NCLEX advice please help

NJNursing, ASN, RN · Feb 23, 2006

For us we're using the stupid ATI Assessment people throughout our semesters. After graduation we've got to take an ATI aptitude test which if we pass (ATI states) that we'll pass the NCLEX. If we fail the ATI then we HAVE to take an NCLEX review class (which here is $250). I think if you're really not sure about it and throughout all of nursing you're hovering test grades between 75-80, then you might want to consider it. But if you're a consistant B student, then perhaps an NCLEX review book or the NCLEX bullet points might be better. It's all about your comfort level and how prepared you think you are. The people I've been talking to who have graduated within the last year said the NCLEX was easier than they thought it would be and that the majority of it is the pressure we put on ourselves and the way we perceive it to be. They then stressed it's a GENERAL test to see if we could be able to practice basic nursing within the standards of care.

tcdtx · Feb 23, 2006

I am graduating in May and alot of my classmates are making a big deal about NCLEX review classes. Can anyone give me any insight on whether it is worth the money or should I just study or what

I heard all the same "big deal" about the NCLEX review classes. I was a consistent B student. My instructors used Saunders a lot, so I had experience with those kinds of questions. I made a point of doing a lot of practice tests on the computer with the Saunders CD throughout the semester (that actually helped my test grades in class). After graduation, I bought the Kaplan review book (with CD). The book has a lot of helpful strategies for taking the NCLEX. There is a practice test in the book, and a practice test on the CD.

Anyway, I passed the NCLEX in December, on my first try........plus I saved the $500 bucks other people have paid for the review classes. The book was about $35.

Good luck!

RN-TO-BE · Feb 24, 2006

The instructors made a big deal about the NCLEX review classes. I was only about 1 out of 5 out of my class that decided not to take the review class. I really didn't have the money plus I have always been a great self=motivated studier. I studied using Saunders NCLEX review CDs on the computer and also brought the Kaplan Strategies book. I was the first in my class to take the NCLEX and passed the first try. I think it is all in what you feel comfortable doing. There were atleast 3 in my class who took the review class and did not pass the exam on the first try. Think about what you feel comfortable doing!! Good Luck!!

schoolgirl05 · Feb 24, 2006

i took a review course... I just found out today I passed... I don't know what it was that helped me pass it could have been the review course, my school's teaching style, the 6 weeks of studying with Saunders... who knows? That test was so hard I can honestly say I walked out of there feeling like nothing I did was worth anything because I didn't feel like I passed at all!! I was so scared... I was an A student all through nursing school and I felt like the biggest moron in the world walking out of that NCLEX testing center...

I chose to take the review course because it was guaranteed that you would pass. If you did not pass, you would get your money back... So I figured that it was worth the 400 bucks... Trust me, that test and the preparation are so difficult that you don't want to have to do it again... So if anything, it brought me peace of mind even if just a little...

If you are planning on getting a job with a temporary license check to see if your employer offers the class... I actually took the class at a local hospital that offered it to their employees for free... I had to pay because I did not work there....

Go to the NCLEX board... there is a lot of talk about studying tips...

HTH....

Aneroo, LPN · Feb 24, 2006

We paid for ours throught the semesters. I went to the first day and a half. I was BORED out of my mind, stuffed into a small classroom stuffed with nursing grads from different schools.

I passed my boards that Friday. I made DH help me study as we drove to an amusement park for my graduation celebration. :chuckle