New ISU student - Fall 2012

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Specializes in Hospice, geriatrics.

Hi fellow ISU students, or soon to be ones!

I'm on my way to joining the Fall 2012 class, however, there's those pesky Challenge Exams I have to take... I've been browsing the board for information about them, and have obviously seen the posts that say don't waste the $$ on the TCN study materials. As the exams themselves appear to be ~$1000 total to take in the first place, I agree! And while I've seen a few mentions of buying nursing textbooks in lieu of the study guides, I haven't managed to come across a post that has suggestions on said textbooks that would be most beneficial in my studies. All attempts to look up the required textbooks for the 4 "classes" for another school that actually hosts those classes have failed miserably.

I'll be honest - I sold back most of my LPN books once I finished the program. I wasn't sure I was going to be going back to school this soon for one thing, and for another, I needed the money. The only books I still happen to own are the drug guide from 2010 and nursing diagnoses book. Both useful in their own right, but obviously not so much in terms of these exams...

Any help and/or advice would be much appreciated! :)

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I'm on my way to joining the Fall 2012 class, however, there's those pesky Challenge Exams I have to take... I've been browsing the board for information about them, and have obviously seen the posts that say don't waste the $$ on the TCN study materials. As the exams themselves appear to be ~$1000 total to take in the first place, I agree! And while I've seen a few mentions of buying nursing textbooks in lieu of the study guides, I haven't managed to come across a post that has suggestions on said textbooks that would be most beneficial in my studies. /or advice would be much

When you register with ISU and have official transcripts sent to the university, you will be given a student ID. Without that ID, you can do nothing. Once you get the ID, you are free to take the challenge exams.

All colleges and universities that offer a challenge exam must provide guidelines and/or study guides for the exams. ISU does not tell those who want to take the challenges that they will send out the guideline with suggested books to study with for each challenge exam. What I have seen is they send out the guideline/study guides long after people give up and buy the TCN study guides. It is almost as if ISU nursing department is getting a kickback. ISU must send out study guides for the challenge exams.

I would call the program after you have gotten your university ID and ask for the study guides for the challenge exams. They may balk at providing them, but they must provide them. What i have seen is the nursing department provides the information just before the student is schedule to take the exam. This is unacceptable. Push them into providing you the study guides and suggested text books to study from long before you are ready to take the exam otherwise you are in the dark about what to study. Don't let them play games with you.

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Hi fellow ISU students, or soon to be ones!

I'm on my way to joining the Fall 2012 class, however, there's those pesky Challenge Exams I have to take... I've been browsing the board for information about them, and have obviously seen the posts that say don't waste the $$ on the TCN study materials. As the exams themselves appear to be ~$1000 total to take in the first place, I agree! And while I've seen a few mentions of buying nursing textbooks in lieu of the study guides, I haven't managed to come across a post that has suggestions on said textbooks that would be most beneficial in my studies. All attempts to look up the required textbooks for the 4 "classes" for another school that actually hosts those classes have failed miserably.

I'll be honest - I sold back most of my LPN books once I finished the program. I wasn't sure I was going to be going back to school this soon for one thing, and for another, I needed the money. The only books I still happen to own are the drug guide from 2010 and nursing diagnoses book. Both useful in their own right, but obviously not so much in terms of these exams...

Any help and/or advice would be much appreciated! :)

You can see the actual textbooks for the courses for which you are testing out (NURS 106, NURS 224, NURS 328 and NURS 330) if you do the following:

go to https://isuportal.indstate.edu/

in the Resources which DO NOT require Login section,

  • Select a term from the drop down box. Most nursing courses are offered both spring and fall...so any of those should be okay. click on SUBMIT
    In the subject box, type N......it will go to Nursing
    Scroll down and click on CLASS SEARCH

    Click on the View Text Book Requirements link at the top of the page

    on the Bookstore page, Select a term, Select a Department (NURS), Select a course (one of the ones for which there is a CSM - challenge exam),
    Select a section (doesn't matter....all sections use the same books in nursing classes)
    click on ADD COURSE - repeat to get all 4 CSMs if you want to see all books at one time

    Once you have all courses added, click on VIEW TEXTBOOK LIST -- all text books for the courses you selected will be shown.

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KiwiLPN,

Once you apply to ISU and get your student ID, you will be provided with a letter on how to set up your e-mail, etc. The user name and pw you create will also be your username and pw for blackboard. You are able to log on to blackboard to view the syllabus and outlines of thing you need to know that go along with an actual classroom curriculum; however, it is still helpful in helping you study along for the challenge exams...at least that's what I did.

The syllabi will also have the list of books that they use for the class which I'm sure you can find online for about 1/2 price.

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I have Nurs 328 left to take before the Jun 1st deadline. Anyone else have only one more challenge exam? I am so excited about this program. I am looking forward to meeting my classmates in the fall.

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Hi, 2brnI'm excited too! I have to take 3 non-nursing courses that I'm trying to take over the summer so I'll only have to worry about Nursing. Are you in California?

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No Tootie88, I live in Georgia.

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Oh! Very cool, I'm in Maryland, I only asked because a lot of people I see on the boards are from CA, and it seems their program runs a bit differently.

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Yes, this is true. I'm wondering if we have Georgia at ISU?

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I am so excited that I just passed my last challenge exam.

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