hesi exam...

Nursing Students HESI

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I just took two hesi exams within the past week - a critical care speciality exam and today I took a med-surg speciality exam.

I did GREAT on the critical care one - scored a 1063, 89.81% (percentile) and 98.87% conversion score. I took the med-surg one today and didn't do well at all...scored below an 850 (700-something, don't remember the exact number) and got a 77.5% conversion score :( This was just a practice exam (the critical care one was worth 5% of my grade in that class) and I have to take a comprehensive hesi exit exam in the fall (when I graduate)...but I kind of want to start preparing. I have an evolve account and I know they will send remediation materials to my account within the next week or so, but did anyone actually study for the hesi? There is an actual Evolve Hesi book that is on Amazon that I thought about buying, but I'm not sure...could I just go through my NCLEX books and still be okay? I have Saunders and Prentice Hall Review & Rationales.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Oh my goodness! Are you only a first year student? Those are both beyond excellent scores! Excellent job. I am graduating in two weeks and am now worried hearing about those HESI scores! I have also been told that the HESI tests are more difficult than the actual NCLEX.

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Specializes in Nursing Education.

I think the HESI and NCLEX are actually pretty similar. The best way to prepare for HESI is to do your best to learn and retain the material you're covering in class, as well as be doing as many practice NCLEX questions as you can. Personally, I liked the HESI review book when I was in school, and I used it more for the practice exams that came with it than for the outlines contained in it.

I found that the practice exams gave me a better feel for what to expect, and also gave me a heads on my strengths and weaknesses so that I could work on weaknesses by doing more practice NCLEX questions on that topic from other NCLEX prep books.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.
Oh my goodness! Are you only a first year student? Those are both beyond excellent scores! Excellent job. I am graduating in two weeks and am now worried hearing about those HESI scores! I have also been told that the HESI tests are more difficult than the actual NCLEX.

Actually no, I am now a senior...I am graduating in December! Everyone also told me that the HESI tests are more difficult than the NCLEX...but I figured if I can do well on the HESI, I can do well on the NCLEX! (of course obtaining a score of 850 or better does not mean you do not have to study for the NCLEX!)

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I graduate in December as well. We have to take HESI exams at the end of each quarter and then an overall HESI exam at the end before we graduate. I heard that HESI is harder than the NCLEX. I have the Saunders NCLEX book that my school gave us. They said to use that to study... Any other suggestions on how to study??

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Specializes in NeuroICU/SICU/MICU.

I used the NCLEX-RN for Dummies book. It has a full-length practice exam with rationales on a CD, as well as several chapters in the beginning on test-taking strategy. I feel it helped me eliminate wrong answers and notice "key" words in the question to help lead me to correct answers. I got over a 950 on my exit HESI :D

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Thank you!

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Specializes in MS, LTC, Post Op.

I passed my first Comp. HESI the first time with a 1026. My studying consisted of using the saunders NCLEX RN and HESI book.

I studied both along with the systems we were covering in class, in addition to going over lecture notes and my reading in the lewis book.

Good Luck!!

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Specializes in MS, LTC, Post Op.

Oh and I do agree that the HESI is harder than the NCLEX questions I have been doing.

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Where did you get your HESI book?

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@sukisoy: The HESI book that she is talking about is probably the Evolve reach comprehensive review for the nclex-rn examination, 2nd Ed.

Goodluck to whoever is taking the HESI anytime soon. I took my first crack at the HESI comp yesterday and missed the cut. I found the questions to be really hard and most of the topics were not in the HESI book. If anybody wants a feedback just let me know.

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thank you ryan8!

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