Filipino Nurses who passed the NCLEX without the help of Review Center

Suju · Aug 30, 2008

:nurse:hi everybody,

Saunders is good only if u can concentrate on rational rather than question.I myself think that saunders question are much easier than real nclex.In some questions you even do not have to look at question for making answer correct.But for subject matter, its really good if you can concentrate on rationals.

Next thing, we cannot develop our critical thinking in Saunders

because all are kind of straight questions.Nclex is not like that, we have to use critical thinking to answer nclex question.

In my view Kaplan questions are real like nclex.I myself did all saunders questions from cd and book. A week before my exam,I took Kaplan trainer test 1 and got only 50%.It was so horrible.I got nervous.I didnt have much time.I had scheduled my nclex on last date of ATT.I had no choice.Finally I failed . :cry: :cry:

Well,now I am planing of taking Kaplan to build my confidence,hope it works.

thank you

Suju

:bow: :bow:

berryblush · Sep 1, 2008

The books may be similar, but the CDs are quite different. If you are already spending close to $500 US to test by the time that you are done with things, makes no sense not to have the book that has the most up to date style of questions included.
Sorry, but makes no sense to me. The third edition was written years ago. Chapters are edited as well in the book, they are not all word for word the same with each other.

I have the re-printed and edited 3rd edition (i bought it late 2007) and honestly, content-wise it's almost the same. Only the critical thinking question ( 1 per topic) was changed to an alternate type of question, but the CD made the difference. :) I just want members from the Philippines who think P2300 is a lot of money to save the money if they have the edited 3rd edition and maybe borrow 4th edition CD and use the money to buy another saunders book, the alternate-type question book. BUt still, i wanna thank you for the replies you do to us members.. it's always appreciated :)

hyveth · Sep 17, 2008

Im planning to take NCLEX hopefully on February 2009....

so I have about 4 months to review on my own...hope i can do it...:sofahider

already bought Saunder's Comprehensive Review 4th ed....

Lorodz · Sep 19, 2008

Im planning to take NCLEX hopefully on February 2009....
so I have about 4 months to review on my own...hope i can do it...:sofahider
already bought Saunder's Comprehensive Review 4th ed....

better start reviewing. When i started reviewing saunders, i underestimated it's depth. Read now because foreign trained nurses have a low passing rate on the nclex ( roughly 40%) we, foreign trained nurses need to double the effort.

Lorodz · Sep 19, 2008

:nurse:hi everybody,
Saunders is good only if u can concentrate on rational rather than question.I myself think that saunders question are much easier than real nclex.In some questions you even do not have to look at question for making answer correct.But for subject matter, its really good if you can concentrate on rationals.
Next thing, we cannot develop our critical thinking in Saunders
because all are kind of straight questions.Nclex is not like that, we have to use critical thinking to answer nclex question.
In my view Kaplan questions are real like nclex.I myself did all saunders questions from cd and book. A week before my exam,I took Kaplan trainer test 1 and got only 50%.It was so horrible.I got nervous.I didnt have much time.I had scheduled my nclex on last date of ATT.I had no choice.Finally I failed .:cry: Best of luck for all of you who are going to take exam..
Well,now I am planing of taking Kaplan to build my confidence,hope it works.
thank you
Suju
:bow:

WOW that's devastating. Im sorry to hear that. Thanks for sharing though.

I agree some of the questions in saunders is WAY easy. Still im using it for content review, I'm reading it from cover-to-cover to 'flex my nursing muscle' and when i have exhausted saunders i'll do what you will do-kaplan. I'm also thinking NCSBN, its cheaper than kaplan, and it's made by folks who make the NCLEX

incubusaddict · Sep 21, 2008

1. What are the materials that you used?

saunders 3rd edition (knowledge-based)

kaplan lecture mp3s, feuer lectuer mp3s (knowledge-based)

kaplan question trainer (critical thinking training)

2. How many hours per day did you study? how many questions did u answer per day?

i have no definite schedule, sometimes i would study during the night or sometimes throughout the day. i studied the moment i woke up until i got tired or my mind went blank or whenever i felt i was already daydreaming. haha. and then resumed my studying whenever i feel like i'm done with my "siesta". i would answer all the questions in saunders per chapter, around 200 questions per day, i guess.

