Back on the Horse

I had a wonderful Christmas and spent some long overdue time with my family. I shared my hopes and fears about the NCLEX with them and they helped me regain my confidence and determination to keep studying and pass "with flying colors"!! My sister even offered to take me on a vacation the day after I take the NCLEX (I still need to sign up but have the approximate date in mind) and before I start the nurse practitioner program. There is a very short window of time between these two events and on one level I'd like to take the NCLEX days after my Anderson review course is finished. On the other hand, I am still feeling intimidated and unprepared and want to take it the day before my classes begin to give me more time to study. All in all, the consensus is that I will study hard over the next three weeks, take the NCLEX and go on vacation! I remember when my sister, my family and I went on vacation after my sister took the bar. I remember how much she studied and how happy she was when she found out that she had passed! Her advice to me is all the more significant because she had been there and never wanted to be there again (studying for a major test). The NCLEX for me is really a stepping stone because I know this is not the last major test I'll take - there are the NP boards, more than 1 if I become certified in women's health, and I may go to business school in my lifetime.

I took a practice test before I went out of town and identified areas of weakness. Many of them had to do with medications I was not familiar with, pediatrics and minutiae that I had forgotten and basic test taking skills (I narrowed down to two answer choices and chose the wrong one). I am concentrating on pediatrics now and then will move down the list of areas of weakness (about a page) and keep taking practice tests.

Before the practice test, I read a book about strategies and will post some of my notes from that. My first impression from the practice test was that it was easier than tests I had taken during nursing school. That being said, I did much worse on the practice test than I did during nursing school. It is clear to me that I will need to study hard in order to pass. I honestly have not studied for about 5 days and it is time to really get in gear and pass this thing.