I have been told that an NCLEX book is a great study aid though out the RN program. So what is everyone's oppinion of the best one to buy? Thanks for any suggestions.

Originally posted by angelbear

I have been told that an NCLEX book is a great study aid though out the RN program. So what is everyone's oppinion of the best one to buy? Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm sorry angelbear but if you want my opinion on which NCLEX study guide is the best, then you're going to have to listen to my opinion about using it first. Don't make NCLEX your life. I wouldn't suggest carrying an NCLEX book around everywhere I go if you start doing this you're going to get class questions and NCLEX questions mixed up. Besides if you don't pass the nursing program it really doesn't matter how well you have the NCLEX review down. I wouldn't have it in my possession at all until maybe a month or two before the end of the final semester. I'm more than likely going to get in trouble for this but here it goes. For as much pounding into my head that the instructors did to me in college about how difficult NCLEX will be just turned out to be a bunch of hogwash. I was nearly furious when I got home from taking my NCLEX test. The reason for my anger was from the number of times I had heard how difficult this test was going to be. I physically spent 2 years of my life studying for this one test, and monetarily I spent well over $400.00 to have the privilege to sit and take the test. My friction was only fueled by the sheer audacity of the computer shutting me down at 75 questions (please understand I had significant amount of background knowledge as a CNA in a huge teaching hospital). Truly I was furious because I spent all that money on one of the easiest tests I had taken throughout my entire career in the nursing program. That's why I truly believe you must maintain a certain amount of time dedicated only to NCLEX review and ONLY THAT AMOUNT OF TIME! Secondly, you're almost guaranteed to have conflicts with the NCLEX Q&A's and that of your nursing programs Q&A's. P.S. your instructor will always win! When you're finished with the program, you can and need to devote as much time as possible to NCLEX studying. Find a good study guide and take it everywhere you go. You never know when you're going to have time to kill and you could have been studying. Take it to work with you and flip through pages during lunch while you're "scarfing" down a chili dog... I on one hand was lucky enough, if you can call it luck, got nailed for jury duty so I was able to dedicate an eight hour day completely to NCLEX studying. Now to the study guide, "NCLEX-RN Questions & Answers Made Incredibly Easy!" by Springhouse Corporation, Springhouse. This was an unbelievably fantastic study guide. There are well over 3,000 questions for study. The book is well put together so you do not have to answer the question then flip all the way to the back of the book to get the answer. It's all right there. The question is on the left of the page, and right next to it on the same page to the right you have the rationale. Which is kept covered with a place card that comes along with the guide. Your best prep for the NCLEX is to answer questions-questions-questions. Did I say answer questions? Can you tell I've had one to many cups of coffee. You can find it on Amazon.com if the hyperlink below doesn't work.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1582552282/qid=1075716118//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i13_xgl14/103-9277905-3204639?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Speculating, THANKS! :) Finally, someone has explained a simple truth. I too, was thinking that I should be studying for that darn

test. But , it makes much more sense to do it the way you explained. At least for people like me. (40 something) I think there is enough to study without trying to freak yourself out about a test that is far enough into the future to let one concentrate on the task at hand. I for one thank you! :kiss

Originally posted by SunnyRn2B

Speculating, THANKS! :) Finally, someone has explained a simple truth. I too, was thinking that I should be studying for that darn

test. But , it makes much more sense to do it the way you explained. At least for people like me. (40 something) I think there is enough to study without trying to freak yourself out about a test that is far enough into the future to let one concentrate on the task at hand. I for one thank you! :kiss

40 y/o never stopped me so I doubt it will cause you any difficulties. The book I turned you on too will do wonders for you and your self esteem in regards to test taking. So set up a schedule for studying. Then use that time to study. Sometimes grabbing finger food and a few beers help the study group a long. Remember the NCLEX test is hugely based on simple common sense. Use it and you shale succeed.

do you all think that saunders questions and answers is a good book or is kaplan better?

I took the NCLEX last week and I was told by so many people study as kinds of different books so you'll be ready for anything, but when I took it, the only book that was really helpful was the Kaplan. It was the only book that was close to the same questions that were on the NCLEX itself.

I have been told that an NCLEX book is a great study aid though out the RN program. So what is everyone's oppinion of the best one to buy? Thanks for any suggestions.

