These are the Five Secrets to Passing the NCLEX

Every nursing student has the same goal in mind – to pass the National Council Licensure Examination® the first time. In the vast array of resources and advice available online, it can be hard to know where to start. Oftentimes, when we don’t know where to begin, we tend to procrastinate in our studies. 

Nevertheless, starting preparations for the NCLEX® as early as possible can be crucial to getting the results you want. In a recent webinar session, Marlee Liberman, RN, Picmonic’s Master Nursing Scholar, provides top tips on how to begin your studies in a timely and effective way to help you pass the NCLEX® on the first attempt.

1. Start Studying Early

As we noted before, not knowing just where to start can be overwhelming and, oftentimes, lead to procrastination. Taking steps to finding the right resources and beginning a study regimen early on can make a large impact come exam day. Plan to start at the beginning of nursing school to provide ample time to commit complex topics to long-term memory while becoming comfortable with the various question formats. It will also give you the opportunity to test different resources and refine your study plan if it doesn’t work. That brings us to our next tip…

2. Build a Study Plan

Organization and routine are key. This begins with creating a lifestyle design and building foundations in your life to accommodate your studies that will set you up for success. Test out different research-based learning techniques to incorporate into your daily regimen, or find resources, such as TrueLearn, that leverage spaced-repetition with your test prep. Remember, don’t be frustrated if your study plan does not work out the first time.  Use a calendar or planner to block off times in your day to study so that it becomes habitual in your daily routine, and be sure to only set attainable goals for yourself. Setting yourself up with too many tasks or practice questions that are not achievable in a day will not only overwhelm you, but can also cause burnout.

3. Take Care of Yourself

Taking care of yourself is just as important for exam day as it is for your exam preparation. This starts with getting a good night’s rest, as a lack of sleep can have a negative effect on cognitive performance and retention. Research also shows that it can take up to 23 minutes to focus on a task again once you become distracted.Using apps such as Flora can help block distractions on your phone while you are studying. Prioritizing your health with school and your studies will help prevent burnout and increase retention while you prepare.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice!

Consider preparing for the NCLEX as if you are training for a marathon. As you build knowledge of key concepts, start implementing practice questions into your routine to really cement the topics to long-term memory. NCLEX practice questions from a dedicated resource such as TrueLearn’s SmartBank with 900+ test items can even help you with SATA (Select All That Apply) questions and retaining complex topics. You want to try and complete all of the questions at least once, so starting as early as you can will help you take all of the questions necessary to address weak areas ahead of the exam.

5. Incorporate More Than One Resource

Alongside books and your lecture notes, having more than one review resource can help you confidently master all of the material you will need to know for the exam. Many students incorporate Picmonic into their studies, which leverages visual mnemonics to build stories around difficult to remember topics to help create memory anchors. Not only is this a fun way to study, but it is a proven way to increase test scores up to 50%!

For more tips and learn how to most effectively leverage two trusted NCLEX review resources, watch the entire webinar video below.

About TrueLearn and Picmonic 

Pair TrueLearn’s NCLEX SmartBanks with Picmonic mnemonic videos for the complete learning system designed to master your board exams, help you remember more in less time and increase long-term memory retention by 331%. 

Use TrueLearn practice questions to test your best on your board exams with thousands of high-yield test items written by board-certified physicians. Then, dive into related Picmonics to reinforce topics after quizzing. Conquer the forgetting curve by connecting difficult-to-remember subjects with unforgettable stories, all within one platform. Take 10% off any 90-day or longer subscription when you use the code NCLEXWEBINAR at checkout.