Published Aug 15, 2013
SamIam13
6 Posts
For those of you considering taking ATI Virtual Review for NCLEX, DO NOT DO IT! I wish I found some reviews prior to paying for the course, but now I am trying to share with everyone possible on how TERRIBLE the program is!!
During my nursing program the course used ATI practice reviews, some colleges use HESI; mine used ATI. First, ATI advertises their course as providing one-on-one coaching and a study plan. The study plan is a generic plan that is used based on your overall score, not based on your "weak" areas. And there is no one-on-one, you take the test, if you don't score a 60 or above, your instructor e-mails you to let you know you didn't meet requirements. There is no "chat" with your instructor, you send an email... you wait a day for a reply and so on.
My ATI instructor would give me practice test codes which I later realized were the same exact tests I did in nursing school. When I approached my "ATI instructor" about this, she told me those were the only codes she had. How can you learn from something you already did? Anyway, after you complete a test, you have to do a focused review (which is provided for free even if you don't pay for the course) The focused review consists of anywhere from 200-600 pages LITERALLY of content material that they want you to review. Who wants to sit at their computer & read 600 pages of content? ATI does NOT provide any written materials.
I decided to give ATI a chance, maybe I was missing something, maybe it would get better. I waited 3 weeks in hopes there'd be something to show that I didn't waste my money. Nope. So I attempted to contact the company by phone. I was referred to email the administration because they don't deal with customers through the phone. Since I couldn't contact anyone any other way, I did send an email expressing my concern that I had already taken the tests they're providing and was hoping they'd have extra material. Essentially, I got no reply acknowledging repeat exams.
ATI Virtual Review is so worthless that I have not even tried to log back into their website. Instead, I signed up for Kaplan & bought a Saunder's Content Review Book.
Lordswill
91 Posts
For those of you considering taking ATI Virtual Review for NCLEX, DO NOT DO IT! I wish I found some reviews prior to paying for the course, but now I am trying to share with everyone possible on how TERRIBLE the program is!!During my nursing program the course used ATI practice reviews, some colleges use HESI; mine used ATI. First, ATI advertises their course as providing one-on-one coaching and a study plan. The study plan is a generic plan that is used based on your overall score, not based on your "weak" areas. And there is no one-on-one, you take the test, if you don't score a 60 or above, your instructor e-mails you to let you know you didn't meet requirements. There is no "chat" with your instructor, you send an email... you wait a day for a reply and so on.My ATI instructor would give me practice test codes which I later realized were the same exact tests I did in nursing school. When I approached my "ATI instructor" about this, she told me those were the only codes she had. How can you learn from something you already did? Anyway, after you complete a test, you have to do a focused review (which is provided for free even if you don't pay for the course) The focused review consists of anywhere from 200-600 pages LITERALLY of content material that they want you to review. Who wants to sit at their computer & read 600 pages of content? ATI does NOT provide any written materials.I decided to give ATI a chance, maybe I was missing something, maybe it would get better. I waited 3 weeks in hopes there'd be something to show that I didn't waste my money. Nope. So I attempted to contact the company by phone. I was referred to email the administration because they don't deal with customers through the phone. Since I couldn't contact anyone any other way, I did send an email expressing my concern that I had already taken the tests they're providing and was hoping they'd have extra material. Essentially, I got no reply acknowledging repeat exams.ATI Virtual Review is so worthless that I have not even tried to log back into their website. Instead, I signed up for Kaplan & bought a Saunder's Content Review Book.
Wow, that's not good
lmr2005
Thanks!!! I just graduated and was about to start the virtual ATI that was given to us.
phuretrotr
292 Posts
What I am trying to understand is how this is any different than what you do for ATI during school... I know you mentioned that the tests were the same as the ATI ones you took in school but those same tests and practice assessments have the ability to do a focused review too. But, your focused reviews should only include topics you missed and information you need to review. Basically, from what I understood from your post is that ATI offers two different things, called by different names, but include the almost the same study/test materials?
This is off the ATI website...
Virtual-ATI NCLEX Review includes:
[*]On-demand classroom features including over 250 online learning activities, links that support learning, NCLEX® Question of the Day forums, and an online virtual bookshelf.
[*]Students take a Comprehensive Predictor Exam at the completion of the review.
[*]Students receive review materials in both print and video formats.
It says that you should have assessments with over 500 questions, and I never had that in ATI. Also, it says it provides review materials in print and video formats. So either you're getting jipped or you aren't satisfied. If you just aren't satisfied, I don't think you'll get your money back or anything extra, provided that I think this is the best ATI has.
Also, if you don't want to review 600 pages worth of material, why buy a book (Saunder's Comprehensive Review) that is 1184 pages?
Exactly, the ATI Virtual review offered nothing different than what was offered to me through school. Their advertisement sounds great, but I did not receive "individual support" from my instructor. I would only get an email letting me know whether or not I met standards for each test. That's not support, I can look at the score and see whether or not I scored a 60.
