Test-Taking Tips for Students from HESI® Compass™ Coaches

Test-Taking Tips for Students from HESI® Compass™ Coaches

When nursing students graduate, they achieve a big milestone, but there’s more to become a nurse. Passing the NCLEX® is the next challenge. Most new grads aim to pass it on the first try. HESI Compass helps bridge the gap between graduation and the NCLEX. It uses personalized learning to help students keep what they learned in nursing school. Part of this learning plan involves experienced nurse educators as coaches.

HESI Compass coaches work closely with students. They give tips for test-taking, help improve weak areas, and answer questions to prepare students for the NCLEX. Here are test-taking tips from HESI Compass coaches to succeed on the NCLEX.

How HESI Supports NGN Readiness

Understanding Test Questions

Read each question carefully and find important words in it. Understand what the question wants and pick the answer that truly answers it. Think about what choice keeps the patient safest.

—Kelli Selvage

“Select All That Apply (SATA)” questions can be tough. Here are tips to answer them:

– Look at each choice separately, not as a group.
– Ask if each choice really answers the question.
– Every choice is true or false—choose true statements.
– There’s always at least one right choice.
– Don’t worry about how many choices there are. Focus on if the choice answers the question.
– Use nursing knowledge and experience to answer.

Practice a lot and remember that being well-prepared prevents poor performance!

—Lisa Draper

Remember that the NCLEX tests your ability to care for clients and take the right actions. Read the question, know the details, and read all choices. If an option needs a doctor’s order, assume there’s already one. For non-life-threatening situations, choose nursing actions before calling a doctor. Check the Test-Taking Algorithm in the Saunders Clinical Judgment & Test-Taking Strategies book.

—Nancy Capponi

Choices like “never,” “only,” “all,” “every” are usually wrong. Cross those out. Every crossed-out choice increases your chances of picking the right one.

—Sara Riley

Understanding Question Reasoning

These tips help break down questions:

—Laurie Harris

Read every explanation, even if you answered correctly. You might’ve guessed right but not understood why!

If uncertain, only change answers if you’re 100% sure it’s wrong, like if you misread a keyword. Trust your instincts!

—Sara Riley

Drug Calculations on the NCLEX

Pharmacology is tricky, and students struggle with it. Remember these things when studying pharmacology in HESI Compass for the NCLEX:

– NCLEX tells you how to round answers in calculations. You get a calculator and a whiteboard.
– NCLEX uses generic medication names. They often have similar word parts based on their purpose. Learn root words for drug categories.
– Focus on high-risk drugs like blood thinners and insulin, and those used in different nursing areas like HTN, depression, and diabetes meds.

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—Annette Wounded Arrow

Handling Stress and Test Anxiety

Manage stress. Test anxiety is real! Stay calm with breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, or mindfulness apps, even if you usually don’t stress. Important tests can make anyone nervous.

Keep stress low by:

– Taking studying seriously but keeping balance.
– Taking time for nutrition, exercise, sleep, and fun.
– Finding something grounding, like cooking or music.

When confident and prepared, the NCLEX won’t seem so scary.

—Julie Omsberg

On test day, eat well, wear comfy clothes, avoid distractions, stay calm, and talk positively to yourself. During the test, breathe deeply, be confident, read carefully, and practice positive self-talk.

—Sharon Mingo

Before the test, relax! Do something you enjoy, get enough sleep, and have breakfast. During the exam, take mental breaks when needed. Breathe, clear your mind, and think of something happy.

—Kelli Selvage