HURST REVIEW--Is it worth it?

STL2008, RN · Mar 5, 2011

All I know is that hurst review is more content based. If ur weak in content then that is something you might want to look into. I personally used exam cram for content.(book) and used kaplan passed first time. I also graduated in December.

FocusRN · Mar 6, 2011

Okay so these are all of the NCLEX prep tools at my disposal:

Learningext.com
4th Ed Saunders
Princeton Review book and CD
REA NCLEX Flashcard book
Kaplan 2011-2012 Strategies Book
Kaplan NCLEX-RN Meds book
Old Kaplan DVDs
Kaplan Qtrainer
Old Feuer CDs
LaCharity
Exam Cram NCLEX-RN and CD
Hurst Review Online
And of course all my Nursing school books (my notes are long gone)

So I have skimmed through all of these and will given my opinion. But, first know, that I now that I need a content review, as I finished most of my actual nursing studies in 2008, and am just now tieing up the loose ends of my degree. So keep that in mind.

Learningext.com is more of an outline that gets a little detailed on content. At the end of each module you get 20 questions that are real NCLEX style of course, because that is who made the site. Some modules are way longer than others. There is so much info here that I have decided to print it out. Because like I said this focuses more on content, and because I need a sold overview of content, I will use other things first and come back to this as a kind of check-off to make sure my knowledge is where it should be. And that is really what I think it is good for.

Saunders is really all content in outline form. I don't think the questions in the book are very Nclex style. I will answer the end of chapter questions and if I score higher than 70% I will move on to the next chapter, if not I will read and study that chapter, until I am confident in that area.

Princeton Review book and CD I will just be using the CD for more questions after everything else.

REA NCLEX Flashcard book seems pretty good. I will use it for whenever I am out to do questions, before I finish my content review. Breathe, sleep, eat NCLEX right?

Kaplan 2011-2012 Strategies Book of course i chock full of strategies to answer the questions, and has a lot of practice questions in the book and on the CD. I will use this after I feel confident in my core content.

Kaplan NCLEX-RN Meds book is in flashcard format with 2 per page. Has a lot of meds in it, which I don't really care for, BUT the fact that the drugs are listed by category make it a keeper for me. I will be using this mostly on the go like the REA.

Old Kaplan DVDs I am converting these to MP3s so that listen whenever I am in the car (I hate listening to the radio), but when I am in I will listen & make notes, then listen again to reinforce content. Then I will go and tab and highlight my notes to make them more concise, and easy access. I will do one section per day if possible. And also I will try to make this coincide with my Feuer and Hurst as much as possible.

Kaplan Qtrainer self explanatory

Old Feuer CDs I am using them the same as the Kaplan DVDs. I like them and they are organize according to med surg, maternity, ect.

LaCharity is a book with 3 parts. Part 1 is only a few pages and explains, what priority, delegation, and assignment really mean. Part 2 is the largest section of the book (really workbook) with questions in sections according to care area (pain, cancer, infection control, ect) really thought provoking. And part 3 is 21 case scenarios, each dealing with patients with different health issues. It gives a few paragraphs of background info, and then 15-20 questions. I am doing a section a day, and then really spending time understanding the rationales. I really like this book!

Exam Cram NCLEX-RN and CD I really like this book. Firth the pharm section really tries to make meds simple, according to type, and the general s/e. It is really a too the point content review (unlike Saunder's who, which want's to explain every detail). The end of chapter questions are pretty good, and I also like the fact that at the end of each chapter it give you pharm categories to review for that area. And lastly though I have yet to use the CD it is supposed to e CAT like NCLEX, and I think that its important not only to answer loads of NCLEX questions, but also to see what happens where you get the correct and incorrect. I will use the CD toward the end of my study. I will use the book for reinforcement after I have listened/watch the lecture based reviews and done Saunders on each particular content area, and feel confident.

Hurst Review Online some like it and some don't. I have only gone through 3 vidoes so far (one was an introduction, and the other two Fluids and Electrolytes). They are about an hour each give or take. But, I love it. Marlene Hurst does most of the lectures herself, I am a southern girl and love the accent, and she really has a funny bubbly style, that helps to retain info. Some say that she is more content less critical thinking, but I would have to say that is untrue. She teaches the true meaning of a priority question, and tells you to look out for the killer, which may not hold true for every NCLEX question, but for most I think would, the lecture goes along with a handbook, with blanks that you fill in throughout, and she really follows it during the lecture, so when itis all said and done you have a little handbook, that you have heard, read, and helped to write that is called the "core-content". Marlene says if you know this stuff (not just memorized) you will pass. She gives the example of the easy questions on NCLEX being things that you just memorized (like Curling ulcers in burn pts), but the harder questions (which you want on NCLEX, because that means you are passing) have to come fromyour long term memory of he core concepts that you know. So I like it, and I will try to do 1 content area per day, which in today's case was 2 videos. I would vote for the online because I have kids and don't have time to spend hours away from home, because I can pause to make sure I write good notes in my margins, because I can rewind to get something I didn't get the first time, and because I can go over an area over and over again if needed.

And of course all my Nursing school books to look up anything I need that Google can't tell me.

