ms_cat

I guess it depends on what you need to study... For me, I had no way of knowing I already had all the info I needed with the books I already had for the tests I need (NC 1-6), so it was just a waste of money for me! I took stats and all of the other classes I needed at a traditional college, so I guess it depends on your situation- I would still recommend NOT buying the study guides before you talk to Excelsior about what classes you will need, because you get the same guides (for the Nursing Concepts classes) for free from them.

Another good one is the Lippincott RN NCLEX, and you can buy them new at the Lippincott website for about $40, they also have the Incredibly Easy Series for about $40 as well. I bought Chancellor's study guides- BIG mistake, but I still have to pay the $3000 for them! I just passed NC1 on Tuesday, I used my study guide- however, I learned more from other sources such as my PN Med Surg books (which are now 10 years old), websites, and the Lippincott NCLEX RN. The most difficult thing really is getting used to the critical thinking required. Most of the questions revolve around the nursing process- signs and symptoms of disease processes and planning for the OVERALL care of the patient. Once you get that, I think you have mastered at least exam 1 :)

I made the mistake of buying the guides from Chancellor's - another publishing company. Before it was said and done I owed them over $3000, not including the money I still had to pay Excelsior for enrollment and testing and Excelsior will tell you not to buy these guides because they are not at all affiliated with the college. The publishing companies try to make you believe that your testing fees ($215/test x 7) are included in your financing- but look closely, because they are not! Your clinical fees due to Excelsior are not included either! After all is said and done, the guides are helpful- I just passed NC 1 last Tuesday :) however, I would have saved a ton of money had I purchased the books from Excelsior, used my LPN books for reference, and guided my study with the FREE content guides from Excelsior. If you have an extra $3000 to throw away the guides are great, but my intentions were to save money... BTW, if you are one day late on your payment to them, forget about getting anymore guides until you pay IN FULL.