3. How many days or months in total you studied before taking the exam?

less than 2 months, and then i SERIOUSLY studied for 2 weeks.

4. What are the specific strategies that you used or the the test taking skills you applied during the exam?

CRITICAL THINKING!! elimination worked for me a lot.

5. Take one or take two?

TAKE ONE! woohoo!

acissej · Nov 13, 2008

Hi! Yeah, too late for me to realize that. I should have just go on with the 3rd editon. I have my 3rd edition but i still went on to buy the 4th edition just today! i looked at the 4th edition right away and compare, chapter by chapter! they are very much the same except for few pictures! even the questions are the same.. only that the critical question (1 every topic) was replaced by 1 new-format question. I should have just borrowed a 4th edition CD from a friend and if i can't find one, bought delegation book by la charity and saunders Q&A new format.

Not all questions are the same in the end of the chapter. There are also corrections. Some questions/concepts which aren't so clear were replaced or edited. I know this because I am using the latest edition and my friend is using the older one. She would ask me some questions or clarifications and when I look at the newer edition, it's not anymore there or it has been edited or corrected already.

So I guess what you did was all worth it.

GOD bless :)

abe_toledo · Nov 16, 2008

1. what are the materials that you used?

kaplan textbooks and cds

2. how many hours per day did you study? how many questions did u answer per day

everyday before going to bed, as many as i can, i dont force myself

3. how many days or months in total you studied before taking the exam?

2 months

4. what are the specific strategies that you used or the tskills you applied durin

vitamin e and orange juice...

5. take one or take two? take one:redbeathe

McLovin' · Nov 21, 2008

just wanted to share...

1. i'm just the biggest dumb ass.. :yeah:

2. i did not enter any review center, nor any final coaching...

3. hardly finished reading the saunders compre...

4. bought a pirated lacharity (prioritization & delegation) book at prc.. very big help! plus some programs and software that has practice questions.. prc as well..

5. i never allowed myself to be stressed or burned out. slept as much as i can, went out frequently, played the psp.

6. here's the important thing i did that probably saved me.. i practiced answering questions! it's not a matter of how much, but how you understood answering that question. :wink2: quality not quantity people!

7. and the highest importance - pray, pray & pray!!!

i finished at 75.. ;-) and learned i'm just that good.. hehe... a 'dumb ass' like myself did it... imagine a very bright person like yourself taking the exam, you can do this real easy! believe in yourself and your abilities - and it'll happen..

:yeah:it's all worth it in the end.

kloie2 · Nov 26, 2008

hi Mclovin! just want to ask, what cds did you used? by the way, congratulations in passing the nclex. :yeah: :yeah: :yeah:

pinkroyalty18, LPN, LVN · Nov 27, 2008

I agree that Lacharity did help me a lot on developing my critical thinking and prioritization skills. I think the questions there are harder than the actual NCLEX questions but that's the idea there-you let yourself get used to tough questions. So when you are taking your NCLEX, it'll be no longer a big surprise for you..

I did not finished my saunders book since I easily get bored. What i did is practiced on my test taking skills a lot..I used saunders cds first because as i see it,its very good on knowledge based questions.. And let's face it,not all of the questions you'll encounter on NCLEX will be prios and delegations. Some questions are just plainly knowledge based..And for you to move to higher levels,you need to master on that..

Then after practicing saunders, i moved to Kaplan question trainers to practice on my prio and test taking skills.. I can say that reading saunders first helped me to get a better score on my kaplan..

Then lastly,i practiced on Lacharity's practice questions.. In my own opinion,i find it harder than kaplan..There were even times when i have to stop it coz the test gives me a headache.. :no: But anyway,i finished it despite the headache it gives me..

And by the way,i read all the rationales even to the ones i got right..

So practice ,practice and practice..And take the test as if you are already answering it on pearson vue..Take note of your tie so you can already adjust your pace..

McLovin' · Nov 27, 2008

@ kloie2...

I remember I did the Lippincot 8th edition review CD, a Mosby NCLEX practice questions (i forgot the edition), the Saunders free practice questions disc is good (accompanying the compre review, the latest edition, the better!)

But the best practice book I did was the one from La Charity. That book REALLY, REALLY helped me a lot, HONESTLY! I can now say that I never had any difficulty with any prioritization/delegation questions I encountered during my test. :chuckle

Thanks la Charity!