Exit HESI test prep, strategies, opinions, general questions

I just took it and I passed with a 932! The passing score was 850. I started studying over winter break with Medspub.com, a resource our school (4 yr. BS) paid to have us use to review. It had tons of practice questions and tutorials. I also used NCLEX 4000. Both were pretty spot on in the topics and types of questions that would be on the HESI.

I would say about 40% of our class did not pass, and while they will get their diploma when the graduate, they have to take it one more time after a remediation class in the summer.

I am making this post b/c it's what I wanted to read before going into the exit HESI-RN...

I passed with an 1185. Most of my friends passed with scores >1000 as well. There are SO MANY posts with people saying they failed or got JUST above the cut-off, so I went into the HESI thinking I *might* get a 950 MAX (needed 900 to pass), which was kind of a scary feeling. So maybe this post will give others some hope!

To be honest, I thought the exam was VERY difficult (some of my friends said it was easy, so maybe I'm crazy). I am a good test taker & I usually feel like I know the answer when I take tests. But on the HESI, for probably 10-15% of the questions I was VERY unsure, and on another 25% I was somewhat unsure. This was because I didn't know the answer from facts & I had to rely heavily on vague notions & test-taking strategies. I was also nervous and couldn't even remember how to do math for the first 20 questions or so! :P

BUT I only missed 10% of the questions. Using basic principles (fundamentals, patho, anatomy) & good test-taking strategies, I was able to get a high score despite having not prepared as thoroughly as I could have.

For material: I prepared by...
1) watching the Miller DVD series (over about a month, ending about 2-3 weeks before my HESI; thought it was super helpful) - but did NOT review this material as it got closer to my HESI date
2) reading (quickly & half-heartedly) about 1/3 of the Saunders book (::WAY too detailed for quick review!:
3) reading the Hesi Hints (didn't help me AT ALL...or maybe I just read them too quickly)
4) listening to 1/2 of the Kaplan audio review (if you JUST need to review things you have previously understood well, this review is awesome. If you need extra help understanding something- it might be too cursory & quick-paced. It doesn't go into the "why" for a lot of things.).

For questions, I did around 600 & at least skimmed the rationale for each one I missed (sometimes also for ones I got right). I did the Kaplan practice exam from the 2010 NCLEX CD (76%), the comprehensive exam from the HESI practice CD that came w/ the book (69%), 75 Kaplan questions from the 2010 book (70%), and some questions from the Saunders CD (usually got a 70% on the 10-question quizzes). I stopped doing questions because I understood the test taking strategies well & was getting 70-75% no matter how much more I studied. (I also did NCLEX 3500 and thought it was a JOKE. Don't waste your time.)

So my advice would be -
IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, BRING A [quiet] SNACK OR TWO! AND WATER! I was SO BORED & munching on something would have helped me concentrate.
If you're getting 60-70% on Kaplan or Saunders questions, consistently, chill out - you'll be fine. More than fine.
If you're getting <50%, you probably do need to continue studying content & test strategies. Maybe buddy up with someone who's doing ok so they can explain their thought processes.

If you procrastinated & don't have much time to study - review:
first and foremost: test taking strategies
emergency situations & s/s drug toxicities, especially in OB & Psych
fundamentals: injections, IV setup, assessment skills
electrolytes: lab values, foods, s/s of hyper/hypo
CBC & ABG lab values
cardiac & emergency meds/procedures
conversion factors (like lb to kg, oz to ml--and ALWAYS make sure you are reporting the correct unit in your answer; they don't make it clear a conversion is needed)
prioritizing, delegation, & legal issues (consent, abuse, etc.)

SLOW DOWN and read EVERY WORD - that saved me a few times. Also remember sometimes the answer really IS "that is a normal finding."

Good luck everyone!

I am currently fighting my school, because they have a exit exam policy that says we must make a 900 on HESI before they will send out our transcripts. I have found research articles that show that the HESI is only 47% accurate and that 81% of the people who were predicted to fail which is a score below 900 actually passed NCLEX when allowed to take it. They say I have a good agurement and will disscss it and make a desion. What I need is information on New York banning HESI as well as the court cases currently fighing Hesi in Chicago. PLease help me if you can. Thank you