1

In this chapter,
youll learn:
why you must take
the NCLEX

what you need to

know about taking
the NCLEX by
computer

strategies to use
when answering
NCLEX questions

how to recognize
and answer NCLEX
alternate-format
questions

how to avoid common

mistakes when
taking the NCLEX.

Preparing for
the NCLEX

NCLEX basics
Passing the National Council Licensure
Examination (NCLEX) is an important landmark in your career as a nurse. The first step
on your way to passing the NCLEX is to understand what it is and how its administered.

NCLEX structure
The NCLEX is a test written by nurses who,
like most of your nursing instructors, have
an advanced degree and clinical expertise in
a particular area. Only one small difference
distinguishes nurses who write NCLEX questions: Theyre trained to write questions in a
style particular to the NCLEX.
If youve completed an accredited nursing
program, youve already taken numerous
tests written by nurses with backgrounds and
experiences similar to those of the nurses
who write for the NCLEX. The test-taking
experience youve already gained will help
you pass the NCLEX. So your NCLEX review
should be just that a review. (For eligibility
and immigration requirements for nurses
from outside of the United States, see Guidelines for international nurses, page 4.)

Whats the point of it all?

The NCLEX is designed for one purpose:

namely, to determine whether its appropriate
for you to receive a license to practice as a
nurse. By passing the NCLEX, you demonstrate that you possess the minimum level of
knowledge necessary to practice nursing safely.

Mix em up

In nursing school, you probably took courses

that were separated into such subjects as
pharmacology, nursing leadership, health

313419NCLEX-RN_Chap01.indd 3

assessment, adult health, pediatric, maternalneonatal, and psychiatric nursing. In contrast,

the NCLEX is integrated, meaning that different subjects are mixed together.
As you answer NCLEX questions, you
may encounter clients in any stage of life,
from neonatal to geriatric. These clients
clients, in NCLEX lingo may be of any
background, may be completely well or
extremely ill, and may have any disorder.

Client needs, front and center

The NCLEX draws questions from four categories of client needs that were developed
by the National Council of State Boards of
Nursing (NCSBN), the organization that sponsors and manages the NCLEX. Client needs
categories ensure that a wide variety of topics
appear on every NCLEX examination.
The NCSBN developed client needs categories after conducting a practice analysis
of new nurses. All aspects of nursing care
observed in the study were broken down into
four main categories, some of which were
broken down further into subcategories. (See
Client needs categories, page 5.)

The whole kit and caboodle

The categories and subcategories are used

to develop the NCLEX test plan, the content
guidelines for the distribution of test questions. Question-writers and the people who
put the NCLEX together use the test plan and
client needs categories to make sure that a
full spectrum of nursing activities is covered
in the examination. Client needs categories
appear in most NCLEX review and questionand-answer books, including this one. As a
test-taker, you dont have to concern yourself
with client needs categories. Youll see those
categories for each question and answer in
this book, but theyll be invisible on the actual
NCLEX.

4/7/2010 5:08:55 PM