All nursing students must successfully pass the NCLEX test in order to obtain their registered nurse (RN) licensure. Many nursing students take practice tests to prepare themselves so here are five essential tips for preparing for the NCLEX exam.
Choose the Broadest Answer
Generally speaking, the most comprehensive answers are the best. Try to choose the answer that encompasses all of the others. For example, a question regarding the primary function of therapeutic group counseling may offer answers regarding advice and feedback, but communication would be the best choice because the other choices fall under it. Be sure to look for words like safe, average and acceptable, instead of statements with challenging responses.
Read Carefully
If it is difficult to select the right answer, look for any answers that are different from the others. For instance, if three of the four choices are similar, the remaining answer is either the best option or a distraction. Carefully read the question to find if a negative modifier is present, such as least or avoid. The answer to this question will most likely reveal something that is false. Try to look for patterns, groupings and similarities in responses.
Concentrate on the Client
“The reasons for usually doing something for clients shouldn’t be motivated by appearances or rule enforcement, such as maintaining the hospitals’ excellent reputation or blindly following rules,” said Elite Reviews. Instead, the correct answer will focus on protecting the client’s health and well-being. Common examples of client-centered thinking involve choices, preferences and acknowledgement. Therefore, when trying to stop an injured patient from moving, the answer should focus on helping the patient and explaining their choices.
Avoid Extremes
Questions that contain obvious superlatives, such as all or always, must be cautiously considered because they imply a lack of exceptions. There are very few times when a correct answer is absolute, so pay attention to words like only, none, never and everyone. To illustrate, a question that asks why nurses must be careful when working with alcoholic patients will not be answered by absolute statements regarding alcoholics, such as they always exaggerate and are never consistent.
Review the NCLEX Exam Format
The test itself is divided into four categories that are further broken down into six subcategories. First, there is safe and effective care environments, which includes questions of care management and infection control. Second, there is health promotion and maintenance and third, there is psychosocial integrity. Fourth, there is physiological integrity, which includes questions on basic care, pharmacological therapies, reducing risk, and physiological adaptations.
In conclusion, students should note that the NCLEX exam is computer-based, so the process is adaptive and interactive. This means that the answer to each question will determine the next question. A correct answer will generate difficult questions and an incorrect answer will generate slightly easier questions.