’s notice.
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