No one likes standardized tests, but they do have their purpose. In healthcare, we naturally want a strong continuity of experience, right? People in one state should have the same access to high-performing nurses as people in another state. While we cannot guarantee this in the form of staffing stability, standardized exams at least ensure that everyone has the same level of base knowledge.
In nursing, the NCLEX exam is the big bad beast at the end of your four-year degree. Aspiring nurses dread it. Who wouldn’t face an exam testing four years of school with at least a little bit of anxiety? Established nurses remember it as both an impressive challenge and a considerable personal achievement.
Need you fear this exam? Not necessarily. While the NCLEX commands respect, it needn’t necessarily keep you up at night. In this article, we take a look at how you can navigate the NCLEX. We also evaluate what it means for the overall trajectory of your career.
How the NCLEX Impacts Your Career
For most people, their NCLEX score results in one of only two possible impacts. Either they do well on the exam and become a nurse, or they fail, and they don’t. Failure does not permanently prohibit someone from the profession, but the penalty is steep. You will need to wait at least 45 days after a failing score to take the test again.
Why is this a bummer? You also need to wait forty-five days after graduation to take the test the first time. This means at minimum, people with a failing NCLEX score are delaying their career—and their salary—by an entire season.
Most people do pass the NCLEX on their first try, but unfortunately, those who not may never do it. Extra bummer? You might not have caught this, but the NCLEX is taken after you graduate. At this point, you can’t pivot into a new educational direction. School is out.
You want to pass. Let’s figure out how you can do it.
Step 1: Find the Right Resources
“Right,” will depend on the type of learner you are. Your school should have at least some support materials available. Start by asking your advisor what they have to offer. It might include everything from flashcards and study guides to practice tests.
Don’t end things there. If you learn best through other means, consider only resources, and even applications that take a more adaptive approach to studying. There are study support materials that will adjust in real-time based on how you are performing. These can be a great way to study in the format that works best with you.
Step 2: Connect with other people
Study groups can be a good way to gain insights from your peers. What are they doing to get ready for the test? You might be surprised by how helpful other people’s ideas can be when it comes to test preparation.
Added bonus? Study groups also have a way of keeping you accountable. There is such a thing as positive peer pressure. If everyone else is doing their reading, you’ll feel more included as well, if only to have something to say when your group study session comes around.
Step 3: Develop a Study Schedule
Once you graduate, developing a study schedule is probably the last thing that you want to do. Like it or not, though, the NCLEX demands one final push. You have as long as you want to prepare for the exam, but many people like to take it right on the 45-day mark—as soon as they become eligible.
This will allow you to start making money as soon as possible. It will also just keep you structured and focused. Without a deadline, you could put off the exam indefinitely.
You can—and should—wait if you think it would benefit you to do so. That said, you should pick a date—whatever makes the most sense to you—and then divide your study sessions into a well-defined schedule.
This will add structure and consistency to your efforts.
Step 4: Take Your Foot Off the Gas
Once you reach the test week, it is a good idea to take your foot off the accelerator a bit. The natural temptation may be to do some cramming, but this ultimately does more harm than good. If you have followed all of the other advice provided up to this point, you should be ready to take the test at least seven days before you are scheduled to do so.
You can keep the concepts fresh with short review sessions, but try to spend this time relaxing. Going in tired and anxious will do overwhelmingly more harm than good.
Ideally, you will be able to go to bed the night before your test completely confident and carefree. Yes, the NCLEX is hard. No, it isn’t unbeatable. You did the work. Rest easy. Test confidently.
Conclusion
Standardized tests just aren’t for everyone. If you are struggling with preparing for the NCLEX, it does not mean that you are unsuited for the profession of nursing as a whole. It does mean you might need to work a little bit harder than some of your classmates to get the good score that you need.
Don’t feel ashamed of that. One thing you probably noticed during your clinical rotations— there are no written exams on a hospital floor. If you have a talent for working with other people and a strong grasp of nursing concepts, you will do well on the job.
Don’t be scared away by one test. Yes, it is a nasty one. No, it is not insurmountable. Use the tips described in this article to pass your exam, and start on a career that truly excites and rewards you.
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