The night before the NCLEX I was scared, stressed, and frantic. I had worked so hard, put so much time, energy, and money into the school and the results of this test. Let me start with worse case scenario, you fail. I know some people who failed and are now nurses. What happens at that point, take the time to grieve then wait the time period and study. There is no cap on the number of time you can take the test. That is a worse case scenario. On the other hand, you can pass the first time, the amount of weight that is lifted off your shoulders in viewing the one page that states passed, is a fantastic feeling, and I have no need to ever go through it again.
#1 Double check the appointment date and time.
A few days before the exam check the appointment date and time. If you arrange the appointment for two or more weeks before the actual date, the time or even the date might have been altered in your mind. You don’t want to wake up, and then realize you need to be there in ten minutes. It doesn’t make for an excellent start to an important exam. The day of my test as I waited to be seated at the computer a girl came in, she wasn’t there to take the NCLEX but another test, she arrived at the right time but the wrong date, her test was the next day.
#2 Do a drive by.
A few days before the test I google mapped the test site. I don’t trust the direction on the site, and I am more of a visual learner, so if I can see the path, I am more able to know the road. This will aid especially if you are not particularly familiar with the area. Just to make it clear, my phone got terrible reception so using the GPS was not an available option, at the time. But if you do use GPS on the phone I still feel a drive-by is a great way to get the mistakes out of the way. You are also able to see the parking. Is the parking a lot or garage? Is it free or do you pay? The drive itself will help you plan a faster route or at least allow yourself to assess the traffic situation.
#3 Try to sleep.
I know I was told to get to sleep early and get a good night’s rest. I was an absolute basket case the night before my test. My head kept going back and forth between “I’m going to pass” and the ways I’m going to come up with another $200 to retake the test. Although, getting a good night’s sleep is still very important adrenaline will kick in the morning. The problem that I encountered with the adrenaline towards the end of the exam the questions were becoming hard to read. Believe me, when the test showed the break-screen popped up I utilized it. I got up to drink water, use the bathroom, walk around, and stretch. I did not take long, I think you get a time limit. But coming back from a break help to waken my brain and made reading much more relaxed.
#4 No studying 24 hours before the exam.
I was told this, I was told go out to dinner the night before the exam, go see a movie, but whatever you do, do not study. When your head is at war between your confidence and your doubt, it’s hard to not review information during your last 24 hours before the test. Don’t at all think about the expensive career-dependent test you take in the next 24 hours. The final 48-hours of studying I began to look at other people’s notes for the NCLEX. This is where I found VEAL CHOP. VEAL CHOP is a memorization tool that I heard briefly during our maternity section. This little acronym helps to remember fetal acceleration and deceleration.
| Fetal Monitoring | What’s it caused by |
| Variable deceleration | Cord compression |
| Early deceleration | Head compression |
| Acceleration | Okay |
| Late acceleration | Placental insufficiency |
This was my last question, I jotted VEAL CHOP and got the answer right with the confidence. There are tons of cram sheets or study material that kind of goes through everything. If you are confident about the test take the night off if you are incredibly nervous like I found an NCLEX cheat sheet, and look that over. Some things will be common sense, somethings will be a friendly little reminder, and some will be a great way to remember a piece of information that might be a new way to view.
The night before the big test everyone will dispense advise. This is just mine. In deciding what advice to take and what to move past just breath and remember the worse case scenario is not life or death. You got this!