The online assessments of 500+ questions they refer to, are just practice tests that you've already done... each TOTALING over 500, not that each test is that long. The review materials of print, they are not hard copies. You have to read each page from your computer for each section (there are 5 or 6 sections, x 600 pages each). The videos that they speak of are also the same videos that were offered through school from the atitesting.com website; nothing from their website or anything different than I already had.
Buying Saunder's has better review material with questions at the end of each chapter. Again, ATI is 600 pages for EACH section so essentially that 600 pages turns into 3,000+. Some people might prefer to read that many pages from the computer, but I prefer hard copy material when reading a large amount of content.
You're right, I probably won't get my money back, but I am at least trying to warn other people not to waste their money. I hope that anyone considering purchasing the ATI review will at least read my review and think twice.
RLtinker, LPN
282 Posts
I not sure why your not getting different questions, in school we where given codes for versions A and B of the assesments and all the versions I received from my ATI coach are version C. They are different questions. To clear up this:
Virtual-ATI NCLEX Review includes: Students are assigned a coach who is a qualified Nurse Educator with at least 5 years of teaching experience and a minimum of a Master’s degree in Nursing. The Nurse Educator acts as a coach to facilitate the student’s progress with NCLEX® preparation by providing individual support.Detailed diagnostic reports are generated immediately after an individual practice assessment is taken. Students receive feedback from their coach after each assessment. Online assessments include over 500 questions with rationales for correct and incorrect answers. [*]On-demand classroom features including over 250 online learning activities, links that support learning, NCLEX® Question of the Day forums, and an online virtual bookshelf. [*]Students take a Comprehensive Predictor Exam at the completion of the review. [*]Students receive review materials in both print and video formats.
Okay Part one;
Students are assigned a coach who is a qualified Nurse Educator with at least 5 years of teaching experience and a minimum of a Master’s degree in Nursing. The Nurse Educator acts as a coach to facilitate the student’s progress with NCLEX® preparation by providing individual support.
All communication with the ATI tutor is done with the ATI messaging system. From our communications, I take it she teaches a RN-BSNs and there are some days she can not be reached but I already know what days these are. But over all she has always gotten back to me with in a day or two and has always answered any questions I had.
Detailed diagnostic reports are generated immediately after an individual practice assessment is taken. Students receive feedback from their coach after each assessment.
I have never had a score under 60, but it is my understanding if you do, there is an extra assignment your supposed to complete. But typically the communication with the coach is you did a great job, make a report and do a focused review and here are codes for your next assessment. You generate the report the same way you would have done in school.
Online assessments include over 500 questions with rationales for correct and incorrect answers.
There are 9 assessment similar to the ones we took in school. So far med surge at 90 questions has been the longest and it had a stupid number of alternative format questions on it.
On-demand classroom features including over 250 online learning activities, links that support learning, NCLEX® Question of the Day forums, and an online virtual bookshelf.
The "learning activities" section is mostly power point style notes in the form of PDFs. There are a large number of these in each section, but over all they are short. The links and there are not many of these, link to out side web pages like study stack and other learning related sites. The question of the day is a 150 question nclex questions you can answer, but every time you leave it you start from question one. As for "virtual book shelf", each section has a digatal version of the ATI books, which equates to something like 3500 pages or something like that.
Students take a Comprehensive Predictor Exam at the completion of the review. Students receive review materials in both print and video formats.
I haven't gotten this far yet, but from I gather from the test plan, its a 150 question comprehensive assessment. The videos and review materials, I am assuming they are talking about the stupid videos and the ebook exerts the report generates every time you take an assessment.
But personally, I find the whole ati thing an annoyance my school makes me put up with. For one ATI only gave me 4 weeks to study for the nclex, no joke. Which equates to 2 assessments a week.
While it is great that they give us practice questions, I rather study my own way at my own pace. Back in practical issues we had to develop a study plan and I gave my self 5 and a half weeks and it was much more detailed and made more sense to me then the one they gave us in the ATI program.
Its not that the programs not full of information and resources, it just that they don't flow together. Everything is chopped up into sections.
danilynne1986
5 Posts
I also purchased an online module through ATI. It was terrible! I couldn't log in and when I was able to I was kicked out numerous times. The slides would overlap so you would have two people talking at same time on different topics. When I asked for a refund due to their defective product they refused. They stole 5000$ from my nursing class. Terrible customer service and support. I wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy!!
Zack1996
18 Posts
how was the Saunders content review book? I heard by some it's too easy
ernurseelisa
1 Post
The VATI NCLEX course is a joke and a bad one. ATI charges you $1000 to access the an ONLINE PRODUCT which is a rip off in the first place and then another $300 to access and use what you already paid for. The information is bad and the coaches literally just copy and paste stuff to you and it's not based off of what you missed at all. Literally the worst NCLEX prep course of all time