Let's talk about myths regarding the NCLEX.
So there's a lot of things that you'll hear from people or that
you'll question reading online or this person said this or this
is what I experienced, or this is what I think.
Let's make a few things very clear.
So that way it's not occupying our mind while we're studying.
What we want to get rid of is these myths.
And I found that there's 8 common ones that keep presenting
themselves to me from students, whether it be students that are
taking it for the first time or students that are taking it for
the umpteenth time. So the first one is the number
of questions that you get is going to determine whether you
pass or you fail. I got 85 questions.
Doctor ZI got 85 questions and I'm out.
Yeah. That doesn't mean you passed.
Oh, Doctor ZI got 150. I think I failed.
That doesn't mean that you failed.
At any point, the test can shut off and it could mean either you
failed or you passed. So whether it be 85 all the way
to 150, any outcome is possible. So take each question as if it's
the last one you're going to get.
Focus on that one question and give it your all because that's
one more chance to pass. So it doesn't mean that 150
means you failed or 85 means you passed.
So the number of questions doesn't mean one way or the
other. The second thing is time.
Doctor ZI run out of time. It doesn't matter as long as
you're doing well on each question, like I just mentioned,
you can pass. I just interviewed and we'll
probably post it here. I just interviewed, I don't know
how many students, but I interviewed a student and she
had mentioned that her test cut off with time at 139 questions.
You ran out of time and you only got through 139 questions.
I've had a student that did it with one O 7 ran out of time and
they passed because at that moment in time they were doing
so well on each question that they were meant to pass the exam
that they were above the curve. Because remember you are
competing against everyone on every question so make sure you
are approaching each question as if it's your last so the time is
not something to be worried about.
Each question is the second or the third one is vague versus
specific Doctor Z Vague questions on the board, specific
questions on the boards. Get that out of your mind.
Know your content. Ask me anything vaguely,
anything specifically, And if I know my content, I'm going to
get it right. So it doesn't matter what topic
you give me, just know your content.
Because if you ask me anything vague, specific, upside down,
left, right, it doesn't make a difference to me because I know
my content. I'll be able to answer it
regardless. And that's going to help you in
real life moving forward in your job, whatever you end up doing.
The 4th 1 is previous tests. Those of you that are repeat
test takers, Well, last time I got and so like 2 times ago I
got it doesn't make a difference.
I saw maternity so much last time.
I'm going to focus on maternity this time.
No, there is no definitive way that you're going to see one
subject over the other. That's why I focus so much on
knowing your content, knowing all of it, and knowing it to the
extent of how the boards are going to ask it.
That's why I tell my students when I say those words, this is
how I would ask it. Or I want you to think like a
test maker like me and come to that point where you're like, I
could have written that question.
That's when you know, you know your content.
So again, don't focus on your previous test.
The fifth one is other people's tests.
Well, you know, my friend got it and oh, my, my peer and in my
cohort, again, every test is going to be different.
You don't know what question you're going to get, what sample
they're going to choose, where they're going to pull it from.
They may focus on one thing or another, or they may repeat.
Who cares? Again, focus on your content.
So you'll see that underlying theme.
We're going there. The 6th 1 is if your last
question that you got was right or wrong.
So Doctor ZI answered my last question right, OK.
Or I think I got the last one wrong.
Doesn't make a difference. It's not one question that's
going to determine your outcome. It's everything as a
culmination. So don't focus on that last
question being right or wrong and saying, oh, this is what's
going to make me pass or just what's going to make me fail and
build up your anxiety while you're waiting for your results.
It's the whole thing. It's a whole test, all right?
The seventh reason is what time of year you take the test At
Doctor Z, everyone graduates around May or December, so
there's more people taking it at a certain time of the year.
It doesn't make a difference. I don't care if it's a Saturday
at 8:00 AM on in May or Tuesday at 2:00 PM in December.
It doesn't make a difference. The boards don't do this based
off of what time of year it is or how many people are
graduating or how many people are not taking the test.
They're trying to see if you're ready to become a licensed
nurse. So you have to think like the
boards, not all these myths that are out there.
And the last one is location Doctor Z.
Every time I take it at this one location, I fail.
Well, OK, that may play into your anxiety.
I'll give you that. There was a time when I took my
boards and I kept going to the same testing center and I
mentally was like, OK, you know what?
I just have this negative feeling about it.
And then I switched up the testing center and I did better,
but it wasn't because the test was different.
It was because my mentality was different.
My anxiety levels were different.
So the location can play a part, not because of the test, but
because of you. So remember a lot of intangibles
when it comes to passing or failing.
A lot of people are like, well, I did this, I did that, I did
this. Well, did you take an account
that maybe that testing center is causing anxiety?
Anxiety is an intangible. Well, my anxiety levels were
high. Well, maybe what attempt it is
when I was a repeat test taker, just just getting ready to
register for my test gave me anxiety.
Forget taking it. But the more confident I became
in my content and my test taking strategies, the more calmer I
became. The more organized I was in my
process, the calmer I became, the more I used the method and
you see the students saying Doctor Z, your method, the
method, the method, the more organized my thought process
became, the better I felt. So ultimately these myths that
are out there, let me debunk them by telling you a few
things. One, content.
You can't get away from it. This is not a final exam, it's a
board exam. So don't disregard content.
The second thing is look at the intangibles.
So if you're doing the same thing over and over again,
change it. Watch my seven reasons why
people fail. And if you, if you're a repeat
test taker, you're going to relate to that.
If you're not, don't make those mistakes.
So again, very important not to focus on these myths.
The number of questions determining whether you pass or
fail, the amount of time that you have.
You can pass it anytime, even if you run out of time.
Vague versus specific, who cares?
Previous tests being the one that you're going to get.
Again, just because it's the same name, it's same person
that's applying. No, every test is going to be
different, which goes to the next one.
Other people's tests. That has nothing to do with
yours. Period.
The last question being right or wrong doesn't make a difference.
It's the whole test that they're looking at, not one question.
What time you take the test at, where you take the test at
doesn't make a difference. It's a board exam, so think like
a board, a test maker, a board exam maker.
I don't care about those things. What I care about is your
knowledge, your application, your critical thinking, your
logical deduction. That's what I'm looking for in a
nurse. If I'm going to license you,
that's what I care about. So when you start studying or
you continue to study, think about these things and don't
think about these myths and focus and stay calm and know
that you are meant to do this. Look at my sweatshirt.
You are enough. You are meant to do this.
You started the process, you got into nursing school.
Now as you get into nursing school, you graduated from
nursing school. Now all you got to do is get a
license and you got the rest of your life ahead of you.
So stay positive and you got this.
Take care.