Chapter 1
Preparing for Nursing Examinations
The Beginning Nursing Student: What Should You Think About?
The NCLEX Exam: Why Do You Need to Think About It Now?
You may think that the NCLEX exam is far off, and it is; however, it is critical that you think about it the moment you enter your first nursing class. You may ask, “Why is this important?” To be successful on the NCLEX exam, you need to become as familiar as you can be with what this exam is all about as early as possible in the nursing program. You need to know that taking the NCLEX exam will be a reality once you graduate and that this exam must be passed in order to become a licensed nurse. Often, students are concerned with the “here and now” of what they want and need to accomplish and are not concerned about the future, the NCLEX exam. Students say, “I will worry about the NCLEX exam when the time comes.” At this point, it is much too late. So think about this exam early; visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Web site at www.ncsbn.org, and download the detailed test plan for the NCLEX exam. This test plan provides a wealth of information about the exam and lists the content areas that will be tested on it. Use these lists as your study guides for preparing for exams for each nursing course. By doing this, consider that you are not only preparing for your nursing exams but also preparing for the NCLEX exam at the same time. You will be ready when the NCLEX exam becomes a reality for you!
What Can You Expect on Nursing Exams?
What Types of Questions Can You Expect on Nursing Exams?
Most questions that you will encounter on nursing exams will be multiple choice, which consists of a question and four possible options. You are probably very familiar with these types of questions from your support courses, but again, what you need to remember is that nursing exam questions will require you to think critically. Other types of questions, known as alternate item formats, may be included on nursing exams because these alternate types of questions are used in the NCLEX exam. They include multiple response, fill-in-the-blank, prioritizing (ordered response), chart/exhibit, graphic item options (images as the options), questions that include a picture or illustration, audio questions, and possible video questions. See Chapter 5 for specific information about alternate item formats. The total number of questions on an exam varies, depending on various factors, such as instructor’s preference, the amount of nursing content being tested, and the amount of time for testing. Your nursing instructor determines the number of questions that will be included in an exam.
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