by jc999

Updated Apr 19, 2009 at 06:43 PM by jc999

hey every1.. m just new to this site and i got to read a lot of posts that r really inspiring and could help a lot of nurses out there who r pretty much losing hope like me...

so.. i took my 1st exam for nclex RN in dec.1, 2008, failed @ 90.. i dint hav any computations nor SATA's.. i was enrolled in kaplan but i wasnt able to finish the course not even the qbank. when i took the test it felt like my mind went blank, every question lookd d same 2 me. i figured... bec. when i was reviewing, i really dint put my into it.i was out of focus. a big mistake and i regret it so much!

i have high hopes for kaplan review and i wanted to take it again. this tym, i watched ol the videos; took down notes- read them ol over, read d book dat came with d course, memorized by heart all the lab values, answered ol d test questions(did pretty good), and then the qbank(which is so difficult) my scores are only ranging from 50-60%, the passing is 60. even though i use the decision tree, i stil end up wit d wrong answer so i bought saunders but only the Q&A book 4th edition 4 additonal review. i dint get to finish the whole book and the cd that came with it. but i wud say, my scores were much higher than in kaplan. i tried and tried until such tym i felt lyk i was ready, so i took it in april 12,2009.. i had a lot of prioritization, pt. teaching, 3 computations, 7 SATA, 1 priority(ordered response) i concentrated, and my computer shut off at 75.. even though i was so nervous i felt happy deep inside, i was feeling confident after .. but stil praying n hoping... then through the quick result i just found out... i failed ..... y oh y?? ........its heart breaking! i put my all into it ds time..im just so tired.

i stil think kaplan is good but maybe just not for me.... im planning to buy the lecture book 4th editon of saunders and just stick to that along with d saunders Q&A book and cd...no more other books... what do u guys think??..... HELP!

Re: Tried kaplan didn't work.. Saunders alone, is it better??

Give yourself some time to feel bad, then make a plan and get back to it. Suggest you get the Saunders Comprehensive Review book this time and study as if you had not tested before. Do as many questions as possible and study the rationales. Don't be in a hurry to reschedule. Set your appointment far enough out so that you have enough time to prepare. Good luck.

Re: Tried kaplan didn't work.. Saunders alone, is it better??

As suggested I would just get the Saunders comprehensive book and practice questions and read the rationale even if you get it right. Everyone has a study style that suits them and it may be that Kaplan isn't yours. Hang in there and with proper preparation I am sure you will make it

Re: Tried kaplan didn't work.. Saunders alone, is it better??

I also used Kaplan my first time, and unfortunately I didn't pass either. I was getting in the 50s-60s on the Q-Banks as well. And when it came down to my Readiness test I scored in the passing range and still failed! For me, I don't think Kaplan helped, but that is just my take on it. I am retesting again in May and have been reading Saunders 4th edition since I found out I failed in Feb. I do think that the questions in Saunders are alot easier than NCLEX it does help tremendously on getting a good grasp on the background information to be able to answer the prioritization questions. Keep your head up!!!

Re: Tried kaplan didn't work.. Saunders alone, is it better??

thank u guys! i would just try saunders this time....... hopefully it works for me too

---->> prayin2pass:
i agree... i noticed too that q's in saunders r easier than the nclex, only some of it resembles the exam.. but i think too that kaplan q's r much harder than nclex.. but then kaplan q's really got me confused..
so hav u been using other books aside from saunders? ..GOOD LUCK ON YOUR EXAMS!!! pls keep us posted=)

Re: Tried kaplan didn't work.. Saunders alone, is it better??

I retake mine in may (hopefully), it's really hard out there, buying, buying and more buying! Try not to feel you need everything out there, b/c that's where I went wrong. Everytime I heard of something else to read, I brought it, and the problem was, I had too much to read with little time. I started reading Saunders Comprehensive and so far, I really like it. It breaks down everything in language you can understand

Re: Tried kaplan didn't work.. Saunders alone, is it better??

I took the Nclex-Rn twice and failed. money is hard to come by for retaking these test and before taking it again i will change my plan from Kaplan to Saunders. I too hope this helps.