Taking The NCLEX? Boost Your Chances With The Right NCLEX Study Guides

It only takes one test to determine your future in the field of nursing —the NCLEX.

The NCLEX or National Council Licensure Examination is an internationally recognized  aptitude exam which has been standardized by specific state jurisdiction boards.

It aims to determine how competent nursing hopefuls are to work within an entry-level position in the United States.

(Actually, there are two types of NCLEX exams—the NCLEX-RN for registered nurses and the NCLEX-PN for vocational and practical nurses.)

NCLEX exams are under time pressure and it is said that the NCLEX-RN is more difficult than NCLEX-PN. It’s also scored using a right minus wrong process.

As it is with any other licensure exams, it’s necessary for you to do the proper preparations prior to taking the exam. But you don’t have to worry, there’s absolutely no need for you to panic just yet.

All you need to do sensibly is to equip yourself with a good, proven NCLEX study guide. Study guides are among the most powerful review allies you can find and have proven themselves useful and flexible to use for many generations of test takers over a wide range of topics.

Study guides are very useful in preparing for exams, especially for detailed and long exams, which require lots of information to remember and review. NCLEX exams would definitely have items which would pertain to specific health-related definitions and terms where memorization of copious amounts of medical terminology is often necessary.

When you use study guides for reviewing, these guides can help you stay focused on the important subjects you need to know. It helps keep you on track since it brings structure into your review sessions.

Also, using study guides can help you bookmark the things which you may have skipped for a certain time. If you want to go back to it on a later period, study guides would give you the ease to do so. If you want to skip a certain topic which seems unclear or difficult for you at the moment, study guides can provide you the ease of getting back to it at a time more comfortable for you.

There are lots of study guides out there which you can choose from. BUT, not all of them are created equal. So how do you make the right decision and what would help you zero in on the best option?

Tip #1 – The study guide should be written by reliable, professional and above all experienced writers. This means that the author should have a credible NCLEX background.

Tip #2 – The writing format and the language used must be relevant to your understanding. It should be simple yet concise, comprehensive without being cluttered. Each section and topic within the NCLEX exam study guide should be covered and laid out in such a way as for you to be able to move around easily.

Tip #3 – The study guide should explain things in a straightforward manner, without unnecessary extra information.

Tip #4 – The study guide must be able to close that difficult gap between the NCLEX test itself and the probable test performance. A good study guide does not only focus on the items which might come up in the NCLEX exams. It also gives useful pointers to enhance a test taker’s performance during the exam. Where possible it should prepare you for the actual taking of the test as well as the subject matter within the test. 

So far we have found quite a few good study guides and one excellent study guide ‘set’. Click here for our recommendation on the best NCLEX study guide and NCLEX flash cards.