NCLEX Study Strategies

Expert Test-Taking Strategies

One of the first things you should do when you begin preparing for the NCLEX is to determine your learning style to maximize your efforts. There are a variety of learning styles, and they can include:

• Auditory Learning: From listening to lectures, podcasts, or recorded discussions.
• Visual Learning: From seeing, watching videos, or observing.
• Tactile Learning: From hands-on experiences, return demonstration, or simulation.

Sometimes, individuals can be learners that combine these learning styles. No matter what type of learner you may be, it is important to know how you best learn, retain, apply, and analyze your learning.

Identifying The Topic

There are several essential steps that test-takers must follow to be sure that they understand what the question is asking. Many times NCLEX questions have several components that can be confusing and cause candidates to get distracted from the topic. The following steps can help test-takers weed through the fluff and get straight to the point of answering NCLEX questions correctly.

Here are the steps in identifying the topic:

Step 1: Read the question carefully and thoroughly – from the first word to the last word. Be sure to read slowly. Do not skim or skip any part of the question.

Step 2: After reading the question, you want to identify the nursing concept you are working in. This step is not so easy at first, but with practice, you will improve.

Remember that the nursing concept is the bigger picture process that guides nurses in their practice. Sometimes, the concept is what we are trying to address, also known as the topic, focus, or problem.

Here’s an example:

The nurse is caring for a 46-year-old male patient who came into the ED with chest pain 10/10 and tachycardia of 156 at rest. The patient states “I am scared, I feel like I am going to die.” Which response, if made by the nurse, would be most appropriate?

• Nursing Concept = Therapeutic Communication
• Topic/Focus/Problem = Priority response

Step 3: (Not always necessary) If you cannot identify the nursing concept and topic, read all the answer choices for clues, then identify the nursing concept and topic/focus/problem.

Once you have identified the topic of the question, it makes it much easier for you to stay focused on the topic and avoid getting distracted by other information that is not important or relevant to the topic/focus/problem that needs to be addressed.

Reviewing What’s Important

Once you have identified the topic of a question, it is helpful to take a few moments to think about everything you know to be true about the topic. For example, if the topic of the question is teaching about cast care, you want to list out all the things you remember to be truly related to teaching a patient about cast care.

The following are true about teaching for cast care:

• Do not get the cast wet
• Do not stick anything under the cast to scratch
• Do circulatory checks of the casted extremity
• If any findings are concerning, such as an odor, new or increasing pain, swelling, or drainage, notify the doctor immediately.

When you take a few seconds to remind yourself of the following details regarding cast care teaching, answering the question is much easier. When you have some criteria to compare against the answer choices, it helps to keep you from getting distracted and to focus on the topic of the question. If the answer choices do not match what you know to be true, then it is most likely not the correct answer.

Eliminating Answer Choices

There are several things that candidates should consider when deciding which answer choices to eliminate and which ones to keep in consideration. We’ve already discussed that taking the time to review what’s important about the topic of the question to create a set of criteria is one beneficial way to eliminate answer choices confidently. Another helpful tip is to consider every single word in an answer choice carefully.

The creators of the NCLEX are masters at writing test questions that challenge the test-taker to be careful and apply what they’ve learned in school to answer questions correctly. Sometimes answer choices sound like the correct answer, but they may have just one word incorrect, which makes the entire answer choice incorrect.

Candidates must be confident in their ability to move through the questions and answers thoroughly, making sure not to miss a word so they don’t fall for the many NCLEX traps set by the test creators.

Here is an example of how reading every single word can help in confidently eliminating answer choices:

The nurse is instructing a student on how a midstream clean catch urine specimen should be collected. The nurse knows the student understands the instruction provided if the student states which of the following?

1. “Cleanse the urinary meatus with a disinfectant towelette, have the client urinate into a sterile specimen cup, avoid touching the inside of the container, and cover immediately after.”
2. “Cleanse the urinary meatus with iodine solution, and insert a urinary catheter to obtain the sterile urine specimen.”
3. “Cleanse the urinary meatus with a disinfectant towelette, have the client empty their bladder ½ hour before the test, and then keep all other urine voided on ice for 24 hours.”
4. “Cleanse the urinary meatus with a disinfectant towelette, void a little bit of urine first, then stop, and then void the remaining urine into a clean specimen cup, avoid touching the inside of the container, cover immediately after.”

The correct answer is 1.

When you take the time to read every single word while carefully considering whether the answer choice is true or false, you can see that answer 1 is the only one true regarding collecting a midstream clean catch urine specimen. Many test-takers may choose 4 as the answer; however, if the answer choice is read closely, one would note that a “clean specimen cup” is not the appropriate collection container for a midstream clean catch. This specimen collection procedure requires a sterile container.

You want to be very careful every single time you’re answering NCLEX questions. If you skim, read the question too fast, or focus on information that you think should be present rather than remaining objective and seeing the answers for what they are, then you may find yourself falling for many of the well-designed NCLEX traps.

Here is one more example of how reading every single word can help in confidently eliminating answer choices:

The nurse is observing an LPN perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation for a patient that is a full code. The nurse knows that the LPN is correctly performing CPR if which of the following is observed?

1. The LPN is using the heel of her hand to compress the chest at a depth of 1 inch.
2. The LPN is compressing at a rate of 99 compressions per minute.
3. The LPN is delivering 30 chest compressions for every two breaths.
4. The LPN is using her arm muscles to apply force to the chest with each compression.

The correct answer is 3.

When you take the time to read every single word while carefully considering whether the answer choice is true or false, you can see that answer choice 3 is the only one true regarding the correct CPR technique. Many test-takers may choose other options as the answer because each answer contains components of the correct technique. This question, in particular, challenges the candidate’s understanding of the correct CPR technique. It seems pretty straightforward; however, skimming or reading too fast may miss important information that could get you into trouble.

Article and topic shared from allnurses. For more information on the exam and test taking strategies visit LINK