danceandnurse

I get a lot of questions such as "What about SAUNDERS? How do you feel about KAPLAN? NSCBN?" I just wanted to make a separate post of all the materials I've encountered. This is how I feel about the following materials and MY personal experience. In no way am I saying you HAVE to follow me or you will fail. Also, if you have your own methods, you are more than welcome to stick to what you have or to mix it up. Please do not be a non-therapeutic nurse and write negative responses. We all study differently. Thank you! MY FAVORITES THAT HELPED ME: NCLEX-RN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MADE INCREDIBLY EASY This one is my absolute favorite for content review. How is it content review if you're just answering questions? Because it keeps asking you questions on the same diseases in that chapter. It keeps reinforcing the rationales in you. LIPPINCOTT'S NCLEX-RN ALTERNATE-FORMAT QUESTIONS I felt like it was simple and easy to go through. I think you need less than a week to do this book and DEFINITELY helps you prepare for the SATAs of the NCLEX. Plus, it's cheap on amazon. YAY NCLEX QUESTION APPS: NCLEX-RN Prioritization & NCLEX-RN Alt-format Davismobile. These are two apps that I used. If you ask me what I thought of the NCLEX, I think that these two apps are the perfect two combination of the NCLEX. I felt like these apps were a LOT harder than the NCLEX itself. If you already have the book, then stick with it! It's the same questions. However, if you want portability when you're out and about or something to use while lying down before you sleep, by all means go for the apps! (But please get it in conjunction with a content review if you're unsure of content) STUDY GUIDE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=avz7vwFgksk This girl sells the study guide that I used. I did not have time to make a study guide for myself. It is based off of the rationales from Saunders & Kaplan. Please don't ask me to sell or give it for free. It's not mine to distribute. It's not a scam. If you want to use your OWN study guide, by ALL means, it is even better if you made your own. I am not saying you have to take this option. Some people used ONLY this study guide and passed in 75qs. I too passed in 75 questions. I don't have time to go back to and re-read everything I read a few weeks ago. I also know that I don't remember what I read from that long ago. That's why I felt like this study guide did save me. OTHER MATERIALS I'VE USED IN THE PAST: (I've looked at more, but these are the main ones) KAPLAN - This is good IF I already know the content, but when I used KAPLAN, I didn't know the content. I felt like the rationales were not sticking. NCSBN - This was way too dry and bland. I actually didn't go past the first few pages. SAUNDERS - I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE CD. I LOVE the comprehensive review. Too bad I don't have the attention span to sit through the entire thing. IF you don't, at least go through the CD. Listen to the audio clips, download it, listen in the car, or listen before you sleep. The audio track's really great at explaining stuff! PDA - It's a great book. Too bad it gets tedious to keep flipping back and forth, which honestly makes me lazy to check the rationales. But definitely a great great alternate to the Prioritization APP that I mentioned earlier. I really don't have anything bad to say about the book. EXAM CRAM - This is a great and easy way to understand content. It's easy on the eyes and doesn't feel overwhelming at all. It still didn't help me answer questions or learn as much as from the EASY Q&A book. Again, my opinion. PEARLS OF WISDOM NCLEX-RN REVIEW - It's just questions and answer without any multiple choice. It asks you a question and beneath it, it just directly tells you the answer. That's for those who doesn't feel like having any options. I got it for $3 on amazon. It didn't really help me pass the nclex on its own. It was just an easier read when I'm not in the mood to use multiple choice. WHICH MATERIAL WOULD BE GOOD FOR ME? Is it prioritizing? What will the nurse do FIRST? What tasks should be delegated to WHO? Stick with the davismobile prioritization app (other options: PDA book) Is it SATAs and charts? EKGs? Images? Stick with davismobile alternate format (other options: LIPPINCOTT'S NCLEX-RN ALTERNATE-FORMAT QUESTIONS, saunders alternate Qs in the CD) Is it content in general and you don't want to read all 1000 pages? You don't really remember what you read a few weeks ago? You don't want to make your own study guide? Someone did it for you. Stick with the study guide. (Other options: Just trust your own notes. You don't NEED the study guide. It is just useful. Don't ask me to give it to you or sell it to you. It is NOT mine to distribute.) If it's a combination, then I honestly would get the combination because that price is going to be better than dropping $200 on another NCLEX exam if you are unprepared (but I have a feeling you are prepared already and just reading this for reassurances!)

:) I sent a PM so I can help out!

I felt the NCSBN was too dry and barely gave it the time of day. ExamCram was actually not easy for me. Haha. I sucked at it I guess, but I didn't do the two comprehensive exams in the back of it. I felt lazy to flip back and forth for the rationale. For the L Q&A book, I actually calculated every single exam. I was consistently in the 50-60s. Rarely I got 70s. The comprehensive exams I got 60s and several 70s. The truth is, the comprehensive exams were the only exams I didn't read the rationales on, except comprehensive exam #4. Yes, the questions I've seen definitely showed on the NCLEX. Though if I had to recommend one book alone that's the closest to the NCLEX that people are least prepared for, it'd be the alternate questions book just because some people had 40/75 SATA (poor souls). I had about 15-20 SATAs and I felt like they were a lot easier in comparison to the book. I hope that helps. Good luck

Yea, it wasn't easy to read through cardio. You can just pretend "realize" is like a bullet I guess. You can save cardio for last bc that was the hardest read for me. I've done Exam Cram before and I honestly didn't feel like it helped me at all. It did help me understand the content a little, but I felt like I was doing worse with the question reviews at the end of each chapter. PDA definitely is everyone's bible and I do recommend it! I just felt that the alternate questions is more of everyone's weakness than being able to prioritize which is why I didn't even mention PDA. How do you like Lippincott Q&A? It can get tedious, but I felt that it's a lot better than reading an entire comprehensive review book. :) Again, good luck on your exam! When is it?

