Excelsior ADN - What study materials did you use to earn As or Bs

I used studygroup101 and I have older edition textbooks - haven't made under a B yet!

Hi Everyone,

For those of you that earned As in the Excelsior ADN nurse theory exams, what study materials did you use?

Did you read every book & chapter listed in the Course Outlines for each exam?

Excelsior Practice Exams?

Lisa Arends notes?

TCN?

Study Group 101 Guides?

Anything else?

I used my old lpn textbooks as well as info online to get all A's. I took the free study guide excelsior put out and looked up each item on it.

I really believe it doesn't always matter what material you use exactly. It depends how much time you have to put into studying, among other things. If your life is totally crazy and you can not study and concentrate it doesn't matter what references you have sitting in front of you. The study guides/content outlines and practice exams are helpful.

Also, when you look for a job after acheiving your goal, employers do not necessarily care if you got all A's. I graduated LPN school with several girls who got straight A's and they made horrible hands-on nurses, a couple actually lost their licenses for illegal activity. So, grades do not make the nurse, just because the nurse makes the grade.

Focus on knowing the material and enjoy what you do, if you get A's, B's or C's, go be an awesome nurse!!

Just my personal thoughts!! Have a great day and a great career!!

I really believe it doesn't always matter what material you use exactly. It depends how much time you have to put into studying, among other things. If your life is totally crazy and you can not study and concentrate it doesn't matter what references you have sitting in front of you. The study guides/content outlines and practice exams are helpful.

Also, when you look for a job after acheiving your goal, employers do not necessarily care if you got all A's. I graduated LPN school with several girls who got straight A's and they made horrible hands-on nurses, a couple actually lost their licenses for illegal activity. So, grades do not make the nurse, just because the nurse makes the grade.

Focus on knowing the material and enjoy what you do, if you get A's, B's or C's, go be an awesome nurse!!

Just my personal thoughts!! Have a great day and a great career!!

wow!!! couldnt have said this better myself. soooo true!!!!!!!!

Old textbooks, fundamentals and med surg to be exact and SG101. I do all practice exams from EC. I do one before I begin studying and one 3 days before the actual test. You will prob see some info again on the test from those. I will say that SG101 is okay for most tests, but can def lack information of you use only this. And definitely look at EC study guide for what info to focus on! Good luck ad keep us posted as well as read other members comments as they contain great advice and encouraging words!!

I used the content guide, textbook recommendation, and practice exams. Earned mostly A's and two B's, with nothing lower.

To the original poster: I am happy to see you have such goals! Most folks want to know how to just pass.

If I could throw in my two cents about the grades... we actually do have a major hospital employer here who looks at grades. We also have three nursing schools as well in this city.

While the grade does not "make" the nurse (common sense is a necessity!) and some folks simply do not handle tests well, I hope that each nursing student would not attempt to just "skimp on by" to squeak in a passing grade. Scary to think that someone with barely enough knowledge to know the difference between atropine, amiodarone, and adenosine would be the one pushing the drug on a loved one.

I could give a rat's butt if life is crazy, a full time job requires every free second plus mandatory overtime, kids are running around tying undies to the cats, and yadayada-so-on. Welcome to my life, lol!

Guess I had my fill of airheaded medical folks this week. Sorry for the rant.