Hello all! For this post, I have decided to share my NCLEX-RN study plan. This way you can see how I am tackling this beast. Hopefully, if I pass I can refer to this post for a general overview.

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Testing Date

At the time of this post, I have not received an ATT or Approval to Test from my state’s board of nursing. This does not mean I will not start studying though. Due to the testing center crisis as a result of COVID-19 I am not really sure if my testing date will be cancelled. For now we are praying for a test date in early to mid-June, otherwise my job might be at stake. Okay let’s get down the details.

My Weakpoints

Before creating my plan, I wanted to make sure I could identify my weakpoints. I have been made a note of these throughout my time in the nursing program, completing multiple ATI Focused Reviews. Here they are:

• Maternal Newborn Nursing
• Nursing Care of Children
• Pharmacology

There are also some subtopics I am weak on including: remembering insulin onset/peak/duration, fluid/electrolytes, incident reports, etc.

How is the exam set up?

Alright, so I’ve identified my weakpoints, but the NCLEX RN is broken up in a different way. I don’t want to take too much time breaking this down, but there are main categories broken down into subcategories. This applies for each speciality. You can read about these here on the Mometrix website. I used Mometrix’s free resources to study for the TEAS Exam and they explain it pretty well.

Also, the board of nursing announced temporary changes to the NCLEX due to COVID-19. The exam can now span from 60-130 questions. I am planning to expect 130 questions.

Resources

This may change, but here are the resources I plan on using to study for boards.

• Saunders Comprehensive Review NCLEX-RN, 7th edition

I purchased this book when I first started the program. There is a new edition out, but I plan on using this just to brush on certain topics if necesary. I purchased it used on Amazon for about $50.00 and it actually came with an unused access code. I don’t plan on using it.

• UWorld

If you have been doing any researching about studying for the NCLEX-RN , you will see UWorld pops up everywhere. Well, that is an exaggeration, but you get what I mean. When I was serving as an Executive Board member of my nursing school’s SNA chapter, we held a panel of new graduate nurses. Everyone studied differently, but one of the new grads seems to think very similary to me and simply used the UWorld demo.

I believe I will buy the cheapest UWorld plan. This will allow me to complete practice problems each day. The cheapest plan is $129.00, but I was blessed enough to receive a refund from my University and will be using some of that for UWorld.

My Actual Plan

I have decided to allow myself extended time to focus on my three weak specialties as well as small topics that trip me up. So, I drafted out a list of topics and how many days I wanted to spend on the topics in a 4-week period. Now this may change based on my ATT and other factors.

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I plan to also complete practice problems before I go to bed each night. This is actually how I “studied” for ATI proctored exams and it worked fairly well! I will use Sundays to brush up on “small topics” like I mentioned before. I am hoping to see some positive results during the NCLEX from this technique!

If you do not have the resources pay for NCLEX-RN prep, there are plenty of resources out there like KhanAcademy, free UWorld demos, etc. Studying for boards does not have to cost you a lot of money.

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There it is, my plan for the NCLEX-RN! If anyone wants to chime in with advice or criticisim, feel free! My plan is to post quick NCLEX studying check-in posts each week to let you all know if I alter the plan at all.

Thanks for reading!

Anna