Understand the test before you take it. Study guides are available for purchase. Most study guides have at least two examples of previous tests. Read the practice tests closely. The NCLEX--RN exam has four major categories and ten subcategories. The four major categories are Safe and Effective Care Environment, Health Promotion and Maintenance, Psychosocial Integrity and Physiological Integrity. The subcategories are Management of Care, Safety and Infection Control, Growth and Development, Prevention and Early Detection of Disease, Coping/Adaptation, Psychosocial Adaptation, Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential and Physiological Adaptation. Make sure you study each category.
Understand testing conditions. The test is taken at a testing center specifically set up for this purpose. The test is given via computer. Computer knowledge is not necessary to take the test. You will be allotted 5 hours for completion of the exam. You must answer at least 75 test questions. You may be asked to answer as many as 265 questions. Each individual question is not timed. Test takers are given a mandatory 10-minute break after 2 hours of testing. The test will adapt automatically to your skill level. Easier questions will be given first. If you answer an easy question correctly you will be given a slightly harder question. If you answer a question believed to be less difficult incorrectly you will be given an easier question. The exam is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Form a study group. Study groups can help you identify your individual strengths and weaknesses. Contact fellow classmates and ask if people are interested in studying together. Consider setting up a time and a place for each session to meet. Local community centers may have specific rooms where you can hold meetings. Bring all study materials with you. Dedicate a specific meeting to go over a specific section of the test. Tap into resources you may already have on hand such as class notes and nursing textbooks. Consider contacting a nursing teacher to work with the group if possible.