💡 Myths About the NCLEX: 8 Things You Should STOP Worrying About! 🚫💊 - Episode 59
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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 eight 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. Dr. Z, I got 85 questions and I'm out.

Yeah, that doesn't mean you passed. Oh, Dr. Z, I 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. Dr. Z, I 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 107, 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. Dr. 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 fourth one is

is previous tests. Those of you that are repeat test takers. Well, last time I got, and so like two 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 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 going there. The sixth one is if your last question that you got was right or wrong. So Dr. Z, I answered my last question right.

Okay, or I think I got the last one wrong doesn't make a difference It's not one question that's gonna 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 gonna make me pass or this is what's gonna make me fail and build up your anxiety while you're waiting for your results It's a whole thing. It's a whole test. All right, the seventh reason is

is what time of year you take the test at. Dr. 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. Dr. Z, every time I take it at this one location, I fail. Well, okay, 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, okay, you know what? I just have this negative feeling about it. And then I switched up to 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 into account that maybe that testing center is causing anxiety? Anxiety is an intangible. Well, my anxiety levels were high.

well maybe what attempted is when I was a repeat test taker 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, Dr. 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're a repeat test taker, you're gonna 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 at any time, 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, the 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. Not only did 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.