School recommends Saunders (green cover?) and some test ?s actually come from it. Profs recommend studying it for classes (ha--go figure). Good luck. You can't go wrong I think with any of them. Some classmates get several and study several for their actual classes.

I was wondering the same thing. I will start nursing classes in the fall. I was thinking that an NCLEX review book, one that was divided up by body systems preferably, might be a good study guide.

However, it is a very good point that maybe I should just wait on that, and study from the schools books and lecture notes.

Now I am not so sure. If I get a NCLEX review book, I may not even have time to use it.

But you all seem to agree that the most helpful ones are:

NCLEX Review Made Easy

Kaplan

Saunders

Correct??

THANKS!

I would definitely recommend waiting on purchasing a review book. Spend the time on studying what you actually need to get thru your classes, and then when you see light at the end of the tunnel, that is when you can and should start working on the questions. Try to do at least 100 per day and you want to complete about 4,000 questions before taking your exam. So if you were planning to write the exam in June, I would start the review the beginning of April. You will drive yourself crazy otherwise.

Good luck.................... :balloons:

I found out last week that I passed the NCLEX. The test shut off after 75 questions. Some of the questions were hard, but that is the point of a computer adaptive test. It finds the level where you can get 50 percent right.

The best review book that I found, by far is Mosby's Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN. It gives a great condensed review and Q & A's with explainations. I lived with that book for a period of time. I also had NCLEX-RN Made Ridiculously Simple. It was pretty good, but not nearly as good as Mosby. I saw Saunders in the library. It was just way too much information to review. I would not recommend Saunders.

If you are going to buy one book for the NCLEX, buy Kaplan NCLEX-RN. It does not give you a review, but it teaches you powerful strategies for answering NCLEX questions. It is a quick read, so if a local library has it, that is fine. I would even get Kaplan while you are in nursing school, because it really gives you great strategies for all nursing tests. You can get all of these books much cheaper than list price at http://www.half.com.

Keep in mind that the pass rate for American nursing school graduates is approximately 87%. Do not stress out too much. Most people pass. Good Luck!

I took the NCLEX last Friday - it shut off at 75 - and I passed. I had multiple NCLEX books and studied a lot for about 3 weeks. I ended up just doing the comprehensive tests at the end of each of the books, though. Reading rationales made the process more time consuming, but very helpful. I found this to give me a well rounded review.

There seemed to be a lot of prioritizing questions (which patient do you see first? which patient do you assign to the CNA?) on my particular exam, and I've heard that from many of my classmates. Also the typical "which do you do first?"

I actually did find the NCLEX books helpful for my last two semesters and wish I'd used them for the whole program. Reading the rationales helped me to see why one answer was better than another in those questions where they're ALL right - just which one should be done FIRST. My test grades seemed to get a little better in school by just doing the NCLEX section on whatever area we were being instructed on.

I also recommend finding the books used - even if there is writing in them. Reading the rationales is the best way to learn, so don't worry if you don't have the books in pristine condition. I liked Lippincott, Kaplan, and Mosby's.

Kaplan and Saunders!!.They by far are the best to study from. I personally did not find Mosby's beneficial. Good luck to you in your program and the NCLEX:)

Can you please tell me what is a good book I can study for the LPN test?

Thank

Saintanor

I found out last week that I passed the NCLEX. The test shut off after 75 questions. Some of the questions were hard, but that is the point of a computer adaptive test. It finds the level where you can get 50 percent right.

The best review book that I found, by far is Mosby's Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN. It gives a great condensed review and Q & A's with explainations. I lived with that book for a period of time. I also had NCLEX-RN Made Ridiculously Simple. It was pretty good, but not nearly as good as Mosby. I saw Saunders in the library. It was just way too much information to review. I would not recommend Saunders.

If you are going to buy one book for the NCLEX, buy Kaplan NCLEX-RN. It does not give you a review, but it teaches you powerful strategies for answering NCLEX questions. It is a quick read, so if a local library has it, that is fine. I would even get Kaplan while you are in nursing school, because it really gives you great strategies for all nursing tests. You can get all of these books much cheaper than list price at www.half.com.

Keep in mind that the pass rate for American nursing school graduates is approximately 87%. Do not stress out too much. Most people pass. Good Luck!