Preparing for the Next Generation NCLEX

Hello future nurses,

As you move through your nursing journey, be prepared to learn many things and grow in many ways. Growth is part of the process, and that is the intention of the Next Generation NCLEX® (NGN). No need to be afraid of the new item questions—the more you explore the new exam and become familiar with the types of questions, the more you understand how to apply your nursing knowledge and clinical experiences. I encourage you to visit NCSBN.org to get a better understanding of the new exam and why it was changed. Many students have asked me, "Where do I even start studying for the new NCLEX®?” Well, you can also visit the NCLEX.com website of course! There you will find a sample packet for RN and PN NCLEX® candidates to download and review the new item questions that will be on the exam. There aren't any answers to the sample new items; however, with your already-developed critical thinking and decision-making skills, I'm sure you can conclude what the answers might be. You can also find changes to the maximum and minimum number of questions and make sure to visit the frequently asked questions section.

Becoming a novice nurse is a big deal, and you are on your way to a new career. Don't let the NGN stress you out. The evidence-based nursing concepts you have learned in your nursing program don't change as much as you think. What do I mean by that? Standards of care are established for all healthcare professionals to create safe expected outcomes for patients. For example, you have learned that hand washing will always be the number one prevention method for the spread of infection. The NGN wants to know if you can recognize the same nursing concepts and apply them to various scenarios.

Let's put some more nursing concepts into context. Let's talk about wound care for a patient with type 2 diabetes. Can you recognize cues and assess for drainage? Can you analyze, think about, and prioritize your hypothesis for the most likely type of wound the patient may have? Can you generate solutions to clean the wound? As the nurse, you can take action by intervening with what dressings to apply and evaluate the outcome by seeing if the method of treatment is working for the patient. See what I just did there? I just took you through the NCSBN's clinical judgment model, an evaluation tool to see if you are a competent novice nurse.

The NGN takes you through the clinical judgment model's six decision-making skills as an expansion of the nursing process. The new scoring model for the new item questions includes partial credit for multiple responses, such as select all that apply, a zero/1 for traditional multiple-choice questions, and plus/minus scoring for new NGN item types. To learn more, please visit the websites mentioned above.

Here are 3 tips to help you study for the NGN:

1. Self-sabotaging behaviors can be challenging to overcome. Practice correcting those behaviors before taking your exam. For example, have you ever read a question too fast? The obvious positive behavior to practice is to slow down, and search for keywords that you might be able to use as a clue for eliminating answer choices.

2. Learn how to use test-taking strategies for questions that are not NGN-specific. Test-taking strategies help reduce anxiety and give you a backup technique to use. Focus on how to break down questions effectively using your nursing content knowledge and strategy techniques together. This is something we focus on at New Nurse University. I recommend signing up for tutoring as well.

3. Anxiety can get the best of us at times. Start by identifying the type of anxiety you have: mild, moderate, or severe. Establish coping mechanisms that are positive and practice them during your home study sessions. If you need accommodations when taking your exam, speak up so they can be put into place. Be proactive and advocate for yourself.

Practice makes you proficient not perfect. The NGN knows you will get questions incorrect. The goal is to be consistent in getting more questions correct in a row by applying critical thinking and clinical reasoning. The changes to the NCLEX are positive, and you don't have to be worried about them. Keep progressing in your academic performance and stay confident—this will help you pass the NGN!