Nursing Exam: How To Surely Pass It

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The percentage of students who pass the board exam for nursing has been consistently low over the past decade. The average passing rate has never exceeded half of the total number of examinees, and last year’s figure of 34% has been one of the lowest nursing exam results. This leads nursing students to think: “How can I surely pass the nursing licensure examination?” As a teacher, I’ve been able to figure out the things that make students fail the board exam, and here are the tips that I would like to share with everybody who wants to surely pass the NLE:

1.       Make sure that your basic knowledge of nursing concepts is sufficient.

This is the most basic requirement for any student who wishes to pass the nursing exam – simply put, you won’t pass the exam without sufficient basic knowledge. If you don’t have a solid foundation, how would you be able to rationalize questions? Some students think: “It’s OK, I can rely on my review materials or a nursing review program.” But this way of thinking almost always leads to failure.

“How would I know if I have sufficient basic knowledge?” you might ask. Try to ask yourself questions that only require memory work and recall, like:

·         What’s the drug classification of Prednisone?

·         What parameters should I look at to assess a patient’s cardiovascular function?

·         What bones make up the skull?

Do you notice that the examples are “what” questions? This is how you could accurately gauge your basic knowledge. Are you able to tackle questions that only require you to look up the answer from your textbooks? The hard truth is this: if you can’t even answer these questions, then it is highly unlikely that you’ll pass the nursing exam. And I’m not kidding; it’s almost predictable that a student will fail if he or she cannot recall a body part, a drug’s action or a disease. Remember, this is the most basic requirement. If you lack knowledge, there’s only one thing to do: read.

2.       Practice answering sample board exam questions.

This is how you can develop your analytical and critical thinking skills, and this is how the Board of Nursing gauges your ability to think beyond the basic. In most cases, the nursing exam questions go with a situation that influences the way you will analyze them. Furthermore, most of these questions don’t have incorrect choices, meaning that you have to really think deeply to properly select the best answer. Take a look at this example:

Situation: Alex, a registered nurse, witnesses an old woman hit by a car while crossing the street and the old woman fell in the middle of it. Alex rushed at the scene.

As a registered nurse, Alex knows that the first thing that he must do is

a.       Leave the person for a few moments to call for help.

b.      Move the person to a safer place.

c.       Reduce the fracture manually.

d.      Encourage the person to remain still and immobilize the leg while waiting for an ambulance.

It’s not that easy to jump at one answer. Since there is a situation that modifies the question, you have to consider the circumstances in order to arrive at the best answer. And choosing the best answer is another thing: you notice that each choice seems to be a viable answer, and that requires you to choose the one that should be prioritized on the situation. In short, this question requires application and analysis, not mere recall of concepts. Reading your books is one thing, but to broaden your understanding and increase your chances of passing the nursing exam, you have to practice answering sample board exam questions.

3.       Base your answers on textbooks, not on your RLE.

The nursing exam is a theoretical exam, don’t forget that. One objective of the Board of Nursing is to make sure that nurses adhere to standards of practice, and the board exam is one of their measures to ensure that nurses will be guided to what is right. Don’t base your answers from what you see in your related learning experience, as some nurses in hospitals, community health centers and other field areas perform tasks that not are not within the standards of practice.

A classic example is when the IV line becomes clogged. It is observable that some nurses in the area would get a syringe, place it on the IV port, aspirate some fluid from the patient’s end, and push it back. This causes confusion for the learner, and what makes things worse is that clinical instructors even tell them that this is the right thing to do, and that we are permitted to deviate from the standard in these situations. What’s the point of reading and studying books if we won’t apply it?

Keep in mind that the practice standards set what is right, and the right answer for nursing exam questions is always based from it.

4.       Develop your reading endurance.

Some people read fast, some read slow – and it’s perfectly fine because we process information differently. But you can’t make it as an excuse to not finish a single chapter because of your slow reading rate. You have to develop your reading endurance to keep up with the coverage of the nursing exam. Set yourself to finish at least a 30-page portion of a book or a chapter every day. If you’re a person who can’t finish reading a chapter in 2 hours, you can have a short break and continue reading afterwards. Keep in mind that reading is also a skill, and it can be improved. Keep on reading, and reading, and reading – you’ll be surprised later that you already know a great deal.

5.       Give your brain a rest.

Although it’s beneficial to have extensive periods of studying, rest is equally important for the nursing exam. Our brains are just like computers, and it needs some time to rewire. The ideal reading time would only be 2 hours; after that, you need to rest your mind, do a little stretching, and find ways to relax. Have adequate sleep and rest periods. Have fun and socialize; this is absolutely fine as long as you are able to meet your study objectives and balance your time.

Don’t overdo your review for the board exam, after all too much of everything is always bad. It’s good practice to finish at least one chapter and 100 practice questions every day.

Remember these tips, and keep on reading and answering practice questions. Repetition is the key to mastering the concepts and the more prepared you are, the more that you’ll surely pass the nursing exam.