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The NCLEX examination represents the culmination of many years of hard work dedicated to the study of nursing. It is the final obstacle between studying and actually working as a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse. The NCLEX is a challenging, application-based exam, where traditional rote-learning study techniques will likely be minimally effective. Testers with learning difficulties may find preparing for the NCLEX particularly overwhelming – testers like Robert, for example.
Robert is
a nursing student with ADHD who finds it challenging to focus on one task for
extended periods. This affects his ability to recall specific details and to
manage his time effectively. These ADHD-related symptoms have in the past made
it difficult for Robert to be successful on standardized tests, and he is
concerned that they will also affect his success on the NCLEX. Since the NCLEX
is a computer-adaptive test that can last for up to six hours, testers are
required to be deliberate in how much time they allot to each question. For
testers like Robert, it can be frustrating to prepare independently for such an
exam, particularly when many test preparation resources do not account for
testers with learning difficulties.
This
doesn’t mean that students like Robert can’t be successful on the NCLEX, or
that preparing for the NCLEX has to be an exercise in frustration. There are
resources that can help students with learning difficulties; the extremely comprehensive NCLEX
preparation resource
developed by Study.com is one such example. The Study.com NCLEX resource is
much more than just a practice test – it’s really more of a practice hub,
designed with all variety of learners in mind.
To begin
with, both the Study.com NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN study guides are more than just
topic outlines and key word definitions. In fact, each guide is a
fully-developed curriculum that supports each of the concepts tested on the
NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams. The guides are broken down into distinct chapters,
each centered on a different aspect of nursing. Within each chapter are video
lessons that elaborate on the principal ideas relative to each chapter’s theme,
flash cards for reviewing key terms, and quizzes and practice tests.
For test
takers with learning difficulties, particularly those that affect executive
functions like attention, memory, and organization, this compartmentalized
approach makes preparing for the NCLEX much more manageable. All lessons are
marked with a timestamp, so testers can organize their study time before even
beginning a study session. The videos are close-captioned and can be sped up or
slowed down to better suit the needs of each learner; this feature is
particularly useful for testers who face challenges with reading or with
auditory processing, as it allows the viewer to simultaneously read and
hear the information. There are also well-organized written transcripts for the
video lessons available just under the video player.
When it
comes to preparing for the exam itself, Study.com’s NCLEX resources help
establish a strong foundation of knowledge by including quizzes within each
lesson. The lesson quizzes are comprised of 30 multiple choice questions, with
the ability to skip and come back to certain questions as necessary. There is a
timer embedded on the quiz page, to provide learners like Robert a visual
reminder that can help them regain focus and manage their time efficiently.
That each quiz targets only one major concept at a time is also an effective
way to target students’ attention and boost recall, which can be areas of
difficulty for students who face learning challenges.
Finally, each
Study.com NCLEX preparation guide offers a 50-question cumulative practice
test. The practice test covers all topics previously addressed during the
course and, like the shorter lesson quizzes, comes equipped with a timer. Wrong
answers receive a detailed video explanation to clear up misunderstandings, and
a link back to the lesson where the topic was initially covered for further
review of potentially tricky material.
Of course,
the Study.com NCLEX preparation guides are not just for test takers with
learning difficulties. However, they are unique in that they account for the
needs of an increasingly diverse candidate pool and ensure that all aspiring
nurses go into the NCLEX as prepared and equipped for success as possible.
