NCLEX review classes?????

wsiab · Feb 7, 2001

Hi,

I graduated in December, took my boards in January, and passed.

Personally, I like the advice that our instructors gave us: that review classes can be helpful, but they are expensive and you can study for the exam and pass without taking them. We were told to evaluate our self study skills and consider whether we could be motivated to review on our own or whether we needed a class structure to follow to keep up the studying. We were told, if we decided to study on our own:

1) to get a good review book with questions (flip through the book and look at the content, read some of the questions to make sure that they are truly NCLEX questions looking for understanding rather than recall)

2)to use the computer programs available at the computer lab/library to practice (I found CAT RN useful and it works just like the test, NSNA's CAT test questions are good too), computer programs can be expensive too.

3) to do a lot of practice questions to get used to NCLEX questions and help with review (we were told 1500 minimum)

4) pace yourself, start with review, uses questions to evaluate yourself for weak content areas, (7 weeks was recommended, I did it in 5)

5) if you have a study group from school, keep meeting and study together (we did it once a week, for each area there was always some one that knew it well and served as a good resource, and we kept each other motivated)

I don't know anything about the Lagerquist classes, however I do have friends who did Kaplan. Some have stated that they would have liked to have done more actual content review in the class, but that they did a lot of study questions, practice tests, test taking strategies. Their CAT simulator program is also supposed to be pretty good.

Each member of my study group had different NCLEX books, so in study group we had a wide variety of questions and study tips. Two of my group members had the Kaplan review and questions books, they liked them. I used NCLEX Review Made Incredibly Easy and the question book that goes with it (it looks hockey, I bought them at a CNSA conference because the were on sale cheap but it had a good basic content review and I finished it with a good idea of what areas needed to be reviewed in more depth with my notes).

Hang in there and don't let the test freak you out (I lost way to much sleep over that test). You've been in school for a while know and you probably know what kind of studying works best for you. Stick with what works for you.

CONGRATULATIONS! HAVE A GREAT FINAL SEMESTER AND GOOD LUCK ON YOUR BOARDS.

angelaADSN · Feb 7, 2001

Hi Riley! I too graduate in May. Our instructors are also giving us advice to take the NCLEX. The only problem I see with it is it cost 300.00 for 1 week 8:00 to 5:00. I have a hard enough time sitting through a 4 hour lecture much less an 8 hour lecture. I have recently decided not to take the review course. I can study my notes that they have already given us. If I do fail the nclex, I decided I would take another review course offered by someone else before taking it the second time. That is my opinion about the review course. Good luck to you! www.geocities.com/ajax_clean/StudentNurse.html

RNShelly · Feb 9, 2001

Hey, don't worry. I just graduated in December. I took a review course through Rhinehart and Associates out of Mississippi. They had 3 teachers that came to our school and covered a great deal of material with us. We received a big binder full of material, of which all was covered. I found it extremely helpful. I received a BSN, also, but there was so much I had forgotten. Over half of my class attended it. We all were very glad that we did. They have a money back guarantee, that if you don't pass, you receive a full refund. They also have an excellent pass rate. I definitely recommend them. If you choose not to take a course, I would recommend the book, Mosby's Comprehensive Review of Nursing for NCLEX-RN. It is a great book, and it's not that expensive. Good Luck, and don't sweat it. If I can pass it, I know you can.

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journeyy · Apr 15, 2001

I graduated in dec 99', took boards for the first time in feb 01' and passed! I used Kaplan Review diskettes, NSNA NCLEX-RN review, 3rd edition, and, the Mosby assesstest. Good luck to you. No, I don't believe the classes are important.

tschell · Apr 15, 2001

hi! i'm also graduating in may! yea! about 10 of us are taking the NSNA NCLEX review class in lacross,wi. the cost for 4 days was $230.00 and there is a money back garauntee(sp?). the first day is all pharm,the next 2 days are gen.review and the last day is all about taking the NCLEX. the biggest reason most of us are taking it is to help boost our confidence. plus we're looking forward to having a little bit of fun! so GOOD LUCK!! may is almost here!!!

janine3&5 · Apr 16, 2001

Most of the hospitals in our area offer review courses to employees. The hospital that I work at offers a week long NCLEX-RN review free of charge (I think we also get paid regular wages for attendance). I don't know if you already work at a hospital, but it would be worth looking into if you do. I've been using Springhouse's "NCLEX-RN Questions and Answers made Incredibly Easy", which is great. As a class, we have also taken Mosby's Assess test, which is supposed to be a pretty good indicator of how you'll do on boards. The results are broken down to show you which areas you're weakest in. I'm sure you'll do fine- GOOD LUCK!

[This message has been edited by janine3&5 (edited April 15, 2001).]

hollykate · Apr 16, 2001

I took a review course-primarily with the idea that if I didn't and I failed, I would never forgive myself. I found the review to be fun, but not very helpful for NCLEX- you have to be careful which one you go to. But do remember 85% of first time NCLEX takers pass the test, thats pretty good odds. I broke it down- and if you get 75 questions- 15 of those are "try-outs" which don't count- and you have to get about 50% right for the computer to shut off- so in the end, with 75 you only need to answer about 45 or so correctly to pass. Shocking isn't it?

KR · Apr 17, 2001

Hi all! Good luck to everyone on finals and boards I graduated a year ago with my ASN and passed boards on the first try, getting only 75 questions. All that I did too prepare for boards was answer a ton of questions, on cd-rom, and using NCLEX review books. SOme of the books come with CD-rom disks. If anyone wants specific book titles, email me and I can get them too you. Best of luck and remember there is an end in site! Kimberly Rush, RN

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mandroid · May 9, 2001

Hi,

For those of you looking for a really good inexpensive review I suggest taking the National Council's Online Review (http://www.nclex.com)--they have 3 weeks for $49 only. I found it very helpful! Good luck all of you graduating in May!

[ May 09, 2001: Message edited by: mandroid ]

ZZTopRN, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2004

Has anyone used the Princeton NCLEX review?

mv

RN2B4U · May 20, 2007

Does anyone know of a CAT that can be purchased for the NCLEX review?