How Much Should You Study for the NCLEX?
A lot of people always ask how much they should be studying in order to pass the NCLEX. Some people only study for three days and some people study for months. The NCLEX is a very expensive test and will not let you retake the exam for another 45 days if you fail. This can potentially hurt a new job you had lined up, and prolong the amount of time until you can work. Passing the NCLEX should be your priority and setting a goal is the best way to pass the NCLEX.
How much time should I give myself to study for the NCLEX?
The best thing to do when scheduling your NCLEX is to give yourself a realistic amount of time to study beforehand. Setting a date is a great way to give yourself a deadline and a tangible goal to work towards. Try to give yourself at least two weeks to three weeks to study for your NCLEX.
This means when you schedule your NCLEX test date, assume the day of and the day before are no-study days. Give yourself at least two weeks of a study period between the time you schedule and the actual date.
Two to three weeks is a perfect amount of time to set a study schedule with plenty of breaks to study effectively.
How much studying should I do per day?
Remember all the study tricks you learned in psychology. No more than two hours at a time without a break because then you are not giving your brain a break. Your studying schedule could be 6 to 8 hours a day of good studying with an hour break in between the two hours of studying.
It could look like:
12p - 2p Study
2p - 3p Break
3p - 5p Study
5p - 6p Break
6p - 8p Study
This would be a perfect block schedule for 6-hour study sessions for two weeks straight. This is a lot, but this method ensures plenty of brain resting breaks while giving you multiple study sessions to gain repetition. Repetition is the key to learning information, not 12-hour straight days with no breaks.
Go check out How To Study for the NCLEX for a better schedule.
Can I take break days?
Of course, you can take a break day. Taking a break day once a week, or when you are feeling completely burnt out is great. It will give you the time you need to reset your brain. If at the end of your break day you are feeling better, try to complete just 25 questions at the end of the day so you can tell yourself you did something.
To summarize:
6 hours a day with an hour break in between two hours is perfect. Giving yourself at least two weeks with this schedule ensures that you have studied over a long period of time to give yourself repetition. You could study for a shorter amount of time if you want to as others have passed doing so. Paying $200 for an exam and a 45-day wait period between test dates is quite the gamble to take if you do not want to study a lot. Do not let yourself go into this exam thinking, “I could have studied more per day and used my time more wisely”. This is one test, knock it out of the way the first time.