NCLEX-RN Questions and Answers Made Incredibly Easy (Nclexrn Questions & Answers Made Incredibly Easy): Susan Lisko: 9781451185492: Amazon.com: Books The 6th edition is what I used.

LOL ahhaha. I guess she really wants you to realize it! It felt good when I did realized it. lol jk. Idk why she did that. The pharmacology gets blehh sometimes, but I used silly puns next to it hehehe. Like, clomid induces ovulation for sexy time heroin withdrawal - even heroes get the flu! (bc flu symptoms occur). Tofranil - fran will cheer you up! Thorazine causes constipation - Thor is constipated on my toilet! Oh snap, you're using exactly what I used! What do you think of the Q&A book? I felt like it's so much better than just reading a review book straight. I get so bored. It's just not my style. Ahhhh, since we have the same style of learning and choice of material, please let me know how you do! Reply here or email me! I think you'll do awesome!

Thank you. I wish the best of luck to you, scorpio. :) I mainly focused on pages 66-82, pharmacology section. Haha. It was kinda tough to sit through the first pages, since it is cardio, so much fun... What other materials are you using to study?

Good for you? No one said you have to use mine. Topic is "What helped me pass", not "You better use this or you will fail." Best of luck to you.

lol...did you just make a screen name just to copy the other person? lol... yes I was sharing my experience and yes, I heard the advice from every single professor. haha Congratulations for passing in 75 questions! :) I did too!!!!!! I'll be honest. I continued answering questions until I went to bed before the exam. I'm not really a "relax the day before" kind of person. Never was, never will be. Oh well.

I'm receiving a lot of emails about specifically that study guide. Yes, some people have chosen to use only that study guide and yes, they passed. I wasn't giving that tip for an "easy way out". There really is no easy way out. I was trying to just explain what helped me when I felt that KAPLAN and Saunders didn't the first time. The Q&A really helped me, which is why I listed that one first. I know some people like to cram and some people think they should rest the night before. My honest opinion on that is, to each their own. I know a lot of people who kept answering questions even right before taking the exam and some people who frown upon it. Again, to each their own. And remember, we're nurses here. :) Therapeutic techniques! Let's not minimize people. If you e-mail me, I will gladly help you or explain things to make it easier. I will gladly sit down and talk about strategies or study plans. But PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL ME FOR A FREE STUDY GUIDE. The poor girl worked hard to put it together herself. I will not just give it out for free...you don't even need to get it. It's just one of the things I decided to use that worked in my favor just because I didn't have time to make my own. Again, good luck!

I can send the FREE study guide that's been going around, but I really respect this girl for helping me pass and putting the time into it that I didn't have, so I won't do that to her. Here's the free one! This one's 34 pages long. https://allnurses.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11215&d=1340919779

Aw, what's your email address? We can talk about how to make it easier for you. :) I'm here to help! My email is [email protected] (I can't reply to private messages since I'm not an active member yet.)

This post is for what helped ME pass the NCLEX. In NO WAY am I telling you "You must use these methods or else you will fail!" Do whatever makes you happy. This is for me to share with those who are lost or just interested in reading. And also, if you're going to be a non-therapeutic nurse and put someone's studying skills down, stay off my wall. :) I'm so happy that I passed and I understand how difficult it is to retain the information or to find the right stuff that will work. It has been such a tough journey doing this with two jobs and running a business. I've tried everything (KAPLAN, Exam Cram, books, etc.) I feel like I had all the books out there and I was still overwhelmed. In the end, I only used four study methods: NCLEX-RN Questions and Answers Made Incredibly Easy Lippincott's NCLEX-RN Alternate-Format Questions NCLEX question apps on my phone/ipad when I'm out and about I used NCLEX-RN Questions and Answers Made Incredibly Easy and I really really like this most of all, surprisingly. I completed the entire book and did not use KAPLAN at all the second time. For the record, the questions weren't easy. It is broken down into different categories (CARDIO, RESP, ETC.). The reason why I love this one the most is because it'll keep repetitively asking me the questions in a different way to help me retain that question. I bought the Davismobile apps to use in my spare time. I loved using them! They were PRIORITY questions and ALTERNATE FORMAT questions. I felt that the NCLEX was based off on these two apps. I think if I didn't have to worry about understanding the contents, I'd be happy just using these two apps to practice for the exam & nothing else. I used this person's guide (it is not mine so due to the respect of how hard she's worked to put this together, I will not post it up, distribute it, or sell it.) This guide is 97 pages long. It is the summary of all the rationales that the girl used from KAPLAN & other questions she's found. To me, it's amazing and worth the price because I did not have time to put a guide together myself. Idk if that's worth it to you guys, but every single question I answered on the NCLEX, I remembered reading it off from her guide: I know this is long! I just wanted to post this up for those who's struggling with sitting there and answering a million questions or reading hundreds of pages for review. So key points: I preferred the Easy Q&A since it kept asking you questions about the disease instead of just "moving" on assuming you know it or will remember it. I love getting apps to go especially if I'm waiting on a long line. Worth the investment, especially the Priorizations & Delegations. Bless that girl who made that study guide. I read it the weekend before the exam and that. saved. my. life. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! I'M ALWAYS HERE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS! FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME!