Hurst vs Kaplan: My review of both!

ivyadam · Mar 24, 2013

I love hurst, they made my SATA questions in my NCLEX test easy. and they boost my knowledge in Med/Surg, like right now if u ask me about cardio I can discuss it to you starting from the blood flows to different Dse's, I love most of there topics! it really did retained in my brain. I applied it in my critical thinking on my test yesterday. I didn't do all their Qbanks, I think only Qbanks 1,2 and 3. I did the free nclexrn3500 everyday for 45 days :-)

CVICUYSRN · Mar 24, 2013

Is there hurst for lpn?

Boopsie3 · Mar 24, 2013

You said it best!!!! I love Hursts!!! I should have done this from day one! I failed my first exam and I'm preparing to take it again. I did Kaplan my first time and didn't succeed just doing those questions. You can't focus on what your weak in when you are bombarded with questions! Hursts videos are great. I feel better prepared already and I just started preparing again :).

clemenine · Mar 25, 2013

Hi my friend thank you do much for explanation you gave. I did Nclex once I failed. Now am studying again for taking it for second time please what are review books are you using? If I would ask you to advise me btn hurst and Kaplan which one would you advise me ? Am a foreign nurse graduated 12 years ago in my country. Thank you and be blessed

RunawayN · Mar 25, 2013

No unfortunately, just RN

RunawayN · Mar 25, 2013

Hi my friend thank you do much for explanation you gave. I did Nclex once I failed. Now am studying again for taking it for second time please what are review books are you using? If I would ask you to advise me btn hurst and Kaplan which one would you advise me ? Am a foreign nurse graduated 12 years ago in my country. Thank you and be blessed

I'm surprised there isn't a bigger aim at nurses whose English is there second language. For you, I would advise Hurst over Kaplan because the way they present their content is easier to understand then Kaplan. As for books, for you, I think I would recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Study-NCLEX-RN®-Mosbys-NCLEX-RN/dp/0323056644/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top It's a NCLEX visual review and it may be better then other books if English is your second language.

Boopsie3 · Mar 25, 2013

I love hurst they made my SATA questions in my NCLEX test easy. and they boost my knowledge in Med/Surg, like right now if u ask me about cardio I can discuss it to you starting from the blood flows to different Dse's, I love most of there topics! it really did retained in my brain. I applied it in my critical thinking on my test yesterday. I didn't do all their Qbanks, I think only Qbanks 1,2 and 3. I did the free nclexrn3500 everyday for 45 days :-)[/quote']
I'm assuming you passed?? Lol! If so great. I'm in the process of going through Hursts along with other resources. I like it :)

ivyadam · Mar 25, 2013

Yeah, I did the PVT as soon as I got home last Saturday, and found out today through Unofficial result that I passed! I am soo happy, I studied hard for this test, I was crying when I was answering my questions coz It was really hard, but what I remembered I got my last question right, and I made sure that my 1st 20 questions are correct. I graduated in the Philippines 7 years ago, and I know I learned a lot on my review- through Hurst, examcram and nclexrn3500. U guys don't give up, as for me This is my 3rd take. I never gave up, Take it as a challenge :-) As my soldier always told me (He's Army) :-)

Boopsie3 · Mar 26, 2013

Yeah I did the PVT as soon as I got home last Saturday, and found out today through Unofficial result that I passed! I am soo happy, I studied hard for this test, I was crying when I was answering my questions coz It was really hard, but what I remembered I got my last question right, and I made sure that my 1st 20 questions are correct. I graduated in the Philippines 7 years ago, and I know I learned a lot on my review- through Hurst, examcram and nclexrn3500. U guys don't give up, as for me This is my 3rd take. I never gave up, Take it as a challenge :-) As my soldier always told me (He's Army) :-)[/quote']
Very good!!! I know I can do it this time with more focused studying!! How many questions did you have?

