NCLEX Preparation For New Graduates

(Estimated reading time: 3 minutes)

You just finished nursing school and now you are ready to take the next big leap in your life — taking the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). One of the questions many new graduates ask about their exam prep is: how long do you need to study?

The NCLEX-RN is an examination which a nurse completes to demonstrate competency as an entry-level registered nurse in the United States of America. You actually have to apply for the examination for you to sit for the exam. While each state board of nursing has its own requirements, we recommend that you provide your scanned documents to us for us to evaluate your credentials for free. Being a new graduate provides one a better advantage because you still have a very strong foundation on your nursing concepts.

After an application process, the board of nursing will review your documents and deem you eligible for the exam if you have met the application requirements. After receiving your authorization to test, you typically have a period of around 75-90 days to schedule your test.

PLAN AHEAD

Planning ahead and starting early are the keys to your success. We recommend planning to set aside 4-5 months of preparation before taking the exam. This will include longs hours of concept studying, and testing your knowledge and critical thinking skills through answering question banks. Procrastinating is never a good practice, it only leads to more pressure and mental strain in the long run.

TAKE A BREAK

Just because there is no room to slowdown in studying, doesn’t mean that you cannot take breaks. Always dedicate a day to take care of yourself. Reward yourself after a long course of a study session so as to not experience burn-out and performance decline. Then, get right back to studying again.

DON’T PROCRASTINATE

Don’t take too much time away from reviewing. The longer you procrastinate, the more difficult it will be to get back into the swing of things. This will consequently affect your chances of passing the exam. If you did not pass the exam, you will receive a report that gives a general overview of how you performed in each section. This can help you understand what areas you should focus on if you plan to retake.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Most importantly, believe in yourself and in your capabilities. You deserve to pass and you have proven your potential by graduating from nursing school and passing PNLE/home country licensure examination. This is just one step on your next journey as a Registered Nurse in the United States of America. Your American Dream is possible with the right preparation. Passing NCLEX is absolutely attainable for every nurse who dreamed to work in the United States.

One of the keys that we recommend to our clients is to start studying while they are processing their application. It would be of great help if, while you are focusing your examination review, your processing is also ongoing. With that, it provides you more ease and comfort because you are not stressed if the procedure was done correctly or not. Also, in IPASS Processing you will receive full guidance on the step by step process of the application.

If you feel anxious prior to taking your NCLEX, you can schedule a talk to our psychometrician to lessen the anxiety that you are feeling. Always remember no matter how stressful, how difficult, how exasperating it is, don’t get tired of fighting to achieve your dreams and do it with patience, love, and integrity.

Being able to graduate is only the beginning, continue your dreams and aspirations for a better career and better future. Start fulfilling your American Dream through a hassle-free exam application on your NCLEX with IPASS. Connect with us now!