NCLEX Study Strategies from a Nursing Graduate

There’s a big step in the process to starting a nursing career and it comes after graduation: licensure.

Unlike a degree in business or communications, nursing graduates can’t jump into their job search the minute they cross the stage at graduation. Completing licensure exams are necessary in order to be able to practice as a nurse.

Nursing degree graduates at Bryant & Stratton College are prepared to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) upon graduation. It is a thorough exam which requires a fair share of studying in preparation. It’s something that 2021 nursing grad Ayanna Juarez has been fully prepared for.

“It has been exactly what I thought it was going to be,” she said. “During my two years in the program we talked about the NCLEX all the time, so I was always prepared for it.”

To her credit, Juarez hasn’t just taken the NCLEX head on, she’s done it with confidence. Not only sharing her journey on social media, but adding that she feels her classes were more challenging than preparing for the exam has been.

She is quick to credit the material she learned at Bryant & Stratton for providing her the base of knowledge needed to be confident in preparing for the NCLEX. She listed Medical Surgical and Pharmacology as two classes which she feels have been especially helpful in her NCLEX studying.

She noted that Bryant & Stratton did an “excellent job” preparing her as she’s picking up on the patterns and skills that the NCLEX tests students on in her preparation.

For example, Ayanna mentioned that she has noticed a lot of “select all that apply, prioritization, delegation” questions on the exam. With what she studied in Bryant & Stratton’s nursing program and the NCLEX study guides she has been using, there hasn’t been any surprises in her preparation thus far.

Finding the right study habits to prepare for the NCLEX has been vital for Juarez and she stressed the importance of using all of the resources available to students in order to prepare. But she offered one additional piece of advice for those getting ready for the NCLEX exam.

“Do not overwhelm yourself and use too many resources that might stick,” she said. “Focus on your weak areas when using different sources and go back and write it down to master the material altogether.”

So far, Ayanna has been using ATI as her primary study guide, while using other material to help supplement the resource. She also recommended joining a study bootcamp as she has found the NCLEX bootcamp offered by Bryant & Stratton to be beneficial. Though she has also had to find time to work in breaks to avoid “feeling like a zombie” if she spent too much time drilling on practice questions.

She offered up a helpful piece of information not just for nursing graduates studying doing NCLEX preparation, but for nursing students who are still in school.

“Always, always stay on top of your reading. And ask questions, I promise you’ll be happy you asked.”

Knocking out the NCLEX is the next step in Ayanna’s journey to a nursing career but it isn’t her last. She’s already looking ahead to her next big step: earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing.