Any longer reviews out there? Study buddy? Other advice?

nirj · Oct 20, 2012

hi WorldTravelingYogi do not panic! going to a good school is certainly a good thing but it doesn't determine how you will do in NCLEX! i am saying this coz I am a foreign graduate, we studied the same textbook as you did but other than that everything was different...even our test were subjective type!!! why I am saying this all is because hard work is the key to success.....I graduated 2 yrs back...studied and studied for this test for 2months and I took my NCLEX-RN yesterday, stopped at 75 and today found out I passed in my 1st attempt!! do what you can and need to do from your side...rest leave it to god! If I can do...you can too! best of luck,,,,write to me if you need any help/tips with studying! and best wishes! :)

WorldTravelingYogi · Oct 20, 2012

Congrats Nirj. That's awesome. Unfortunately I am not going to leave my life in the hands of an imaginary friend that lives in the clouds. Sorry if I am insulting you but I can't figure out why some people bring religion into everything. Not sure what your God has to do with my exam. Sorry again but I have very strong opinions on this and my stomach churns every time I see that 3 letter word.

My school was really, really bad. Take home exams. Some of the professors were just awful and class was cancelled a lot. I cannot describe how little learning was involved. I am not even sure how it was accredited. Though it regained accreditation for another 8 years my first year there.

I have been studying for 3 months and really strong the past month but I don't feel like I am not getting anywhere. I keep looking the same things up over and over again and things are not sticking. I am trying to teach myself content and it isn't really working so I was hoping someone knew of some program that would last about a month give or take and teach me nursing. Or something. I just did Kaplan Question Trainer 4 and scored a 49% which is not going to cut it. I need to be at least in the high 50's.

So If anyone knows of any longer programs. Maybe not even an NCLEX review class. Maybe like a nursing review class. Maybe someone knows of something I have never heard of. Please let me know. Thanks!

hi WorldTravelingYogi do not panic! going to a good school is certainly a good thing but it doesn't determine how you will do in NCLEX! i am saying this coz I am a foreign graduate, we studied the same textbook as you did but other than that everything was different...even our test were subjective type!!! why I am saying this all is because hard work is the key to success.....I graduated 2 yrs back...studied and studied for this test for 2months and I took my NCLEX-RN yesterday, stopped at 75 and today found out I passed in my 1st attempt!! do what you can and need to do from your side...rest leave it to god! If I can do...you can too! best of luck,,,,write to me if you need any help/tips with studying! and best wishes! :)

itk3838 · Oct 20, 2012

I scored 67 % on Kaplan before I took my exam and I still didn't pass... As a foreign nurse, my problem is in terminology and abbreviations. I was advised by my friend who took exam and passed on a first try - besides reviewing your materials try to understand how things really works, ask yourself a lot of questions during your studies and paraphrase something that is very hard for you to grasp. Evaluate your study abilities... some people better in groups, some are visual learners... it will help you to choose adequate program. :) I found ATI program for myself.

How did you choose your school?

With religious topics... I try to understand people instead of criticizing them... Some day you can have a client with totally different point of view then yours and what are you going to do? It is part of who you are and try not to ignore important values because religion can have such a strong effect on everything... life style, food, habits :-) I know some people find comfort in blessings and some are just atheistic. Try to think like a Nurse! :nurse:

If you have problems with your studies - feel free to connect!

WorldTravelingYogi · Oct 21, 2012

I know I just need to chill when I see the word God but sometimes it hits me wrong. And I have traveled trough over 70 countries and lived on 4 continents so I really should relax when I see God.

I lived in Puerto Rico for two years and I know it is more a part of their culture then anything else but I just could not handle it when my professors were saying God Bless You and BE Blessed, and other stuff. I am from San Francisco, which is one of the most liberal and secular places on this planet. I was just neutral or non-religious until I moved to Puerto Rico and became atheist. It had a way different effect then religious people in the developing countries I would visit.

I applied to a bunch of schools in CA and didn’t get in. I applied to second-degree Bachelors programs and 2 year AND programs. All the schools had over 1,000 applicants for 50 or so spots. One school I was number 378 on the wait list and they had about 1,200 applicants. The other schools stop wait lists at 75 people, which really makes more sense.

So I heard about a University in Puerto Rico that had no waiting list and the program was in English. So I went for it and now I am paying for it.

I just saw your post “90 days before NCLEX-RN exam” and it is very helpful. Keep posting. I am just so bad at reading stuff. I am not a good self-studier. I am way better in a structured environment and that is why I wish there was some 9-5, 5 days a week class that was a month long. That would be perfect.

When you say you got 67% on Kaplan was that on the Readiness Test, the Diagnostic test, the Q Bank, one of the Q Trainers? What did you get 67% on?

I scored 67 % on Kaplan before I took my exam and I still didn't pass... As a foreign nurse, my problem is in terminology and abbreviations. I was advised by my friend who took exam and passed on a first try - besides reviewing your materials try to understand how things really works, ask yourself a lot of questions during your studies and paraphrase something that is very hard for you to grasp. Evaluate your study abilities... some people better in groups, some are visual learners... it will help you to choose adequate program. :) I found ATI program for myself.
How did you choose your school?
With religious topics... I try to understand people instead of criticizing them... Some day you can have a client with totally different point of view then yours and what are you going to do? It is part of who you are and try not to ignore important values because religion can have such a strong effect on everything... life style, food, habits :-) I know some people find comfort in blessings and some are just atheistic. Try to think like a Nurse!
If you have problems with your studies - feel free to connect!

mcasborn · Oct 22, 2012

Hey, I too went to school in Puerto Rico due to no waiting list and the weather (however all my classes were in Spanish and I speak English)..lol, but when it came to taking the nclex, I failed the boards of Ca. I took Kaplan and my readiness test score was a 59 and my overall qbank was 66 (I did 50 questions timed with unused and incorrect until 100% complete). I ended up buying Kaplan Strategy book which is extremely helpful (bought 3 weeks prior to testing). I would recommend going to A bookstore and browsing through it and see if it looks helpful. The moment I read through the first few pages about strategies, I knew I had to buy it. So I took my test Oct 19 and got the good pop up with the PV trick. Don't give up. You don't have to be extremely brilliant nor know all the content. I have friends who I believe are smarter than me but haven't been able to master this test after multiple tries. It will happen though. Positive thinking and the strategy book is what I suggest. Good luck to you fellow nurse!

WorldTravelingYogi · Oct 22, 2012

Did you go to Interamericana? If you studied in Spanish you could have been really anywhere. I was at Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Metro campus. But UMET also has an English program and I heard another school was starting an English program this fall. I forget which university.

I asume you were in San Juan. I lived near school the first year and the second year lived on the beach in Ocean Park. It was so awesome. I miss my beachside apt. I could never afford to live on the beach here in CA and the water is NOT the same. Loved rolling out of bed into the ocean all year long into bathtub like water. Now that it is starting to get chilly I really miss the weather a lot. I really detest winter, even CA winter.

I digressed. Anyway, I am doing all of Kaplan. I am watching the videos and they definitely go over the strategies. I can't imagine they would have different strategies in the book the over the counter book then they do in the online program. I use the decision tree when answering questions. However when you don't know what they are talking about the decision tree does not help much.

I am surprised you failed with a 59 on the readiness. Congrats for passing the second time though.

What I need is some program that is going to teach me nursing. I need the basics. I have listened to Hurst over and over and that isn't working.

I totally wish I could find a month long refresher course. I found refresher courses for licensed nurses but you have to have your license. I am looking for something similar for unlicensed nurses. Not necessarily an NCLEX review class though.

Hey, I too went to school in Puerto Rico due to no waiting list and the weather (however all my classes were in Spanish and I speak English)..lol, but when it came to taking the nclex, I failed the boards of Ca. I took Kaplan and my readiness test score was a 59 and my overall qbank was 66 (I did 50 questions timed with unused and incorrect until 100% complete). I ended up buying Kaplan Strategy book which is extremely helpful (bought 3 weeks prior to testing). I would recommend going to A bookstore and browsing through it and see if it looks helpful. The moment I read through the first few pages about strategies, I knew I had to buy it. So I took my test Oct 19 and got the good pop up with the PV trick. Don't give up. You don't have to be extremely brilliant nor know all the content. I have friends who I believe are smarter than me but haven't been able to master this test after multiple tries. It will happen though. Positive thinking and the strategy book is what I suggest. Good luck to you fellow nurse!

itk3838 · Oct 22, 2012

I know I just need to chill when I see the word God but sometimes it hits me wrong. And I have traveled trough over 70 countries and lived on 4 continents so I really should relax when I see God.
I lived in Puerto Rico for two years and I know it is more a part of their culture then anything else but I just could not handle it when my professors were saying God Bless You and BE Blessed, and other stuff. I am from San Francisco, which is one of the most liberal and secular places on this planet. I was just neutral or non-religious until I moved to Puerto Rico and became atheist. It had a way different effect then religious people in the developing countries I would visit.

Let me ask you: " What irritates you so much when people are wishing you well?" I'm trying to understand your point of view... I was raised as atheist and our medical school had atheism as important subject for our studies. We went in depth through so many cultural believes. I only wish schools in America will teach you that. If you can't handle when your professor were saying "God bless you" or other fellow nurses comments - then you need to investigate what is behind your own believe system. Because I see your professor less hostile towards students then you towards anybody who mention Gods name in common language.

