Kaplan NCLEX prep classes

Silverdragon102, BSN · Aug 26, 2011

Moved to the NCLEX forum

JRB1 · Aug 26, 2011

I did Kaplan in class and felt it was worth the money. The instructor teaches you how to use the decision tree and the rest of the time you as a class review questions and how to answer them.

deez · Aug 26, 2011

Everyone is different. I used Kaplan twice and failed both times with 265 questions. I followed their plan exactly and got anywhere from 60-70% on their tests (where they claim you should be before you take the test) and still failed. However, I have read about people who have done worse than me on the tests and still passed their NCLEX.

Personally I think that the classes are a waist of time and money. They do however have some great advice about answering NCLEX style questions. But all this information can be found in their book that can be purchased for like 15-35$ depending on where you purchase it. The book explains how to answer questions, contains sample tests that are very much like NCLEX, and comes with a CD that also has practice tests. All questions have rationales as to why each answer is right or wrong. Personally I would say save your money and just buy the book. You won’t get much more from the classes than you would just reading the book. I am glad that Kaplan is something that my school paid for. Otherwise I would be real upset!

Just an FYI: If you feel you need a refresher as far as content goes, Kaplan is VERY POOR at this. Hurst online is wonderful for content review. I read great reviews about it on here, so i decided to get it and love it! Or if you want to save money, you could just do something like Saunders. Personally I had a hard time focusing on Saunders because it was just too much information. But hey! It works just fine for some people.

pitaya · Aug 29, 2011

I agree with deez. My school paid for Kaplan and I felt that the first day was useful, because we went over strategies, but the other 3 days of class, all we did was go over question after question using the strategies...and it was slow and painful. Could I have done that on my own? Yes. In fact I had already done all the Qbank questions by the time the class started.

I would MUCH rather have had a content review so I actually bought Hurst online!! But the problem I'm having with that, is that my videos keep buffering.

Magen1021 · Aug 29, 2011

I am currently in a Kaplan course and really enjoy it so for. Obviously, I can't tell you if its worth the money yet but I've always heard great things about Kaplan. It is true, the Kaplan course is not designed for the student who needs content. Kaplan is designed with the idea that you have learned the content, they are just there to teach you how to apply the content into real NCLEX-style questions. We do, do question after question in class but it really helps to go over 100s of questions with the instructor. For me, having an instructor rationalize the question out with you does so much more for my learning than reading a 1-2 sentence rationalization. After having done that for 100s of questions, it kind of gets you to think in the terms the writers of the NCLEX want you to.

When you graduate, if you are the person looking for a class teaching you to conquer NCLEX strategy, then Kaplan is for you.

My advice: if you need help with content, don't pay a review course to teach you something you can read in a book. A book can teach you content but won't teach you strategy.

Review courses and Kaplan may not be for everyone so do your research! And if money is pretty tight, buy a few books, do thousands of questions and KICK SOME NCLEX BUTT! You'll do just fine!

nursegirl75 · Aug 30, 2011

I took Kaplan online instead of the class version. It was cheaper and better for me because I went at my own pace and most of the time I just watched the videos whenever I was stuck on a question. Like most people have said, Kaplan does not concentrate on content instead it teaches you amazing test taking skills that really helped me pass the NCLEX the first time. By the time I finished through all the practice quizzes and Qbank, my brain was literally programmed to look at an NCLEX question, break it down in its simplest form, and avoid the traps.

Without Kaplan I don't think I would pass because normally I am a really bad test taker, but by doing 100 questions a day and really reviewing the questions I got wrong, I knew going into the test that I was going to be alright. You have to be dedicated because Kaplans gives you the material, but it is your responsibility to take the material and make the most of it.

The best advice I could give you is don't just go through the questions to finish it, but really understand why you got that question wrong. Break down that question until it makes sense before you more on to another question. Believe me, understanding the wrong makes you discipline in how to figuring how an NCLEX question. You may not see the same material, but the strategies are the same. I hope this helps. gluck on your test. You will do great.

ilove · Aug 30, 2011

I would recommend you attend a comprehensive review. The review I am recommending is Nurse Review Inc located in madison, Wisconsin. Nursereview.net/n

Its an great review but quite pricey. 3 Months review where you stay in a dorm and study. Its great! And the teacher gives lessons teaches all the nursing units