nclex 10 tips

10. PRIORITIZE!! Remember to look for words that establish priority (most,
first, best, & initial). These words will help you weed out info that you
really don’t need!! Keep in mind Maslow’s hierarachy of needs, the
nursing process, and patient safety. “Which patient should you see
first?” is a popular question....understand the rules of management.
9. Know your NORMALS!! Normal lab and test values are good to know.
They will help you decide when there is a problem or if it has already been
fixed!
8. Stay CALM!! You will get questions that you will have little confidence on
how to answer, but staying calm and using key words to pick the best
answer will never lead you wrong.
7. Always ASSESS before you IMPLEMENT. It is easy to get tripped up by
implementing a nursing action before they assess the patient.
6. Assume you have an MD ORDER. There are no trick questions out there
and the NCLEX wants to know if you know what to do as a nurse....not
what the doc knows! So, your first response is probably not going to be
“calling the doc”.
5. Think PATIENT SAFETY at all times. Start remembering this mantra now
because you will hear it over and over in practice.
4. The REAL WORLD is a different place from the NCLEX WORLD. Answer the
questions by what you know from a textbook.....not what you remember
about taking care of Mrs. X in your clinical rotation.
3. Remember the FIVE RIGHTS of MEDICATION administration. Know these
frontwards, backwards, and sideways....you will use this on NCLEX and
daily in the real world!
2. CONSIDER “THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION” WITH THE PATIENT. The
wrong answers usually are ones that include you being a drill sergeant,
asking closed-ended questions, or “why do you feel this way?” questions.
Also be wary of any answers to patient questions that involve “don’t
worry” or “that happened to me once”.
1. REVIEW, STUDY, REVIEW, STUDY, REVIEW, STUDY!!!!!! Do not take the
NCLEX until you have taken time to review what you learned in nursing
school. Use the ATI system to assess your knowledge, review, and re-test,
until you are confident in your knowledge. BUT DON’T WAIT TOO LONG TO
TAKE NCLEX! You will do better if the information is “fresh” in your mind.