NCLEX Tips for Test Taking

NCLEX Tips for Test Taking Leave the first rating Students also studied Terms in this set (96) Science MedicineNursing Save PEARSON NCLEX-RN Questions & R...199 terms Candice_Haygood Preview

NCLEX EXAM PREVIEW

110 terms kandykat1012Preview 75 Free NCLEX Questions - c/o Brilli...75 terms carey47Preview Exam C 103 term sum It is asking about: priorities (planning) with words: 'first', 'last', 'most' or 'best' If it's asking 'which is the first intervention', don't just choose the answer you know is right; choose the answer

you would pick if you could only do one :)

You can do it!

Find key words: initially, early, immediately, after 2 days

For example: symptoms are very different at different

stages You can do it!It is asking about judging outcome (evaluation) with

words: 'most likely', 'least likely'

You can do it!5) Who is the question asking about: client, child: (neonate, infant, toddler, pre-school, school-age, adolescent); adult, family member, general public S/S, med effects, vitals... are very different for different clients You can do it!

Identify the issue: drug, behavior, procedure

If it's asking about "which behavior" to look for, don't

choose the answer with a medication name :)

You can do it!

Watch out for words that change question meaning like:

'not', 'no', 'least' 'but', 'except'; for example: is not a

PRIORITY, no LACK of, least IMPORTANT You can do it!Rephrase the question in your own wordsYou can do it!Try to answer the question before looking at the answers You can do it!Eliminate wrong answersYou can do it!If you're sure about one answer and think the other is possible, go with the one you're sure about You can do it!USE ONLY WHAT'S THERE! Don't bring any extra information, what ifs, different clients; test makers often include distractors/background information in wrong answers You can do it!Exam questions reflect national nursing practice standards and are not written to test knowledge of procedures and practices at specific agencies; forget what you did at such and such a place...You can do it!

Always think of the nursing process: ADO PIE

(assessment, diagnosis, objective, planning, implementation, evaluation You can do it!

How to prioritize between patients, think: WHO WILL DIE

1st IF I DO NOTHING? Check for life threatening situations first using ABC, then safety issues, then by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs You can do it!Principles of triage (most urgent but expected to survive

treated first, less urgent in descending order of need):

resuscitation, emergent, urgent, less urgent, non-urgent You can do it!

Delegation questions:

Consider:

-Role of the nurse vs. provider -Role of the nurse vs. LPN, CNA, UAP; (don't assign a housekeeping task to a UAP; like garbage duty)

-5 rights of delegation:

RIGHT TASK (scope of practice, stable client) RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES (workload) RIGHT PERSON (scope of practice) RIGHT COMMUNICATION (clear directions, specific task to be performed, expected results, follow-up communication) RIGHT SUPERVISION (supervise, intervene if necessary) You can do it!

Think of the question in the context of what the CLIENT NEEDS You can do it!When questions have to do with client communication, always look for answers with communication tools that address the patient or the family, not 'blocks' that arrest communication You can do it!If the question is about patient's feelings, find an answer that addresses them You can do it!If the question is about nurse teaching, look for client motivation, if the patient has none, the nurse is impotent and a positive outcome is unlikely

For example: "patient asks to sleep whenever the nurse

wants to teach" blocks teaching; "patient asks to look at dressing change supplies" You can do it!

6 rights of Medication Administration- Right: client,

medication, dose, time, route, documentation You can do it!If the question doesn't give the nurse enough information to know what to do, find an answer with an assessment action You can do it!If you're stuck between 2 answers, create a rationale for each, choose the better one; don't go "Eeny, meenie, mynee...", even if you're wrong, at least you made a logical choice You can do it!If two answers are correct, choose the more global one; the one that includes a larger population, or an activity

that includes the other:

Ex:

RN discovers pt. sleeping on left side after liver biopsy;

the nurse should:

• turn pt. to right side
• check for bleeding

Choose A, because you can do both at the same time Ex: Group therapy helps:

• pts. share experiences and learn from each other
• interact together

Choose B because it incorporates A

Ex:

Priority teaching for post-op patient

• skin cleaning and care of wound
• infection control of wound

Choose A, more global You can do it!

If you have two exact same answers, both are wrong

Example: A. Peer pressure B. Social pressure

You can do it!If you have four of the same answer but one is slightly different, the different one is probably right You can do it!Look for a similar word or phrase in the answerYou can do it!Choose the longest response if most are about equal You can do it!Unusual or highly technical options may be incorrect You can do it!Incorrect options don't fit grammaticallyYou can do it!

Eliminate answers with absolute words such as: always,

never, only... Choose: generally, usually, may...

You can do it!READ EVERY WORD, DON'T SKIP ANYYou can do it!If part of the answer is wrong, the answer is wrong You can do it!An answer with a medical intervention is wrong, choose the nursing intervention You can do it!Use textbook answers, not real world scenarios You can do it!Choose the option that is client centeredYou can do it!Don't change your answer unless you know you goofed,

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

You can do it!

For calculations:

-use the right formula

-round only at the end never in the middle -round: weight

to 10th, meds to 100th, IV drops to whole number

• make sure the answer is in the appropriate unit of

measure; don't forget to do any necessary conversions You can do it!Make sure the answer makes sense 48) 49) Approach all 'all-that-apply' questions as 'true or false' You can do it!

Note if the question asks: CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY,

don't assume it's a regular, one-answer question!You can do it!