prep for excelsior exams

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Does anyone know the best way to prep for the excelsior exams.... I was just admitted as a student and I only need seven classes to bridge. when I looked at the syllabus for the ethics class, they listed four required books and six recommended. can anyone help, or share experiences with excelsior.

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Hi..... I Don't have an answer to your questions. I was actually coming on here to post the same questions!:) I am very confused from studying from their outline/guide. I was wondering if someone could possibly inform me if they actually just bought books or what?! I feel so confused about studying for the exams already! I just recently bought a CD study guide off ebay(which they have a ton!) and wasn't sure if that was what alot of people used or did they use the books? someone please help!!! I haven't yet used the study guide i purchased yet, but I will def let you know how it is. By the way are you paying for the course by the way you go or did you take out a private loan?

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IAM paying out of pocket but i need only seven classes. I talked to the company called rue education this am and they make study kits for a prep to ec exams. they would cost me $3400 just for my classes. I think i saw a post that someone said all they studied was the free guides ec gives to pass there exams ut i would like to get clarification from a current student.

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I am currently a LPN, so I need all the GE classes. I was reading on a thread that RUE and college network are ripe off's and to just order stuff off ebay and amazon. it seems to be a bit cheaper. Might wanna check that out. I would like some more clarification from a current student too!

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Specializes in Hospice.
iam paying out of pocket but i need only seven classes. i talked to the company called rue education this am and they make study kits for a prep to ec exams. they would cost me $3400 just for my classes. i think i saw a post that someone said all they studied was the free guides ec gives to pass there exams ut i would like to get clarification from a current student.

i'm a current excelsior student, about 2 months into the program, 2 exams down, and taking my next one on september 20.

you do not need to spend money with a third party company like rue, college network, or chancellors in order to obtain your asn from excelsior college. these companies will ask you to sign a contract and pay 1000s of dollars in return for providing you with study guides that merely regurgitate information that can be obtained less expensively elsewhere.

excelsior does provide free study guides that outline the information needed to pass each exam. you can then buy the required text books (not that expensive compared to rue / tcn and the others, especially if you can get used copies ) and use the books and the study guide to prepare for each exam. they also have practice exams available that are invaluable in preparing for the test.

take a look at the threads on the distance education board here on allnurses. (it's near the top of the main student forum page). you will find all kinds of good advice from lots of current and former excelsior students. good luck!

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Specializes in Hospice.
I am currently a LPN, so I need all the GE classes. I was reading on a thread that RUE and college network are ripe off's and to just order stuff off ebay and amazon. it seems to be a bit cheaper. Might wanna check that out. I would like some more clarification from a current student too!

Be careful ordering used study materials off of e-Bay or amazon. They are often outdated materials, and can contain incorrect information. Excelsior updates exams on a yearly basis, sometimes more often.

If you are taking CLEP exams for GE requirements, CLEP study guides for most exams are available at any good bookstore like Barnes and Noble.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

I am currently using TCN study guides. I met with a representative in my home and I signed up with them. I really appreciate all of the info. being condensed into one large binder (no searching endlessly on ebay, etc for used books). I can take the binder with me where ever I go. They also have practice tests on line. And my favorite perk is that I contact TCN before I start a new subject and they verify that I have the most current learning module, if it has expired then they just send me a new one(no additional charge). I pay them a monthly payment on my credit card and that's that, I test when I am ready. I haven't had to use any additional books, etc and have gotten all B's and an A on my tests so far. So the publishing companies can come in very handy, it just depends on what you want. I work full-time, have a family and I am extremely busy so this is what works for me! Hope it helps.

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Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

I have bought ONLY the recommended textbooks through ebay and half.com, and i think one or two i had to look on textbook.com for but still got it for a bargin. I used 1-2 editions behind what EC recommends. My grades are in my signature line, and transitions i pretty much only used SG101 study guides and not a lot of the textbook and got my worst grade yet. I think the textbooks are great for someone who wants to follow the study guide from EC to a T, and read each listed chapter. I didn't buy ANY of the optional textboks at all by the way...spent only 4.99 including shipping for my fundamentals book and 200 total for the entire program.

Anyway, i really think to each his own. Whatever will work for you...i felt more overwhelmed with the College network binders than i did with three textbookis. but again that was just me! =)

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I DEFINITELY recommend the practice tests on the EC website. They were $75 per course when I was in the program, and you get 2 tests; form A and form B. Same sort of questions, different formats. I took one at the beginning of studying for each course to see where I needed to focus my studying (and skip the parts I was strong in), and one when I thought I was ready for the Pearson final exam. I would invariably score higher on the real exam than the practice test. Many of the practice questions were exactly as on the Pearson exams. Worth WAY more than the fee!!! The practice tests also give you a format which says what score you got on each question and rationale for each answer selection to help you learn why/why not to chose a certain answer.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Ortho, School Nursing.

I would be very interested to know how the study CD off ebay worked for you! there are definitely some out there and sound awesome but is the content current? the correct info to study and pass? who was the author of the CD you purchased?

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The practice tests from EC are well worth the money you spend for them. I used regular review books that I got from the bookstore and found them to be more than adequate. I also advise you to save your money and stay away from the publishing companies like The College Network, Rue, etc. If you want their study guides, buy them used off ebay and save a ton of money. And do not worry about content being up to date, the cardiovascular system remains the same from year to year. There is very, very little that changes in these tests. They cover the basics.

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Congratulations on starting Excelsior. I have to say I absolutely love it. I graduated as an LPN in 2009 and started on Excelsior right away. Two of my friends from LPN school went the College Network route. I did not.

What I do is download the free Content Guide from the Excelsior website. The content guide tells you what books you will need for that particular exam. I order my books through the Excelsior book store. The great thing is they buy them back when I finished with them.

I then follow the Content Guide, religiously, and make sure I read and understand all the concepts listed. After I study for about 3 weeks, I register for the actual exam on the Excelsior website and then order and do the EC Practice exams. I feel they are invaluable with giving you a feel of how well you know the material. And I have seen actual questions from the Practice exams on the real exams. I have gotten all "A"s and "B"s and only have Health Differences 3 and Transitions yet to take.

I also ordered MYStudyGroup101 and use the material to quiz myself. But I will say, in my opinion, making sure I study the material from the Content Guide, and using the EC Practice exams, are really what has helped me be successful.

Since I am not going the College Network route, I don't want to say anything negative about them. I am sure the fact that they consolidate the study material is helpful to people.

Best of luck with your studies!!

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