NCLEX Prep - For Students | ATI (2024)

FAQs

Is doing practice questions enough for NCLEX? ›

But the key to NCLEX success is answering questions, not studying content. You should also aim to get plenty of other NCLEX® Qbank practice with realistic, NCLEX-style questions that include complete explanations—but we recommend taking no more than 150 Qbank questions per day to avoid burnout.

Build a Study Plan Early and Stick to It

The smartest thing you can do is to start preparing for the NCLEX 6–12 months before exam day. That preparation begins by developing a study plan.

We recommend that you complete about 2,800 practice questions before your exam. If you are giving yourself a month to study, that means that you would be doing about 100 NCLEX practice questions per day.

Students who complete an ATI Live Review have a substantially higher NCLEX pass rate than the national average.

If you do study for the next gen NCLEX in two weeks, aim to spend four to six hours a day studying. We don't necessarily recommend doing all your studying in two weeks. If you do find yourself in a situation where that is all the time you have, it is definitely possible to pass the NGN with only two weeks of studying.

Understanding the UWorld QBank's Difficulty

Please don't let this worry you. Historically, an average UWorld score translates to an over 90% pass rate on the NCLEX.

If, however, you failed the NCLEX the first time around, it can take you anywhere from six weeks to six MONTHS to adequately prepare to take it again. Two to three months is the average amount of time it takes repeat test-takers.

Aim for at least four to six hours of study per day for a one-month schedule, and for a three-month plan, aim for two to three hours per day. Prioritize Content Areas: Review the NCLEX test plan to understand the content areas and their weight on the exam. Allocate more time to areas where you need improvement.

The NCLEX-RN will test your ability to analyze situations and apply the knowledge you acquired in school to find solutions. Rather than using memorization skills, logic and critical thinking skills are required to succeed on this exam, making it more comprehensive and challenging.

The NCLEX-RN consists of 74-145 questions. This includes 15 pre-test questions that do not count toward test takers' scores. The NCLEX-PN consists of 85-205 questions, including 25 non-scored questions.

Which state NCLEX is the hardest? ›

None. The NCLEX RN exam is the same regardless of what state you take it in. The exam is downloaded to the testing center every morning. What changes and is “easier” or “harder” is the license for the state.

ATI Pulse was created in response to feedback that the Comprehensive Predictor (CP) is a great predictor of NCLEX success, but when students take the CP at the end of their nursing program, it's too late to intervene if the student is at risk.

In order to allow enough time to review the extensive amount of information that will be covered on the NCLEX, successful candidates usually start studying about 5 or 6 months before they are scheduled to take the test, which is probably around the beginning of your final semester in nursing school.

Lots of people get asked the maximum number of questions on NCLEX and still pass. If you get asked the full 145 NCLEX questions, it isn't necessarily a bad sign. All it means is that the computer needs as much data as possible to determine your competency.

Once the test is 95% certain that you don't know enough to be a nurse, it will stop asking you questions, and you will fail the exam. Failing the test can result in not answering the minimum amount of 70 questions within the allotted time.

Aim for at least four to six hours of study per day for a one-month schedule, and for a three-month plan, aim for two to three hours per day. Prioritize Content Areas: Review the NCLEX test plan to understand the content areas and their weight on the exam. Allocate more time to areas where you need improvement.