8 Tips to Succeed in NCLEX-PN Exam In Your First Attempt Itself

To become a licensed practical nurse, you need to clear the NCLEX-PN exam. All the long study hours and immense hard work that you’ve put in towards successfully graduating from your LPN nursing program will be rewarded once you pass the NCLEX-PN exam and get your LPN license. Given how important this exam is for you to begin your nursing career as an LPN, you would naturally want to clear it in the first attempt itself. Here are some crucial tips that you must keep in mind for attaining success in the NCLEX-PN exam:

Choose a Good Nursing College for Your LPN Program

Your preparation for the NCLEX-PN exam starts right when you begin your LPN education at a nursing college. Therefore, you want to be careful with the college that you choose to pursue your LPN training. Your LPN program will contribute significantly in building your knowledge and skills related to practical nursing, which will be requisite during the NCLEX-PN exam as well as in your LPN career ahead. Look for a good nursing school that has a great track record when it comes to NCLEX pass rates, and that places equal emphasis on classroom training as well as real-world training.

Get Familiar With the Exam Format As Soon As Possible

Unfamiliarity with the NCLEX-PN exam format can create confusion for you when you’re taking the exam. Hence, it’s important that you get well-acquainted with the format much before you’re scheduled to take the exam. This includes knowing how many questions are asked in the exam, what topics do these questions pertain to, what is the duration of the exam, and so on. When you know exactly what to expect during the exam, you’ll feel much more confident in taking the exam.

Take Enough Time to Get Ready for the Exam

There’s no rule that says that you have to take the NCLEX-PN exam as soon as you graduate from the LPN program. It all depends upon whether you feel prepared enough for the exam or not. It’s okay if you want to spend a few weeks and even months after your program finishes solely concentrating on preparing for the NCLEX-PN exam. Because you want to try and pass the exam in the first attempt, you should decide to take the exam only when you feel like you are thoroughly ready.

Take Plenty of Mock Tests and Exams to Gain Confidence

The more practice you get via the practice tests and mock exams, the more confident you will be at the time of taking the actual NCLEX-PN exam. Taking the mock tests and exams is not only a way for you to evaluate your knowledge and see how much more learning you still have to do, but it is also an excellent way for you to develop the patience required for sitting through the long exam without getting mentally tired. Additionally, taking these tests and exams consistently will help you enhance your critical thinking skills.

Come Up With a Sustainable Study Schedule

If you’ve decided to devote weeks to months towards preparing for the NCLEX-PN exam, then you need to create a proper study schedule that helps you stay on track with your study efforts. Keep your study schedule such that you have a few hours set aside every day for studying. Remember, you don’t want to rely on rote learning to prepare for the exam, instead you want to focus on comprehending the concepts and ideas. This will make your studying a lot more fun! Therefore, plan your study schedule such that you have enough time to study each topic.

Be Goal-Oriented In Your Study Approach

When you’re planning your study schedule, do it in a goal-oriented manner. It is so important that you set goals for yourself when you’re studying for NCLEX-PN exam, goals that clearly outline for you how much study work you need to accomplish on each day. Establishing daily goals are useful in ensuring that you are utilizing each day productively. So, specify what you want to do every day, everything from what topics you want to study to the practice tests that you want to complete. Achieving your study goals for each day will keep you motivated in your preparations.

Have Some Time for Planned Breaks Too In Your Schedule

You might feel the need to take the NCLEX-PN exam and be done with it as early as possible. So, you might plan a study schedule that requires you to study long hours every day without any breaks in between. But this can stress you out soon and cause you to lose interest in studying, thus proving to be counter-productive. Just like you set aside hours daily for studying, you also want to set aside hours daily for relaxing. The time you relax is the time when you rejuvenate yourself so that you can get back to studying with even more focus and vigor.

Start De-stressing As You Approach the Date of Your NCLEX-PN Exam

The closer you get to the date of your NCLEX-PN exam, the more nervous you might start feeling about the exam. This is why it’s important that during this time you not only focus on studying, but also pay attention to de-stressing. Stressing too much before the exam can easily cause you to feel stressed during the exam too, which can adversely impact your ability to stay calm and patient. Hence, instead of worrying about how you’ll do in the exam, trust that you are well-prepared and that you have enough knowledge to answer the questions correctly.

About Verve College

Verve College is the best nursing college for anyone who’s aspiring to become a licensed practical nurse in Oak Brook and Chicago, Illinois. Providing high-quality LPN education to students, covering theoretical as well as practical aspects, Verve College has produced excellent NCLEX-PN passing rates year after year.