I applied to a bunch of schools in CA and didn’t get in. I applied to second-degree Bachelors programs and 2 year AND programs. All the schools had over 1,000 applicants for 50 or so spots. One school I was number 378 on the wait list and they had about 1,200 applicants. The other schools stop wait lists at 75 people, which really makes more sense.
So I heard about a University in Puerto Rico that had no waiting list and the program was in English. So I went for it and now I am paying for it.
I just saw your post “90 days before NCLEX-RN exam” and it is very helpful. Keep posting. I am just so bad at reading stuff. I am not a good self-studier. I am way better in a structured environment and that is why I wish there was some 9-5, 5 days a week class that was a month long. That would be perfect.

I went through Kaplan course myself and can't say anything less about their program. I like their strategy and Decision tree. But at this time I decided to go over ATI course.

https://www.atitesting.com/Home.aspx

Their overview is in more depth and on a top of everything they assign a mentor who will guide you through your preparation to the exam. Their questions are harder then Kaplan and actual exam. I will advise you to prepare well on your first try otherwise it will be harder to pass. Every single time system remembers your previous mistakes and digs dipper into your knowledge. This why I took Anatomy and Pathophisiology on iTunes so my medical terminology will not fail this time. Since you are an English speaker and went through school here you have less things to worry about. Like you mentioned about your attention span - create controlled environment for your own studies. You need study buddy who will be more in control then you. Get yourself accountable! Mentor will help too! I found myself that all these review programs are great but nothing can be better then Refresher course through reliable college or University. Bay Area has several places like that where you can talk with Program Director and attend their hands on Lab's.

Don't blame your school for lack of knowledge... I spoke with a lot of nurses with BSN who knew just basic when they started to work at the hospital and it was a hit of reality on a floor for them. Some are left profession for good, some overcame challenges and working now at great clinics. Nursing pathways are not covered with roses but it's a great pleasure to offer your shoulder for the ones who needs it the most.

I worked as RN before, traveled a lot too and can compare education and medicine. Americans are so fortunate to have what they have but most of these things are taken for granted. In "third world countries" nurses are making their own cotton balls and dressings, disposable needles are miracles, lack of medications and simple surgical instruments... not to mention diagnostic tools... Using "Doppler" for pregnant women??? Forget about it!!! My list can go on and on.

I will continue my posts, thank you for noticing and I'm glad you like it! Pharmacology I took from several sources: mostly from Nursing Drug book, online search and "Pharmacology Nursing Process" book. We had some copyrights issues there but I will try to fix it by publishing my own notes about Pharm from now on. :-) If you will have any hard times understanding something - keep in touch! I will share with you everything that I know.

When you say you got 67% on Kaplan was that on the Readiness Test, the Diagnostic test, the Q Bank, one of the Q Trainers? What did you get 67% on?

That was on my Readiness test, Q-Bank was 72%, and Diagnostic 56%.

mcasborn · Oct 23, 2012

I went to Universidad Adventista de Las Antillas which is located in Mayagüez, PR. That's about 2-3 hrs from San Juan depending on the traffic. My readiness score was for this recent test that I just passed. As far as the decision tree, I honestly didn't find it helpful at all and barely, or not at all, used this to make my answer choices (unless I subconsciously do it). It was more of, I looked for incorrect statements- including words: only, never, always, all, entire, (these words are normally associated with a wrong answer). I also used ABC's and just remembered rationales from previous topics if that topic appeared on my test. I don't know, but the strategy book just helped break down the answer choices and how to pick the correct answer based on the type of question. I guess it's the same as what Kaplan online teaches but I guess I grasped the concept better from the book. Whatever works is what matters

mcasborn · Oct 23, 2012

Oh, I would also like to mention that I have Kaplan audio on my iPhone so when I drove places I would listen to that. I think it's a shorter than the content videos but still just enough info for me to know. What I would do is listen to a clip, then I would pause it, repeat out loud what I remembered and then either do this again or move onto the next topic depending upon how much I could retain.

I do miss the weather in PR. I used to camp at the beach with other classmates. We would bring our books, study, relax, etc. it's not realistic to go for a night swim in Ca, would probably get pneumonia. Lol. I would wake up, go for a morning swim and then pick mangos from a tree for breakfast. Really did feel like I was on a vacation during nursing school. Lol

WorldTravelingYogi · Oct 26, 2012

Let me ask you: " What irritates you so much when people are wishing you well?" I'm trying to understand your point of view... I was raised as atheist and our medical school had atheism as important subject for our studies. We went in depth through so many cultural believes. I only wish schools in America will teach you that. If you can't handle when your professor were saying "God bless you" or other fellow nurses comments - then you need to investigate what is behind your own believe system. Because I see your professor less hostile towards students then you towards anybody who mention Gods name in common language.