RunawayN · May 1, 2013

Hey Everybody
Right now, I am in the process of studying for the NCLEX-RN and luckily for me, I have taken both Hurst and Kaplan (long story but I only paid for one). I know a lot of people on this board are deciding what to take so I wanted to write this to try and help you make your decision based on my experiences with both online programs.
Hurst vs Kaplan: PRESENTATION
The biggest difference between Hurst and Kaplan is in presentation. For me, this is a big selling point because if I was going to spend X amount of hours in front of a computer screen, I needed it to keep me engaged and I did not want to dread looking at the timer. Hurst was definitely the better of the two. It's engaging and even through an online lecture, it felt more interactive. The lecturers will ask you questions if you are like me, you will answer them out loud at a Starbucks. More so, presenters are very charismatic and animated and at times, I just found myself laughing at the way they presented the material.
Kaplan is decent and well spoken but their presenters are bland. A lot of times, it felt as though they were just talking and not talking to us, the students. There are a lot of topics on the nclex to cover but Kaplan felt like a race to the finish while hitting as many topics as possible.
Other thoughts on Presentation:
-Hurst's videos look like old VHS tapes and their video player would occasionally stall. Hurst looks HD.
-The best way to describe the difference in presentation is that Hurst felt more small classroom with less then 30 students whereas Kaplan felt more like a lecture hall with 500 students.
-It's obvious that both Hurst and Kaplan have their presenters looking at their notes, no biggie.
-Do people from the south really, really, love Walmart? I could have sworn Hurst mentioned Walmart at least 5 times.
CONTENT
Hurst vs Kaplan:
Hurst organizes their program by system (e.g. cardio, respiratory, neuro) and Kaplan organized their program by NCLEX categories (e.g reduction of risk potential, physiological adaptation). The big difference between the two is that you will leave Hurst feeling like you know certain things but after, you will tell yourself, "wait, they didn't go over so-and-so" whereas Kaplan, you will feel like "oh my god, they went through everything, how am I suppose to know all this."
Overall, I liked Hurst better. The best way I could explain it is by comparing the topics: hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Kaplan did a good job going through what you need to know for these two topics but for application, Hurst simplified the idea and applied it on a higher level. For hurst, they had us think of Hyperthyroidism as "Too much energy." By that simple thought process, it activated that critical thinking portion of my mind
Other thoughts on Content:
-Don't get me wrong, Kaplan is good. The benefit with Kaplan is that if you are weak in one specific area of the test then you could just concentrate on that one area.
-And yes, it did feel like Hurst missed a couple of topics/disorders I thought were important.
-Kaplan also has the Decision Tree which is worth the price alone.
-Ok, Kaplan has a lecture of Meds and Hurst does not have a lecture on Meds. Is it a big deal? Well, yes because meds are important but Hurst has a really good print-outs of medications and what you need to know. But of course, Kaplan has a video on meds!!
-If the allnurses' board consensus is that Hurst is about core content whereas Kaplan is about testing strategies, then I agree with that statement.
BOOK
Kaplan's Course book is available on amazon for free if you're interested in taking a look. For Hurst online, get ready to print a lot of pages!! Personally, I didn't like both of them. Kaplan was an ebook so I didn't get to write on the pages and Hurst was an outline of a lecture where students fill in the blanks as the lecture goes on. Plus, I had to print out so many pages of paper.
QUESTIONS
Kaplan's QBank with diagnostic testing vs Hurst's 6 exams (125 questions each). Winner, Kaplan.
Other thoughts on questions:
-Hurst's answer rationals show some spunk. The explanations to some of the rationals will taunt you and will call you a "KILLER." Imagine GLaDOS from the Portal games.
-Never do an online test at Starbucks with slow internet.
-I don't think there was a difference in question difficulty.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Overall, it depends on what kind of student you are. If you feel as though you retained most of the information from your years of nursing schools (or year depending if your program was accelerated), then Kaplan may be your choice. However, if you feel like you still remember some topics but forgot about them and need that refresher course on everything, then Hurst is definitely for you.
FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT BOTH PROGRAMS

As I just finished the NCLEX,I wanted to add another category to this:

WHAT HELPED ME ON THE NCLEX?

After taking the NCLEX, I can say that Hurst has prepared me for the NCLEX more then Kaplan. I was able to understand and more importantly, comprehend, the content. And that will get you through the exam. Don't get me wrong, Kaplan was good only because of the decision tree and the Q-Bank however, there are other ways to learn testing strategies and there are other resources to practice questions.

FEEL FREE TO ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS

mali_santizo · Jul 18, 2013

Thank you Runaway!