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The following is a guest post from Mike Pedro of Magnatag Visible Systems.
So you’re a recent graduate of nursing school and you just received an offer for your dream job? Congratulations! Now the only thing that stands between you and that amazing feeling of helping your first real patient is that little thing known as the NCLEX.
I recently wrote a piece over at the Magnatag blog about how our brains interact with whiteboards, helping us organize information and foster creativity — and I realized that these tips could improve test-taking abilities, specifically with the NCLEX.
I watched my girlfriend, who recently became a registered nurse, dedicate endless hours to studying for this brutal exam over the past year and was glad to have the opportunity to help her study.
Here are five ways you can prepare for the exam:
Use the process of elimination
The NCLEX is a very formulaic exam, so the best way to prepare for it is by familiarizing yourself with the types of questions asked. Kaplan offers some exceptional tools for NCLEX preparation, including practice tests and commonly asked questions, and stresses using the process of elimination.
The exam introduces a series of answers commonly referred to as “NCLEX traps,” which seemingly aim to misdirect and confuse students. Be on the lookout for answers that include:
- Phrasing an answer as a “why” question
- Leaving the patient
- Persuading the patient
- Passing a task along to another nurse
Answers like these should always be treated as if they are incorrect. As you become more acclimated with how the NCLEX phrases questions and answers, using the process of elimination will help you narrow down your list of possible answers.
Study with a red pen or marker
Believe it or not, colors can actually impact the way you study. A 2009 University of British Columbia study found that writing with red ink can enhance a person’s performance on detail-oriented tasks. This strategy works best when drafting flashcards; you get to experience the physicality of writing, thereby pairing terms with their definitions, while simultaneously taking advantage of the bright and vibrant nature of red ink. This sort of detail-oriented method of studying is an excellent method for perfecting your lab value and medication statistics (which can make 20 percent or more of your exam).
Don’t read too far into a question
As previously mentioned, the NCLEX is designed with deception in mind. Oftentimes multiple answers will seem like a logical choice for a given scenario, leading many students to read too deeply into the question at hand. A general rule of thumb when it comes to NCLEX questions is to always go with your gut instinct. Ask yourself, “If I was only allowed to help my patient with one thing before I left the room, what would it be?” This way, you can avoid reading too deeply into the answers of a multiple-choice question. If you find yourself still uncertain about an answer, try visualizing the outcome of each scenario.
Develop a working study guide and schedule
The NCLEX covers a myriad of content areas, so it’s important to develop a plan that allows you to cover as much ground as possible. Try to limit yourself to one area of interest per week (Monday-Friday) to ensure you’re not spreading yourself too thin. As your study week comes to a close, create flashcards for any topics you found troubling and set them aside for some (brief) review on the weekends. Start this plan at least two months prior to your exam date, spending the last two weeks of the period taking practice tests that progressively build up to 265 questions — the maximum number of questions you can encounter on the NCLEX.
Take time to relax
Preparing for the NCLEX can be a truly draining experience, so use your off-days to decompress. The brain does not function at full capacity when it’s under intense amounts of stress. So if you ever feel like you’ve been studying too much and have lost a sense of reality (trust me, it will happen), just take a day off. Let your body and mind rest, and do something for yourself. You’ll find that some much-needed R&R can do wonders for your studying habits.
About the author: Mike Pedro joined the Magnatag Visible Systems team right after graduating from St. John Fisher College. He’s an expert when it comes to the ins and outs of scheduling, communication and productivity. He is also editor of Magnatag Insight.
