NCLEX Prep Courses - Comparisons ???

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology.

I am about to graduate from an accelerated nursing program and will be taking NCLEX in September of 2006.

I am trying to decide which NCLEX Review class to take.

Some of the choices seem to be Kaplan, Saunders, NCSBN and Mosby plus several other "not-so-well-known" courses.

I would love to hear from you all about which review course you thought was best........ESPECIALLY if you took several different courses !!!

There are several people on this website who seem to have a vested interest in one course or the other.......... BUT.....I am really most interested in what the "Test takers" thought.......and not what the Experts think.

I will hope for a good response to this question.....and thank you for taking your time to guide me.

JoAnna

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Specializes in CCU, DOU.

My daughter graduated from an accelerated BSN program in CA and did well after taking the Kaplan NCLEX course.

Whichever one you choose to take, make sure you analyze why certain answers are right or wrong so you adopt the learning process of how they want you to "think" and answer the NCLEX questions. It is all about training your mind how to think for the test.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology.

THank's for replying. It is just such a hard decision with so many options.

Did your daughter take the on-line version of Kaplan....or did she attend live classes?

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I took Kaplan and Hurst Review... Here's my take:

HURST: Online or Live review is AMAZING. The lectures are seriously entertaining, easy the remember, and the content is explained in a critical thinking manner. They provide a CD with Mock NCLEX and a DVD to review each question with you. I can't stress how SIMPLE they make the content and how crucial all the info is.

WHO SHOULD TAKE HURST?: If you really just want to know what topics are going to be covered, if you need a refresher on topics, if your test-taking skills are average, if you like to review content as opposed to quesitons.

KAPLAN: Online or live is pretty much the same. Kaplan did not provide, what I thought to be a realistic content review. While Hurst is like, "Hey, this topic is frequently tested - and these are the main important concepts" Kaplan says; "Hey, let's cover this in great specific detail." The chances of you a) wanting to actually review and read through the Kaplan book is slim and b) retaining the information is also slim. Hurst gives you a simple binder divided into sections that WE know, (gi, maternity...). Kaplan divides it into Safety and Infection Control, Client Needs.. it's just not user friendly. Kaplan is good though, with the Q bank and Question Trainers.

Saunders Q&A: Easy to follow, rationale and steps to provide strategy is alos helpful.

My grand advice:

Hurst Review (www.hurstreview.com)

Kaplan Q Bank (Question Trainers... 7 questions that build you up from 75 question to Trainer 7 at 265 questions)

Hatha Yoga

goodluck!

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Specializes in CCU, DOU.

My daughter took the live class which included computer sessions and online access besides the class sessions. I really cannot say anything about other courses having just been exposed to only this one. I just know it worked for her. They pointed out loopholes to avoid and gave tips of points to remember. They help you train your mind how to respond to answer correctly. That's all I know.

I will say though, that I myself had my RN license lapse due to disability from back surgeries and I just took the NCLEX and passed, only using the Kaplan book that she had from her class.

I know what the other girl is saying about the amount of knowledge it presents. I found it almost overwhelming too but I have not worked for 20 years so I had to cram a lot of knowledge review in my brain. What I took from Kaplan was a base to build from in order to make informed decisions in taking the test.

I don't know how you feel having come through the accelerated program but for my daughter, as quickly as the information was given to the students, it was hard to remember all the picky little facts that come up in the NCLEX review tests, later on.

So for her, the Kaplan classes were beneficial as they pointed out things to concentrate on for the NCLEX, and things to know, but not necessarily for the NCLEX. There was that distinction.

I hope this explanation helps.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

My school offered the Saunders review with Linda Silvestri and I was really disappointed. I am using her review books to study. The live review, however, was not good for me. It was basically someone standing in front of me who read me the book and asked the questions. It was also 8 hrs. a day. Too much, too boring for me to stay mentally involved. I didn't even end up attending the full week. JMO and experience

Kelly

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I'm taking Kaplan right now and its a total waste of time. All we do is questions, one at a time. She gives a couple good points now and then but all in all, its a waste. The instructor unfortunately is not very personable and i am sure that is making a big difference. She also has 'kaplan answers' that differ from answers in other review books, and she can't give good rationales why. So I would not go Kaplan.

I personally think Suzanne's plan from here is the best, and now that my head has stopped spinning a bit from the negative vibe from Kaplan, I am going to just use that til my test in 3 weeks.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology.

Thank you all for your current replies.

I don't know that much about the Hurst. I'm going to the website and checck it out.

I'm still wondering about the NCSBN review also.

Keep the replies comming. I'm learning a lot from you.

JoAnna

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