nurse_bear

Took all 7 in the last 6 months....passed the first 3 all in 5 weeks...then failed repro....then failed LS1...then failed LS 2....then yesterday failed LS3. Funny thing is I found the LS 3 exam to be pretty straight forward and scored pretty good on the little bar graph they print out with your grade. I thought for sure I got a B and it was and F! an F! I have never made an F on these exams before and I found this one fairly easy compared to the other ones. I dont like how these exams are graded!!! you can do poorly and get by with a C but you can do well and miss a certain amount of the right questions and get an F! That being said, I am going to re-take the 4 I have to make up and at least now I have some insight on what to expect....BTW- the reason I did all 7 without stopping and re-taking my failed tests until I passed is because I take the exams for free on military installations. They only pay for it one time and if you fail you have to pay to re-take them....I guess the good news is I am 3 tests ahead of where I was 6 months ago....I just saw myself doing much better. BLAH!!! lol

Inspiring story!!! Congratulations, you deserve it!!!!!!

TCN is not a scam. they tell you everything about themselves....however they neglect to tell you that you don't need them. You can go through Excelsior and take the exams without them. Its kinda like paying someone $5 to walk to the end of your driveway to get your mail every day...makes no sense

no....no....NO!!!!!! I am glad you asked. Go straight through ISU! TCN are nice, friendly, and helpful people but why pay them $7,000 to do something you can do on your own? I have about 9 more payments to them and I dont regret using them but I do consider it a lesson learned. You can cut TCN out of the equation and get your RN for a fraction of the cost. I hope this helps and congratulations and good luck on whatever route you may choose.

I am taking LS 2 on Sept 1st. SG101 has some good notes and practice exams on the subjects. I took LS 1 and made a "d" last month. I was using some study material I bought on ebay which was sort of a ripoff because it was mainly power points that I could only access from work. I really need a victory soon. I do urgent care so I am a little rusty on endocrine and regulatory related things. I think you will do well with what you have. Keep us posted and I will do the same! Good luck.

Well the exams are nclex style so I definately recommend some study guided and practice tests. It all depends on how you study though. Good luck

Thanks y'all. I am bumping LS 2 back 2 extra weeks to make more room for studying. I don't like it but thats the way it is. You live to fight another day

Wow. Just wow. I am so disappointed. Made a D. I was so prepared for this exam. I passed my first 3 exams inside of 6 weeks but i seem to have hit a road block. I have been a full time lpn for 4 years now and I am good at what I do. I am a College Network victim and my books are from 2007. I should have called them and got my updated materials first i guess. There were lab values (mainly abg's) and some acidosis/alkalosis questions but not very many. Some questions were straightforward too. Oh well, I start studying for LS2 tomorrow. Schediled it for late next month. 60 day waiting period to retake ls1 starts today I will keei in touch on this forum. Good luck everyone

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Hope to be there in about 6 months. Enjoy benig an RN!

I'm back! Had some family issues and cancelled a few exams over the summer but I got LS 1 tomorrow, then 2 and 3 scheduled in august. I feel comfortable about LS 1 and have been really brushing up on my cardio/respiratory material, SG 101, and reading my book/practice exams. I hope to report good news tomorrow night when I return! As always I will give some tips on what I saw and did on the exam. Please feel free to add some pointers on what particular info you saw on this exam and what you studied. Thanks and I will check in tomorrow evening!

It was the only one I made a "d" on so far. I am re-taking it in a few months. I didn't like it at all. Alot of genetic abnormalities and things like that. I wasn't prepared. I did SG 101 also. Good luck

Well, in a word, Yes. I mean it doesn't hurt. I have been in urgent care for 5 years now. Three as an LPN. Our clinics are fast paced, especially during the fall and winter months. Its all acute, which helps and hurts you. I do alot of IV's and IM's also and it keeps you sharp. We get emergencies all of the time. People still dont understand when to go to urgent care or the ER so you have to be prepared for anything. Since it is acute there are almost zero catheters, NG tubes, etc. I have no desire to work on the floor at a hospital. If I go to the hospitals I will do strictly ER so I think this experience helps greatly. I make a little better than the starting rate for RN's in my area and I am an LPN so the money is great too!

Thanks beachnurse. I'm actually going to consult the thousand dollar college network book I paid dearly for, also. I am seeing online where LS 1 mainly focuses on cardio/respiratory

Took Repro yesterday. Made a "D". The day started bad in the first place. I take Excelsior exams free on military posts so I commute to Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL to take my exams. My trip started off with a flat tire 20 minutes into my commute. Should have seen that as a bad sign! LOL! Changed it and went on with my day. I'm not even gonna throw a pity party and blame anything else but myself. I was not prepared for this test. I tested out of transition to RN role, Health/safety, and Chronicity all inside of 6 weeks and was on a roll. Perhaps too much of a roll. I didn't fail by much. There were lots of congenital abnormalities on the exam that were not in my notes. Not as much sexuality as I thought there would be. I have always said females are like jet engines- lots of moving parts! Reproductive has never been a strong point or even an area of interest for me so I was not as motivated as I should have been either. Taking life span 1 in 2 weeks. Just printed out SG101 notes and exams a few minutes ago and it looks alot smoother that reproductive. My 60 day wait period started today to re-take my repro. I will just have to pay out of pocket this time. No biggie. So if I get LS 1, LS 2, and LS 3 out of the way and tackle repro again this summer I will be on track to schedule CPNE some time in the fall. I am still very much in the fight! This changes nothing but a couple dollar signs, lol! To all my soon to be RN's with Excelsior keep fighting the fight!!!! Feel free to ask me or comment about this exam or anything else!

Thanks lm. Im taking reproductive thursday and ls 1 on the 19th. I will keep you posted. Thanks for that cpne workshop info! I am writing that name down!