And so far out of these sources Feuer and Hurst gave me some pretty good tips for answering questions as far as priority goes. And they are remeber the ABCs, "call the doctor" is almost NEVER the correct choice what can YOU do FIRST, look for the killer (if you don't do the pt WILL decline further and will die fast or slow), and if presented with a problem question and an assessment or an eval are one of the answer choices, it is probably the right answer.

My :twocents:

caliotter3 · Mar 6, 2011

Hurst Review generally gets good recommendations on this site.

m4howie, ADN, BSN · Mar 6, 2011

stl2008, rn ---thanks for the info. did you use a kaplan book or pay the $400-$500 for the actual class? what is exam cram?

dream_nurse2b--you are crazy!! that is a most thorough and indept assessment of your materials. i will look into the hurst online more on their website. i might use them. i have several nclex books from friends and we have some in the school library that i have access to.

again thank to both you for responding so quickly to my post.

m4howie, ADN, BSN · Mar 6, 2011

I am in MN. I wonder if Kaplan has cornered the market here. I seriously have never heard of Hurst except on here. Everyone uses Kaplan. Our prgram uses ATI. But outside of my school I have not heard of anyone using ATI to prep for the NCLEX.

winsome08 · Mar 7, 2011

dream_nurse2b, which state are you in? Sounds like you've got plenty of resources. When are you planning to test?

STL2008, RN · Mar 7, 2011

stl2008, rn ---thanks for the info. did you use a kaplan book or pay the $400-$500 for the actual class? what is exam cram?
dream_nurse2b--you are crazy!! that is a most thorough and indept assessment of your materials. i will look into the hurst online more on their website. i might use them. i have several nclex books from friends and we have some in the school library that i have access to.
again thank to both you for responding so quickly to my post.

this is exam cram.

http://www.amazon.com/nclex-rn-exam-cram-wilda-rinehart/dp/0789744821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=utf8&qid=1299476142&sr=8-1

its all the content you need to know in short simple context. it is about 500 pages but easy to read and skim through.

i did the kaplan class. mine only was $379.00. i focused mostly on the questions. i tried to read the rn course book but couldnt. i didnt absorb anything. and i felt like it was too vague. the content videos i couldnt watch them either. they were too long. so thats when i got exam cram.

i think if you do kaplan you'll do great.

CrazyGoonRN · Mar 7, 2011

I highly recommend the Hurst review. It is awesome!! I am confident that I would have failed the NCLEX without it. I went to the DVD review and a Live review. I prefer the Live review. It is the most expensive but after you pay for it once then you can continue to attend live reviews for free for the next 2 years. It is combined for both LPN and RN grads, but I would say that it is mostly RN grads that attend. This is good for me because I am now an LPN and if I graduate from RN school within 2 years of taking the Hurst review then I can take another live one for free! I did not do the online review because I knew that I would not be disciplined enough to sit and watch the videos. I need a classroom setting to be focused. With the hurst you don't just learn facts. You learn how those facts affect each other and what they cause and what causes them. I feel like I learned more taking that review than I did the entire year of LPN school. It just pulls it all together. It also teaches you how to interprete questions and how to pull out the key words and ignore the fluff of the question.

4Karrie2 · Mar 7, 2011

So glad to see all the informative comments on this thread. I am getting ready for the NCLEX-PN and have been using Lippincott, ATI Review Module book, and Saunder's 4th edition, as well as a couple of general pharm books. I thought I was doing pretty good until I started reading the Hurst Review for NCLEX-PN. "Aunt Marlene's" approach is a whole different animal and it got me to wondering if I should continue in her style or go back to mostly Saunder's. I hope to hear from more people on this thread who can chime in to let us know which review is truly most like the actual NCLEX. I also have the Kaplan 2010 NCLEX-PN book, which I borrowed, but I am now wondering if I should go buy the more recent edition since the test is about to change? :uhoh3:

FocusRN · Mar 8, 2011

You are welcome m4howie. My husband thinks that I'm nuts! LOL, I just want to get it done on the first try.

And I am in Louisiana winsome08. I'm really not sure at this point when I will test because like I said I really really need good content review. So I am going to take my time. Maybe June or July, maybe sooner :uhoh3: .

m4howie, ADN, BSN · Mar 8, 2011

Once again thanks for all the info. I checked out the Hurst Website. I really like it. It links all the key concepts together in an easy straight forward manner. After reviewing it and talking to class mates I realize I just need more practice answering questions. I will say what the answer is before looking at multiple choice items. What I think is correct however I can't identify it from the options. I have worked with classmates and they are baffled. Example: Pregnant woman in labor and cord is prolapsed. I wanted to put her on her back. We want to get the baby as high in the abdomen as possible to reduce pressure on the cord. Correct response was put mom in knee to chest position. In my mind I thought why would they make her get out of bed a squat so I got it wrong. Um yeah that is not what that means. They did what I anticipated. Put her on her back and elevated her legs in an attempt to get the baby off the cord. I have tons of examples like this. We have tons NCLEX prep books in our school library and I have access to ATI online question bank so I will just continue to focus on practicing questions.