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Five Things Students Should Do to Pass the New NCLEX

1. Focus on strategy, not content. If you’re a recent nursing school graduate, you probably know enough content. Focus on the proper strategies for answering higher-level questions and the proper application of your content knowledge.

2. Learn to identify the proper topic. Make sure you know how to boil down each question to its essential topic. It will help you save time and also know what kind of answer you need

3. Get to know the test. In addition to knowing the content, make sure you also understand what to expect as far as the length of the exam, NCLEX question format and passing-level-difficulty critical thinking. Work on your test-taking stamina and be prepared to sit for all 265 questions of the upper-level questions to make sure you’re ready for anything.

4. Take a diagnostic test to find your strengths and weaknesses. With everyone’s busy schedules, time is limited. Make the most of your valuable study hours by focusing your review on the areas in which you need most help.

5. Make a study plan and stick to it. Plan your studies and practice sessions with your test date in mind to assure that you cover essentials

What nursing students should understand is that while the increased passing standard will make the test somewhat harder to pass statistically, the questions themselves won’t become any more difficult. But the increasingly tight job market for nurses means it becomes even more critical for test takers to prepare for the NCLEX-RN exam thoroughly. In such a competitive market, test takers will want to pass the exam the first time to make themselves as viable as possible for good positions.

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