Passed 85. Anxiety is the mind killer.

I studied Archer, Mark K, and googled the concepts I was cloudy on. Practice questions really are the best way to prep for this exam and it would be futile to study an entire nursing program’s worth of knowledge for a computer-generated exam. You can be using this time practicing questions, learning its patterns, and understanding the big picture of each and every NCLEX question, which is SAFETY.

Prepare for this exam in whatever way works best for you, take it right away or take your time if you feel like you need to review more. Everyone is different.

However, the common denominator amongst the majority of us is that we will all go through varying degrees of ANXIETY, especially in the days leading up to the exam. Anxiety can kill the performance of any new grad, no matter what your knowledge level is. And unfortunately, anxiety is inevitable, but it’s important to manage it. What I kept telling myself is “DON’T PUT SO MUCH WEIGHT ON IT.” I tried my very best to pretend like I was just taking another Archer readiness exam during the real thing.

The fact of the matter is: (A) We all went through nursing school and you know more than you know, (B) If you made it this far, you already have the ability to pass, and (C) You can retake this exam more than once. So take a breath and relax. I found I was most anxious when I studied too much for too long, so I took breaks by playing video games. The more weight you put on this exam, the more anxious you become, and the more that anxiety will cloud the knowledge that already sitting up there in your brain. ANXIETY IS THE MIND KILLER.

Best of luck to all of you ✊🏽