Award-Winning NCLEX Test Prep in Hoffman Estates, IL

Varsity Tutors offers NCLEX test preparation help through individual NCLEX courses for aspiring nurses. The National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX, is the final step in the long and demanding process you've gone through to finally become an RN (Registered Nurse) or PN (Practical Nurse). This probably isn't surprising news to you, because you likely reached this page searching for NCLEX prep help.

After all that hard work, taking advantage of NCLEX courses taught by knowledgeable NCLEX tutors who know how to prepare for the exam is a valuable gift you can give yourself. You've shown that you have the drive and determination necessary to be a nurse and now it's your chance to show everybody, particularly the licensing board, that you're ready to begin your profession as a fully credentialed RN or PN. There's no reason for you to do your NCLEX test prep for this crucial exam on your own when Varsity Tutors is happy to connect you with private NCLEX tutoring that can help you make the most of your NCLEX test prep time.

The NCLEX is the standardized exam used as the benchmark to determine if nursing candidates nationwide are prepared to enter the nursing profession. NCLEX tutors can help you learn more about how the test affects nursing in the US if you're interested. Although all states use the same examination, if you move out of state, check with the new state's board of nursing to see if you need to retake the NCLEX. If so, there's no need to worry, because Varsity Tutors can connect you with an NCLEX class that provides professional online NCLEX prep tutoring anywhere for whatever amount of time you need to review.

How can NCLEX classes near me help me prepare for either the RN or PN version of the exam?

When you contact Varsity Tutors to get set up with NCLEX test prep assistance, the educational professional will ask which version of the exam you're taking, the RN or PN. Then you'll be referred to quality NCLEX tutoring with individuals who are familiar with your test and the specific content you must know to do well on it. During each NCLEX prep class, you'll be studying for your particular version of the exam.

Can NCLEX tutoring near me help me with aspects of the exam other than content review?

Because of the individualized nature of NCLEX prep through Varsity Tutors, you have the flexibility to work on whatever you want in preparation for the exam. For example, NCLEX prep includes registering for the exam, which can be a daunting process alone. Your NCLEX class instructor, or tutor, can help you review the requirements, put together the material necessary for your application, and help you submit it. Since you've already completed the main requirement, earning your accredited nursing degree, the rest should be a breeze. This list shows the steps you'll take to get registered.

NCLEX Eligibility & Registration

1. Apply for a nursing license from your state board of nursing.
2. You will receive an NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin in the mail.
3. Register with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's testing service by phone, or mail-in form.
4. Board determines whether you meet the criteria to take the exam.
5. You will receive an Authorization to Take the Test (ATT), along with a list of testing centers and instructions.

Another area outside of specific content you can work on with your tutor during your NCLEX preparation is time management. The NCLEX-PN allows you five hours to complete all problems, and the NCLEX-RN allows six hours. If you're concerned about time limits, NCLEX tutoring can help you in a variety of ways. First, your tutor may want to administer timed practice sections that simulate the real exam environment so they can observe how quickly you answer questions. Because your NCLEX prep sessions can be spent on whatever you need, NCLEX tutors can then demonstrate time management strategies based on your testing style.

For example, if you continually narrow the question down to two answers that seem right to you, your NCLEX test prep instructor can show you methods to choose the one that is most correct, the one the test creators want you to choose. It's not unheard of to spend a portion of your NCLEX prep time on learning how to read questions effectively, and you probably already know you need to read questions carefully. If you miss the word "not" in a question, you're likely to pick the exact opposite of the correct answer.

A related aspect found in many standardized exam questions is awkward or confusing wording. NCLEX test prep professionals are familiar with the test, so they may set aside NCLEX prep time to help you become familiar with digging out what a question is actually asking of you. If you've learned a second language, you know using the new language in practical situations is the most effective way to become familiar with different sentence structure and vocabulary patterns. NCLEX classes can help you learn NCLEX question wording the same way, so you can build your familiarity and understanding. This could be a very useful NCLEX test prep method that can help you feel much more confident as you take the exam.

How can an NCLEX course near me help me remember all the content that will be on the test?

Because you've spent years earning your nursing degree, you'll probably find during your NCLEX course that you have already mastered a lot, maybe most, of the items you'll see on the test. This is another reason why private NCLEX test preparation is so beneficial. With so many questions and problems on the exam, you'll have your own unique combination of topics you've mastered and don't need to spend any time on, topics you could use a quick review of, and topics you need your NCLEX prep tutor to go over again in more detail. With such a wide variety of content, spending time in classroom NCLEX test preparation situations could mean a lot of down time as other students get their needs met. With a Varsity Tutors NCLEX course, you can spend every minute of each NCLEX class focused on your study needs. You can actually do more effective NCLEX test prep in less time, and this kind of efficiency gives you more options to dig in where you really need to.

How can NCLEX classes near me prepare me for the test structure and content I'll need to know?

For starters, your tutor will probably include a detailed breakdown of the NCLEX sections and what's included in each one as a standard part of your NCLEX test prep. Let's take a look at a brief overview of what you'll find on both the RN and PN NCLEX exams.

