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NCLEX-RN For Dummies with Online Practice Tests

Miss Ai
14 Jun, 2024

NCLEX-RN For Dummies with Online Practice Tests

Taking the NCLEX-RN exam can seem daunting, but if you’ve graduated nursing school, you have the training you need to pass the test. Familiarize yourself with commonly tested values and the basics of NCLEX-RN questions themselves, and you’ll be in even better shape on exam day.

Dissecting NCLEX-RN questions

The key to answering an NCLEX-RN question is dissecting what it’s asking about meaning and pathophysiology. Look for the following to identify the keywords that help you figure out what the question is asking and choose the correct answer.

Client: Who is the client? You can then limit your answer to this group.

Condition/procedure: How does it affect the client? Is there a complication?

Signs and symptoms: Do they match the condition, procedure, or complication?

Medications: Are they the medications given for the condition, procedure, or complication? Do they have side effects that are in question? Do they affect labs?

Labs: Are they related to the condition, procedure, or complication? Are they related to any medications listed in the question?

Steps of the nursing process

As you take the NCLEX-RN exam, remember the five-step nursing process that was in everything you learned at nursing school. Here’s a nursing process refresher:

Assessment Collect data, verify data, and communicate information.

Organization/Analysis Cluster data, interpret data, collect additional data, and communicate information.

Planning Identify goals, project expected outcomes, set priorities, and identify interventions.

Implementation Implement nursing care.

Evaluation Identify patient response to nursing care, compare actual outcomes with expected outcomes, analyze factors that affected the actual outcomes of care, and modify the plan as necessary.

The 3-Step method for med calculations on the NCLEX-RN

You won’t find a lot of math on the NCLEX-RN, but you do want to know how to calculate medication dosage. Here’s a three-step process for making med calculations:

Ask yourself, “Is a conversion necessary?” If the measurements are in different systems or units, do the conversion before moving on to the next step.

Calculate the converted dosage using the following formula:

(Dose ordered ÷ Dose on hand) × Amount on hand = Amount to administer

Ask yourself, “Does the answer make sense?” If it does, well done! If it doesn’t, start from the beginning, check your numbers, and try again.