When my teachers would say “God Bless Me” it bugged me at first. I truly felt I was the only atheist on the island. I then met an atheist group and things were way better when I realized I was not alone. There are over 1,300 people in this Facebook atheist group for Puerto Rico and I felt so much better when I had people to talk to. I let go of the little things after a while and realized it is part of their culture.

But the original poster was not wishing me well she/he was saying to leave it in God’s hands. If I did that I would surely fail. That is what set me off. I believe it is inappropriate in a public forum.

As I said I have traveled through over 70 countries and come across many different religions and cultures and always want to learn about their religion and culture.

I have close friends that are Morman, Muslim, Hindu, and of course Christian. I talk about religion with all of them and it is never heated. I just think a public forum is inappropriate.

I went through Kaplan course myself and can't say anything less about their program. I like their strategy and Decision tree. But at this time I decided to go over ATI course.

https://www.atitesting.com/Home.aspx

Their overview is in more depth and on a top of everything they assign a mentor who will guide you through your preparation to the exam. Their questions are harder then Kaplan and actual exam. I will advise you to prepare well on your first try otherwise it will be harder to pass. Every single time system remembers your previous mistakes and digs dipper into your knowledge. This why I took Anatomy and Pathophisiology on iTunes so my medical terminology will not fail this time. Since you are an English speaker and went through school here you have less things to worry about. Like you mentioned about your attention span - create controlled environment for your own studies. You need study buddy who will be more in control then you. Get yourself accountable! Mentor will help too! I found myself that all these review programs are great but nothing can be better then Refresher course through reliable college or University. Bay Area has several places like that where you can talk with Program Director and attend their hands on Lab's.
Don't blame your school for lack of knowledge... I spoke with a lot of nurses with BSN who knew just basic when they started to work at the hospital and it was a hit of reality on a floor for them. Some are left profession for good, some overcame challenges and working now at great clinics. Nursing pathways are not covered with roses but it's a great pleasure to offer your shoulder for the ones who needs it the most.

I worked as RN before, traveled a lot too and can compare education and medicine. Americans are so fortunate to have what they have but most of these things are taken for granted. In "third world countries" nurses are making their own cotton balls and dressings, disposable needles are miracles, lack of medications and simple surgical instruments... not to mention diagnostic tools... Using "Doppler" for pregnant women??? Forget about it!!! My list can go on and on.

I will continue my posts, thank you for noticing and I'm glad you like it! Pharmacology I took from several sources: mostly from Nursing Drug book, online search and "Pharmacology Nursing Process" book. We had some copyrights issues there but I will try to fix it by publishing my own notes about Pharm from now on. :-) If you will have any hard times understanding something - keep in touch! I will share with you everything that I know.

That was on my Readiness test, Q-Bank was 72%, and Diagnostic 56%.

Who is the author of the drug book you used? There where a lot of books called Nursing Drugs and I did search for "Pharmacology Nursing Process.”

Your Kaplan scores where good. I am really surprised.

I know how things are like in the developing world. I have lived in Africa and Asia. After I put in my first 2 years of experience I want to do something like Doctors Without Borders. It has been my goal since the beginning.

And I am not worried about when I start at a hospital. Most hospitals don’t expect the new grads to know anything. I have a job once I pass the test and they know they are going to have to teach me everything. Other friends from my program are already working there.

Any I really wish I had a buddy around here but most are in Puerto Rico. I thought about flying back for a few weeks and staying with a friend so we could study together.

And yeah I am looking for a refresher course. I just found out about those and I am trying to find one now. Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

WorldTravelingYogi · Oct 26, 2012

Oh, I would also like to mention that I have Kaplan audio on my iPhone so when I drove places I would listen to that. I think it's a shorter than the content videos but still just enough info for me to know. What I would do is listen to a clip, then I would pause it, repeat out loud what I remembered and then either do this again or move onto the next topic depending upon how much I could retain.
I do miss the weather in PR. I used to camp at the beach with other classmates. We would bring our books, study, relax, etc. it's not realistic to go for a night swim in Ca, would probably get pneumonia. Lol. I would wake up, go for a morning swim and then pick mangos from a tree for breakfast. Really did feel like I was on a vacation during nursing school. Lol

Yeah I have some various audio programs I listen to while driving.

Yeah we would have study groups at the beach. The beach was my office. I loved it. It was just the perfect amount of wind so you were not hot and I was always under palm trees.

I had mango, coconut, and papaya trees in my yard. Made fresh smoothies on a daily basis. Oh what a rough life we had. :-)