Your NCLEX prep tutor will likely explain the overall structure of the exam first. Both versions of the exam follow the same structure, which is based on client needs. This structure provides a universal definition of the competencies needed by nurses in the greatest variety of nursing settings. Again, this is an effort to ensure that every nurse in the US provides the same standard of care.

For both the RN and PN version of the NCLEX, the first patient need addressed is the Safe and Effective Care Environment, which is separated into two subsections. The Safety and Infection Control subsection is found on both tests. Your NCLEX preparation can include a review of topics such as ergonomic principles, safe use of equipment, and how to handle hazardous and infectious materials, among others. The second subsection on the RN test is Management Care, and on the PN is Coordinated Care. These reflect the differences between the focus of RNs and PNs.

If you're studying for the RN version of the exam, your NCLEX prep can include studying topics like time management, advocating for client rights and needs, and effective supervision and delegation, which are just a few of the many subjects you may see on the Management Care subsection. If you're taking the PN version, you can go over topics like informed consent, client care assignments, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, and other subjects found on the Coordinated Care subsection.

The final three sections are the same on both the RN and PN exam, and your individual NCLEX test prep tutor can help you study them with a focus on what you'll see on the version you're taking.

The second client need is Health Promotion and Maintenance. The overall focus is on nursing in relation to all stages of the aging process, preventing or detecting health problems early on, and ways to promote optimal health. A few specific items to review during your NCLEX preparation sessions that may be covered in this section are performing targeted screening assessments such as vision or nutrition, providing patient education throughout all stages of pregnancy, helping clients cope with life transitions, and considering client self-care needs when creating or changing a care plan.

Psychosocial Integrity is the third client need addressed on both versions of the NCLEX test. These topics are focused on helping promote and support the mental, social, and emotional needs of clients. You can spend time during your NCLEX prep studying specific topics that may be addressed in this section like abuse or neglect, the influences of religion or spiritual on health, chemical dependency issues, and assessing client support systems, along with many others. Nurses have an important role in client care, and it can involve many issues that go beyond physical needs.

The fourth and final Client Need featured on both versions of the NCLEX exam is Physiological Integrity. This is the part that does focus on physical health and wellbeing. The four subsections under Physiological Integrity are Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential, and Physiological Adaptation. Along with Pharmacological Therapies, the RN includes Parenteral Therapies, which are therapies that are administered in a part of the body other than the mouth and alimentary canal. This can involve injections, IV, or other such therapies.

Some of the items you can review during your NCLEX test prep that are covered in the Basic Care and Comfort subsection are client mobility or immobility, assistive devices, personal hygiene, and nutrition and oral hydration. Assessing client's needs in regards to palliative care and symptom management, often around issues of pain, is also covered in this subsection, along with a variety of other topics related to client wellbeing.

The Pharmacological Therapies subsection involves care around medication administration and monitoring clients on medication. Identifying adverse effects, contraindications, or interactions in clients on medication is an important part of this section. Actually administering medication when clients are not able to, educating clients on the expected outcomes of medication, and dosage calculations are among the other topics featured in this subsection.

The subsection on Reduction of Risk Potential focuses on the ways nurses can reduce the potential for clients developing complications or adverse effects related to medical treatment and procedures or existing conditions. Questions involving diagnostic testing, laboratory values, monitoring changes or abnormalities in vital signs, and understanding the various complications clients may experience based on their specific treatment or procedure will be found in this subsection, among others.

The final subsection on the NCLEX is Physiological Adaptation, which deals with nursing care for clients with chronic, acute, or life threatening health conditions. This can include such tasks as performing wound care and postoperative care, managing the care of clients with various needs regarding fluid imbalances, pacing devices, impaired ventilation and oxygenation, arterial lines, and many other healthcare situations. This is also the subsection dealing with emergency medicine.

If you're interested in some basic facts about the structure of the exam, review the information below:

• 90% a multiple-choice exam, 10% mixed-format questions
• Uses an interactive system called Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT)
• RN candidates will answer a minimum of 75 questions with a maximum of 265
• LPN candidates answer a minimum of 85 questions with a maximum of 205
• It is scored once by the computer on which you are taking it and a second time by the National Council's testing service
• The exam is 5 hours long
• You'll also be asked 15 experimental questions, which will not count towards your final score

As you're studying with your tutor, if you run into an issue that haven't learned yet, you can always include one or more private tutoring sessions as part of your NCLEX test prep strategy. Varsity Tutors can provide whatever kind of help you need through our NCLEX courses. Our goal is the same as yours, which is successful test preparation that leads you to feel confident on the day of the exam.

Once you've completed your NCLEX exam, it may take some time to get your results, even though the computer calculates your score as you go. This is because the testing service used by the National Council recalculates your results to make sure they're accurate.

NCLEX classes through other service providers may not be as flexible as NCLEX test prep with Varsity Tutors. We provide full access to our Live Learning Platform, which allows you to connect in real time with your tutor for NCLEX test prep online. By avoiding issues of travel and transportation, you and your tutor have that much more flexibility to schedule study sessions.

Contact Varsity Tutors today to learn more about and sign up for an NCLEX course. This may be just what you need to improve your NCLEX test prep.