Kaplan NCLEX Review

NichrfUNLV · Feb 17, 2005

Kaplan goes over the whole basis. I used the online course (around 450$) for the nclex rn.

IMO they are about the only ones ive seen that really knows about CAT Testing and the NCLEX. When I see those review books in the bookstores they only go over the memorizing parts and give you no strategy on how to do the questions required at the passing level.

*PICURN* · Feb 18, 2005

Kaplan is great

I also did the complete online one for $450 and I took the NCLEX today and am GLAD I took that class. (test was still very hard, but i felt much more comfortable than i would have otherwise)

It teaches strategy and goes over the most commonly tested nursing content on the NCLEX. Goes over every body system, meds, etc. Very comprehensive.

Also, you can get your $$$ back if you fail! Guarantees you will pass (if you take Kaplan and NCLEX within 6 months of graduation, and i believe there's some other fine print)

I'll let you know if it was worth the $$$! My test cut off @ 75, so its either real good or real bad :chair:

Kaplan was the only thing I used to review for NCLEX

pie123 · Feb 18, 2005

I know people who have taken Kaplan & really believe in it. 4 people (including me) took Kaplan for our second attempt at NCLEX & all of us failed. Honestly, I cannot say that I gave it my all when it came to studying, so I am not going to say anything derogatory about Kaplan. My friend on the other hand, thought it was a waste of time. I do think that from what I have seen, they are the only ones who have questions set up the same as NCLEX, in terms of how the questions are asked. Also, I had at least 5 questions on my last test that were word-for-word from my Kaplan Question Trainer CD! I am not kidding! I took the online course which cost $349. I know someone else who took the more expensive online course & got more materials (such as a math calculations book & lots more practice questions & some sort of video). Also, the more expensive one comes with a money-back guarantee. The course that I took did not have that. I guess if you're going to do it, & if you can afford it, go with the one that offers the money-back guarantee. My friend that I am studying with now is taking the on site Kaplan course. They met for one week with an instructor. During that time, they did a Diagnostic test, & he taught them the test-taking strategies, which I also learned from my online course. Now that the week long course has ended, she just goes to the site to listen to the lectures on video, & do practice tests. The other NCLEX books that I have seen do not have questions set up the same as Kaplan, but in my opinion, they are good for reinforcing material. Good luck.

pie123 · Feb 18, 2005

BlaqButterflyy said:
For those of you who took the KAPLAN NCLEX review, can you tell me what it consisted of? Did they only teach you things about strategy or was there some review in there also? For those of you who failed the NCLEX, took a preparation class then took the NCLEX again, what is your outlook on the review class? Are there any other classes someone can refer me to that are really good and worth the money?

Someone also told me about something called the Hurst review. She loves it and said it only costs $195. Then there's learningextension.com. It offers 3 & 7 week courses. The 3 week course is $50 & the other one is $89. They are online courses & you have access 24 hours a day. Someone told me that she recommended that course to a lot of people, & they all passed NCLEX. I have also heard of a course offered by Mosby. I can't remember much about it. Someone on this site named Chris at Lucas loved it. You can look for posts by her & find out more about Mosby.

lmcnabbkv · Feb 18, 2005

I have used the learningext.com, some of the Kaplan review, and the Mosby CAT. I really cannot tell you much because I have not tested yet but the Mosby CAT does give you some repeat questions each time you take it so it could skew your results once you review your previous test.

Learningext.com is done by the State boards of nursing and I think it is a real good review with a good amount of questions. Kaplan however is also a good review and they seem to have some of the most difficult questions.

I think it all depends on what type of learner you are...if you are self motivated and feel comfortable with your base of knowledge I'd do something online. If you are weak in more areas, go for a classroom based class like the onsite Kaplan. Hope this helps!

NichrfUNLV · Feb 18, 2005

pie123 said:
I know people who have taken Kaplan & really believe in it. 4 people (including me) took Kaplan for our second attempt at NCLEX & all of us failed.

Ouch. I should rephrase- Kaplan is a great tool to use if you actually use it!

maire, ASN, RN · Feb 18, 2005

I took the Kaplan review course.

The classroom sessions focused on strategy - how to break apart the questions. I found them VERY helpful. When I signed up for Kaplan I also was given access to all sorts of other content, both online and at the testing center. On the Kaplan website (kaptest.com) there were hours upon hours of video - going over practice questions, reviewing nursing content; you name it, it was there. There was an awesome section of videos that dealt with pharmocology. I watched those over and over again.

Now, when I sat down to actually take the NCLEX, I have to be honest...Kaplan's "decision tree" didn't help much on a lot of the questions!

Would I recommend it to others? Yes, I sure would, but you have to FOLLOW THE PROGRAM. DO the tests. PRACTICE the strategies. It will help you when you are faced with a couple answer choices and you want to pick answer A because it seems to make the most sense to you but in fact is not right because ____________ (fill in the blank with Kaplan rationale).

I have no experience with the other test preps out there, so this is only my opinion on Kaplan. I took it, and I passed the NCLEX in 75 questions. That made it worthwhile to me! HTH.

TexasCCRN · Feb 18, 2005

AS PIE123 said hurst review is the way to go. https://www.hurstreview.com/ You owe it to yourself to at least read the testimonials of students on the website. They are the best review out there, just starting to get more publicity. They are comprehensive and NCLEX is all that they do. They go over everything including CAT and help you to understand how to pass and all the myths about nclex. Good Luck with everything!

pie123 · Feb 21, 2005

NichrfUNLV said:
Ouch. I should rephrase- Kaplan is a great tool to use if you actually use it!

Thank you. Hmmm...

RN&MOM2Girls · Feb 22, 2005

I just recently took the boards, and passed! After 5 years of being out of school and out of the field... I didn't take the acutal Kaplan Class, but I did buy the review book, and found it extremely helpful. For me it was nice because I have the problem with knowing the right answer, but reasoning through the best answer, and following the Nursing process...and the book guided me through that and as long as I rememberd the steps to take, and followed it with each question, I did fine. I did only get 75 questions, and I will tell you, it was the most nerve wracking experience in my life! I am so glad that I passed on my first try, I wouldn't want to go through that agian. Good luck on your decision. :nurse:

kyle_RN · Sep 5, 2007

did they also assisted you in your NCLEX application?