I'm new here and I will go ahead and apologize if I am beating a dead horse with this thread, just wanted some input/advice from people currently using or have ever used any of these materials. I have spent several hours reading over previous threads about the recommended review books for the RN Exam. I have narrowed it down to 4 books:
1. Saunder's Comprehensive Review
2. Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment
3. Kaplan NCLEX-RN Examination w/CD: Strategies, Practice, and Review
4. Lippincott's Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN
I have read many, many reviews on each and they all seem to be really good resources. I'm fairly certain I will be buying the Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment review no matter what. The other 3 are what I am unsure of so I was hoping someone could help me. I have contemplated buying all of these...I think I am freaking out. haha. ANY input would be greatly appreciated!!!
Also, I already have the NCLEX 4000 at home and have read mixed reviews about using it as a study tool for the exam so any advice about this as well will help.
I think the NCLEX is giving me heart palpitations!!!
HI I am a nurse here in canada for 17 years so its been a while since I have sat down to write an exam like this.I put in the time studying the content I mean studied alot of content. What I failed at was 2 things doing alot of was CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS..... the NCLEX exam last week. As for the critical thinking that is really required for the exam I would recommend the other above courses like Kaplan and saunders review. I didnt pass NCLEX and realize now I should of focused on KAPLAN and the SAUNDERS book more.... Dont get fooled the exams make you think critically...
Saunders and Kaplan helped me pass NCLEX on my first try. Ended at 75 questions and yes my nerves were truly shaking. Saunders is so easy to comprehend. Served as my backbone in understanding the basics in nursing & their rationale deciphers complicated questions making you understand why your choice wasn't the best pick. I took a little further with Kaplan doing the Q & As. It helped me get familiarize with NCLEX questions...hope this helped
I used lippincott too... but it just made me dizzy. Read first the Comprehensive review of Saunders. Study it by heart. Then practice Q & As of Kaplan or whichever books/CDs challenge you most. For as long as you have a good foundation of the basics (which Saunders provides) nothing can go wrong.... been there, know how it exactly feels...good luck!!
Hi there any advice on what study guides or Send some free links in the site that will help in my studies. Thank you so much. I hope someone will respond to this :)
I went to a school that endorsed Saunders and Lippencott, both are great books. For me, I learned best by doing question after question, and learning from reading not just the answer, but also the rationale. I feel i soaked up more tidbits of useful information when presented in that format, as opposed to reading an outline of the actual content (like in Saunders) - but some people like that, so its up to you.
Whatever you decide, I cant emphasize enough how important it is to do practice NCLEX Q's. I barely studied for the NCLEX and I passed on my first try - and I give all the credit to the (estimated) 2,000 NCLEX Qs I did while in nursing school.
I wouldn't focus much on anything else. Our school made it mandatory to pay $300 for the Kaplan program and it was money well spent. Thousands of quality questions covering Everything we learned in nursing school. If you complete the Qbanks, Qtrainers, and Readiness Test -- you will be more than prepared. The Saunders and Lippincottt books were helpful while in nursing school. But the Kaplan questions are much more similar to the NCLEX than anything else I've seen. In fact, our Kaplan representative specifically told us NOT to focus on those type of books unless you need extra help with content review. But honestly, Kaplan has videos for content review too.
I graduated in May and really slacked off on studying for the boards until the last week and a half prior to testing. I took the NCLEX yesterday (Aug. 11th) and passed with 75 questions (22 SATA) and PASSED. All I did to prepare were Kaplan questions.
My school had it set up so we automatically did Hurst Review for three days towards the end of the semester and Prep-U throughout the entirety of our last semester. I also purchased a Kaplan book for my own use. Of the three, the Hurst Review definitely seemed to help the best. Everything was broken down so simply that when I took NCLEX, all the answers seemed to come without me thinking. They really emphasize knowing core content, rather than doing questions, which was surprising at first but really forced me to learn the material. It also helped that the instructors usually seemed to have good humor about everything and it didn't feel as if they were droning on.
Prep-U wasn't so great, though it could be because I stopped trusting them when I found my third spelling error in five questions. It might be helpful for those who feel like they need to answer questions constantly, but other than that I didn't learn much from it. There were also a lot of repeat questions (once had two of the same question in a 10 question quiz), which was frustrating at times.
Kaplan kind-of made me feel like I didn't know anything, so that was my least favorite of the methods. The questions were very difficult in that book but the rationales were excellent. It might have been a lot better had I done that after completing Hurst, since I probably would have had a better grasp on things.
Just a piece of advice: the NCLEX questions were nothing like any questions I'd ever seen before. They were both incredibly difficult and easy at the same time. Like the last poster, I finished with 75 questions, most of which were select all that apply. It felt terrible, though I passed, so it wasn't as bad as I thought. While I didn't have to pay for the Hurst Review myself (thanks tuition!), I would highly recommend it to anyone. Had I done it first, it probably would have been the only review I did as it really clicked for me and no number of questions could have prepared me for the ones on the test.
My school had it set up so we automatically did Hurst Review for three days towards the end of the semester and Prep-U throughout the entirety of our last semester. I also purchased a Kaplan book for my own use. Of the three, the Hurst Review definitely seemed to help the best. Everything was broken down so simply that when I took NCLEX, all the answers seemed to come without me thinking. They really emphasize knowing core content, rather than doing questions, which was surprising at first but really forced me to learn the material. It also helped that the instructors usually seemed to have good humor about everything and it didn't feel as if they were droning on.
Prep-U wasn't so great, though it could be because I stopped trusting them when I found my third spelling error in five questions. It might be helpful for those who feel like they need to answer questions constantly, but other than that I didn't learn much from it. There were also a lot of repeat questions (once had two of the same question in a 10 question quiz), which was frustrating at times.
Kaplan kind-of made me feel like I didn't know anything, so that was my least favorite of the methods. The questions were very difficult in that book but the rationales were excellent. It might have been a lot better had I done that after completing Hurst, since I probably would have had a better grasp on things.
Just a piece of advice: the NCLEX questions were nothing like any questions I'd ever seen before. They were both incredibly difficult and easy at the same time. Like the last poster, I finished with 75 questions, most of which were select all that apply. It felt terrible, though I passed, so it wasn't as bad as I thought. While I didn't have to pay for the Hurst Review myself (thanks tuition!), I would highly recommend it to anyone. Had I done it first, it probably would have been the only review I did as it really clicked for me and no number of questions could have prepared me for the ones on the test.
Did you realize that this thread is three years old, the last post is two years old, and that no one on it is asking for help on these questions anymore?
Yes, but it was still active and the first option that came up when searching for information about this topic. As such, I figured it could help current students who were looking for what worked for others. Always better to have more information, especially since not everything works for everyone.
hello, have did the nclex- pn twice ,after failing I went to another review, but the teacher recommend this book name Illustrated study guide for the nclex-Rn exam by joAnn Zerwekh 8th edition. please people let me know if anyone have heard about the book.thanks
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HI I am a nurse here in canada for 17 years so its been a while since I have sat down to write an exam like this.I put in the time studying the content I mean studied alot of content. What I failed at was 2 things doing alot of was CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS..... the NCLEX exam last week. As for the critical thinking that is really required for the exam I would recommend the other above courses like Kaplan and saunders review. I didnt pass NCLEX and realize now I should of focused on KAPLAN and the SAUNDERS book more.... Dont get fooled the exams make you think critically...