NLCEX examination is one of the most important examinations in the career of an aspiring nurse. In order to become a nurse in the US, one must first pass the NCLEX Examination. Passing the exam is not that hard if you have a proper educational background. Additionally familiar with some tips and tricks. When preparing for any exam, not just the NCLEX, knowing just the content is not enough.
It is very important to know about the question pattern. Moreover, the various question types and also the structure that the students should follow. There is a major misconception among the candidates that the question type is just multiple choice questions only. It is an incorrect concept. There was a time when the questions were only multiple choices but the question pattern has changed over the years.
The following information will help you develop a strategy to tackle against the NCLEX examination. Many successful students over the years have believed that good preparation and effective strategy have helped them score a convincing results in the exams.
There are basically two types of NCLEX examinations – NCLEX- PN (practical nurse) and NLCEX- RN (registered nurse). Depending on your level of education, you can take any one of these exams. Nurses who have a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) or an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) are eligible to take the NCLEX- RN exam. Those who have completed a diploma in LPN or LVN are automatically eligible for the NLCEX- PN examination.
Core Area of Concentration
Nurse is flourished with medical knowledge if they are eligible to apply for an NCLEX exam. But not everything is important for the examination. In order to study the right topics is also a trick to do well in any exam. Sometimes candidate even with good medical knowledge fails the exam due to missing out on some very trivial details. Whereas they were flourished with knowledge. That is why it is important to know which areas you should focus on. We will give you a head start.
- Safe effective care environment (basically about hygiene and infection control)
- Health promotion and maintenance (preventative healthcare)
- Psychosocial integrity (ability to cope up with stresses)
- Physiological integrity (takes up 43% to 67% of all questions, basically the ability to deliver proper nursing care)
Question Pattern of NCLEX Examination
1. Multiple Choices.
More or less everyone is familiar with this sort of question since their childhood. Most of the NCLEX exam questions are filled with multiple choice questions.
For this section, a scenario will be given and the candidate must choose the best possible answers among the options. The positive side of this section is that more or less everyone has dealt with this type. But the less positive side is that more or less every option in the question will seem like the correct answer. This is why candidates who have the strong analytical ability (and occasionally luck!) will be able to ace this section.
2. Multiple Responses.
This section is very similar to multiple choices. The candidates will be presented with various options and they must choose the correct option. The only difference is that questions will have options like “Select all” or “All of these except.” The candidates will have the luxury to choose all options (if that is the correct answer!).
Candidates with strong intuition skills will definitely ace this section.
3. Fill in the Blank.
This section usually deals with calculation. For example, they might be asked to calculate the dosage of medication or drip rate for IV administration. The only problem is that there won’t be any options to choose from! So you can’t go with your intuition on this one. The test will provide specifics on rounding and the answer is recorded as a fill in the blank.
4. Order Response.
This section will test your planning, management and response skills to the maximum. The question will provide a scenario where CPR is needed. The candidate must list out the steps that must be taken in order to treat the patient most efficiently. The question might also present the candidate with several patient situations. They will be asked to prioritize patients and demonstrate proper management of care.
5. Hot Spot.
Hot spot is a visual test for the candidates. They’ll be asked to identify areas on pictures or graphics. For example, they might be asked to highlight the areas of a specific part of a body. The patient might be experiencing pain or is suffering from a disease in that part. The candidate must be able to identify the correct “hot spot” with the given information.
6. Audio Test.
The candidates will be given to hear recordings. Their task is to choose the answer based on what they hear. The recording can be something like a heart beating or lung sound. The question would be like what action the candidate takes after hearing the recording based on given scenario and information.
7. Chart, Exhibit, or Graphic
Last but not the least is the graphical section. In this section, the candidates will be presented with a problem scenario or relatable information. But the question will be in the graphical format of chart or exhibit items. The candidates will have to figure out the answer from it. Most graphical questions contain a bar graph or pie chart. This is familiar ground for all candidates since these sorts of questions are already solved since school days.
How to Apply for NCLEX and Costing
In order to take the NCLEX exam, a candidate first must be licensed by a state board of nursing. The candidate must complete their entire basic requirements. If the board feels that the candidate is competent enough, they’ll provide you with a license. That’ll allow you to sit for the NCLEX examination. The candidate will receive the Authorization to Take the Test (ATT) letter after being approved by the state board. It is proof that the candidate is eligible to sit for the NCLEX examination. The cost to sit for the NCLEX examination at present is $200.
