Just sent in my application!

Quote from a post I made in a different thread last month

This is my take if I know now what I didn't know then that is.

1. Buy notes either Lisa Arends or Studygroup101, or get the free Yahoo group Lisa's notes ( which seem to be Lisa Arends before she decided to copyright and make a biz out of it). Know that notes are just that someone else's notations, short hand, and symbols that may take you a while to understand if ever. Studygroup101 is more comprehensive or wordy than Lisa's so I like them a lot, but if you already have a good grasp on the material in a certain exam, you can go with Lisa's. If you go with the Yahoo group notes, remember that these are old, so somethings will have changed, and they may have some info that was believed to be correct then, that has been proven untrue (but practice tests will help with this somewhat)
   
2. Get an old used Kozier's FON. It can cost as little as $5 with shipping included on Half.com .
   
3. Get a more recent but used Pharmacology book on Half.com
   
4. If you don't have experience working in OB, Trauma, or Psyc you may want to get older used copies of those also, but that said I WOULD ONLY GET THE FON AND PHARM BOOKS.
   
5. The net MUST BUY for me would be Saunders Comprehensive NClex Prep. This book has most of the info needed to study fro EC's exams. I say most because it doesn't cover much of the Fundamentals and some history. So basically it is really good for NC2-6. It is a large book, and you will go through most of it, don't let it intimidate you. It basically covers things in outline form, so it's usually easy to catch on. And the note from Lisa or Study group should help you focus in on what you need for the exam.
   
6. EC's Content Outlines
   
7. And last but not least EC's practice exams (that you can purchase after you register for the exam)

I would arrange study like this:

1. If you think you know a little of what is needed for the exam, take the practice test before you really study. If you know that you have NO CLUE about the particular subject area, do some rough study first just skimming over the material.

• If you score 60% - 69% you have a good foundation and with little or no study you would most likely get a C on the exam.
  
  
• If you score 70%-79% you know a good bit, and would probably get a B or an A on the exam with little or no study.
  
  
• If you score above 80% you are really good in the particular subject area, and would most likely get an A on the exam.
  
  
• If you score below 59% you are so not ready, so study hard.
  
  
• *Be aware that these are not hard and fast scoring rules, they are just most likely. But there have been many surprises both good and bad.

-Go over the rationales, and plan your focused study on the area that you didn't do so hot in.

2. Use the notes that you purchased or the yahoo notes, and open up your Saunders at the same time, use the index to find things quickly. If a particular condition is not listed in the index, it may still be in the book so, go to the table of contents, to find the general study area. For example Pheochromocytoma, may or may not be listed in the index, but it's an Endocrine disorder, so I would go to he Endocrine chapter to try and find it. Use your FON and pharm book when your notes and Saunders aren't explaining enough to you.

3. Keep studying this way focusing on your areas of weakness aeb the practice exam results, letting the notes guide your study because they are based on EC Content Outline.

4. When you are done, go to the Content Outline, you should be able to elaborate just a little on everything that is named in it by now, or at least most of it

5. Take the second practice test now. Depending on the score on the practice exam and the grade you would like on the real thing, you may or may not need more study. For example if you score in the 50's unless you want to pay for that exam again go back to hitting books. If you score in the lower 60's and are okay with a C, you can take the real thig bust you are really borderline C/D so I would study more in my worst areas. If you score in the upper 60's are are okay with a C go ahead and take it, if however you want a B or an A study more. And it goes on like this.

You can do this as quickly or as slowly as you want.

That' just my .

Ohh, and if you do it the way i would have you would wind up spending about $134 on study material for the Nursing exams, more or less depending on your situation, and is you choose to use the free yahoo notes.

And welcome fellow student (or soon to be).:yeah:

i was curious. i am in the prereqs part of me going for my lpn to rn via bridge program at a college locally. i am almost done with them. how much is this excelsior program and is it affordable? how does it work?? i did my lpn by self paced and self taught except for my skills which were demonstrated and then we had to redemonstrate them, no probs there.

With EC there now are a total of 10 nursing requirements to complete before graduation. Eight of those are Nursing theory exams at $205 each, another is a Focused Clinical Competencies Assessment (I'm not sure of the cost) but it is an online assessment, and the last is a two and a half day Clinical Performance examination at about $1800, which has a long waiting list. that you can only get on AFTER you complete all nursing theory, the FCCA, and 21 of the 31 required general studies course.

EC IS a Title IV school, BUT the nursing program doesn't qualify for financial aid, because it is entirely assessment based. EC is accredited by a regional accrediting body, and by the NLN. For more info, go to http://www.excelsior.edu .

this was posted by dream_nurse2b...

"

• if you score 60% - 69% you have a good foundation and with little or no study you would most likely get a c on the exam.
  
• if you score 70%-79% you know a good bit, and would probably get a b or an a on the exam with little or no study.
  
• if you score above 80% you are really good in the particular subject area, and would most likely get an a on the exam.
  
• if you score below 59% you are so not ready, so study hard.
  
• *be aware that these are not hard and fast scoring rules, they are just most likely. but there have been many surprises both good and bad."

i am going to have to disagree with this. most people who take these practice test never see a 70-79% much less anything above 80%. my rule was if i scored 60% or above i took it always passed and made mostly a's and b's. i scored 50% on nc 5 practice test and ended up with a c. now these are just examples ...however, this seems to be the norm after reading numerous threads on various boards about these practice test , then experiencing them for myself. :wink2:

this was posted by dream_nurse2b...

"

• if you score 60% - 69% you have a good foundation and with little or no study you would most likely get a c on the exam.
  
• if you score 70%-79% you know a good bit, and would probably get a b or an a on the exam with little or no study.
  
• if you score above 80% you are really good in the particular subject area, and would most likely get an a on the exam.
  
• if you score below 59% you are so not ready, so study hard.
  
• *be aware that these are not hard and fast scoring rules, they are just most likely. but there have been many surprises both good and bad."

i am going to have to disagree with this. most people who take these practice test never see a 70-79% much less anything above 80%. my rule was if i scored 60% or above i took it always passed and made mostly a's and b's. i scored 50% on nc 5 practice test and ended up with a c. now these are just examples ...however, this seems to be the norm after reading numerous threads on various boards about these practice test , then experiencing them for myself. :wink2:

so, true tx, you are one of the reason that i said that those are not "hard and fast" rules. lol i was like a crack addict looking for your posts about what you scored on a practice exam, and what you got on the actual, before i would test. i myself am an example, i finally got around to taking nc 5, on friday, and got an a (only 4 and 6 left :w00t:), but i partially attribute this to me rushing, because of everythig that was going on in my house when i took them.

but, my opinion of the scoring, was based on most of the score and grades that i have see here, other forums, and the yahoo groups. again like i said, their not hard and fast, but a guide to help other gauge where they are.