My NCLEX-PN review books: what are yours?

[anonymous1919, LPN]

I have not yet taken the NCLEX-PN.. is it insane to say I'm not that scared of it? I wasn't always confident, but I know with my review books, faith and hard work I will pass the NCLEX-PN, and I will be a nurse.

I was an average student. I tried hard, studied hard and did okay on my tests. There were 4 classes where I received a C, which was less than 1 point away from a B, so my GPA wasn't anything worth bragging about.

When I took the exit HESI at my school I was terrified. Our goal was to make an 850 which averaged out to be a 88-96% grade, I believe. If you could do that, your chances of passing the NCLEX-PN were fairly high. I made a 897 and was in shock. It was when I realized I CAN do this and I WILL be a nurse.

The three books I have been heavily using are:

Saunders Edition 4, COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW for the NCLEX-PN EXAMINATION- This book is my entire year of nursing school crammed into 1040 pages. After every chapter there are about 10 questions with rationales on the next page. This book also comes with a CD which is VERY useful. I would pay for the CD alone. The CD has quizzes, practice tests, and a 75 question test that helps you identify what areas you are weak in and it provides you with an outline to study so that you can improve in those areas. It has also helped me familiarize myself with taking tests on a computer.

KAPLAN NCLEX-PN STRATEGIES FOR THE PRACTICAL NURSING LICENSING EXAM 2010-2011 EDITION- This book really calms you down. It explains how the NCLEX-PN works and how to mentally prepare yourself for taking the test. It also teaches you how to break down questions so you know how to get to the correct answer. At the end of the book it has a 145 practice exam

Exam Cram NCLEX-PN SECOND EDTION- This book was made by Pearson so it can also answer a lot of questions you probably have about the NCLEX-PN. The first page of this book can actually be torn out and is called "The NCLEX-PN Cram Sheet" which has information such as lab values, pharmacology, and other really helpful tips. This book also comes with a CD which has practice tests. Like I said before, getting use to testing on a computer is really important.

So all in all, I love these 3 books and I think they are the best ones available. I have gone into bookstores, read reviews, etc on many other books and decided these were the best ones because of what they have to offer. They have helped me understand the NCLEX-PN, given me useful tips for remembering key concepts, and have tons of practice questions. How could you go wrong?!

So go buy them! And good luck!

:redbeathe

[mochasouter]

I used the saunders nclex-pn and the saunders nclex-pn flashcards and I passed nclex @ 85 questions and I didn't pass the hesi. I only got a 639 on the hesi.