Strategies That Don’t Work on the NCLEX-PN^® Exam

Whether you realize it or not, you developed a set of strategies in nursing school to answer teacher-generated test questions that are written at the knowledge/comprehension level. These strategies include:

• “Cramming” in hundreds of facts about disease processes and nursing care
• Recognizing and recalling facts rather than understanding the pathophysiology and the needs of a client with an illness
• Knowing who wrote the question and what is important to that instructor
• Predicting answers based on what you remember or who wrote the test question
• Selecting the response that is a different length compared to the other choices
• Selecting the answer choice that is grammatically correct
• When in doubt, choosing answer choice (C)

These strategies will not work on the NCLEX-PN^® exam. Remember, the NCLEX-PN^® exam is testing your ability to make safe, competent decisions.