Questions regarding EC

erinp88 · Aug 13, 2008

1. so after paying the $895 enroll fee and $75 app fee, i just download study guides from ec for free and then pay $235/test when i am ready as opposed to rue which was going to charge $500/class for materials, right?

i think you can take the first two exams prior to enrollment. i believe they're called hc1, hc3 now (lpn's don't need the 2nd one, at least they didn't used to). exams went up to $295.

2. can you use just the free study guides, or do you need to buy additional texts?

oh no! the study guides are just an outline of what you need to read. there are textbooks that are recommended for the required reading. i purchased mine through amazon and half.com for $5-15. i usually get an edition back. you can also buy rue, the college network and chancellor study guides online through ebay. sometimes they're used, and sometimes they're new. i think the most i've spent on one of those is $55 (including shipping). the other valuable study purchase is the practice exams offered by excelsior for $65. you can register for those once you've paid for the exam.

3. what are ec test formats like...multiple choice? how many questions, etc... and what percent do you need to pass with and how many times can you retake?

most ec tests are 160 questions, multiple choice. they are similar to nclex tests. you need to obtain a c, and the way they figure their grades are beyond me! each test has different content areas, and you have to obtain a certain percentage in each. out of the 160 questions, only 100 of them count. some are "trial questions?" it's all very complicated!

4. how many shots do you get to try and pass the cpne?

3!!!

5. i am a honor roll student and very serious about getting my rn done...how fast can i breeze through the 7 nc courses?

it depends.. i was an honor roll student and very serious as well. i have no kids, but for whatever reason, life got in it my way shortly after i enrolled last fall. i didn't take my first exam until feb. after that, life hit again and i didn't take the next test until june. i then took the summer off from work and am preparing for my 4th test since late june. i did not pass one recently due to lack of preparation on my part. so, be careful! preparing for these things can be very overwhelming and you have to have a constant steady schedule. there are many people on this site that have completed several tests in a very short amount of time and have been quite successful. depending on where you want to do your cpne, there is a 5-12 month wait once you become eligible.

6. while i am waiting to be accepted, can i be starting on anything?

yep, you can download content guides for 1st and 3rd tests. (i may be wrong about that since i am under the old curriculum.)

7. finally, what is the cost for ec? i cannot get their "what will this cost me" link to work. again, i only have the 7 nc left to take and then the cpne.

it depends on how much you want to spend on study material and if you complete the program in less than a year. i can tell you that the budget i prepared a year ago, has not matched on what i've spent. although, i haven't really referred to it! it just seems as if i'm always buying a practice test or always buying a study guide. it's odd to try and figure out expenses! they do offer facts tuition plan for the enrollment fee and you can do that with your exams as well. it's interest free and i think we paid $150 for 6 months. it's weird how they do it with the exams, so the original plan was that i'd take a test every month and we could afford to drop (at the time) $235.

things to plan for are enrollment fees, exams, practice exams, study material, cpne ($1900), cpne workshop (if you want one) and of course any travel arrangements associated with cpne stuff. oh, and the graduation fee.. $400-$500??

i hope this helps and makes sense! this is what i spent my study break doing!

jenniferlynn98 · Aug 13, 2008

Thanks for spending the time to answer these questions. I appreciate it very much and you have been VERY helpful! I hope I get the info in the mail soon and can get started! Good luck to you!!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2008

1. So after paying the $895 enroll fee and $75 app fee, I just download study guides from EC for FREE and then pay $235/test when I am ready as opposed to RUE which was going to charge $500/class for materials, right?

Yes, except that you will pay $440 for every year you are enrolled, $4-something to graduate, and close to $2000 for the CPNE.

2. Can you use just the free study guides, or do you need to buy additional texts?

You will need some texts. Buy them more cheaply at http://www.amazon.com or http://www.half.com. You can buy the previous edition for serious savings. But don't try not to buy the texts - they're your classroom.

3. What are EC test formats like...multiple choice? How many questions, etc... and what percent do you need to pass with and how many times can you retake?

Multiple choice, NCLEX-like, I've never failed one and the tests have changed since I finished.

4. How many shots do you get to try and pass the CPNE?

Three strikes and you're out.

5. I am a Honor roll student and VERY serious about getting my RN done...how fast can I breeze through the 7 NC courses?

A few months. Then you get to wait for the CPNE - and it is a wait of some months.

6. While I am waiting to be accepted, can I be starting on anything?

Don't bother. Really.

7. Finally, what is the cost for EC? I cannot get their "what will this cost me" link to work. Again, I only have the 7 NC left to take and then the CPNE.

If you take and pass the CPNE first shot, around $5k not counting books, travel, etc.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2008

Hey, Erin. Great minds think alike! I was eating dinner between posting.

Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN · Aug 13, 2008

1. So after paying the $895 enroll fee and $75 app fee, I just download study guides from EC for FREE and then pay $235/test when I am ready as opposed to RUE which was going to charge $500/class for materials, right?

Yes! You may have to pay the yearly fee after you've been enrolled a year. If your year comes up while you are waiting for your CPNE date, I believe you can have some fee waived or something like that. Anyway, skip Rue and all other publishers, at least directly.

2. Can you use just the free study guides, or do you need to buy additional texts?

You need the free study guides for your syllabi; you need the texts to understand the material in your study guides that you will ultimately be tested on. You can use some of your LPN books and/or buy older editions of texts to save you money. You cannot just use the free study guides. I'm trying hard not to be irritated by this question--of course you need texts for this program, just like every other nursing program.

3. What are EC test formats like...multiple choice? How many questions, etc... and what percent do you need to pass with and how many times can you retake?

The vast majority of test questions are multiple choice; I did have one "check all that apply" question in one of my tests. All of my tests were 160 questions except NC3 was 130 questions. The percentages are broken down into sections and make little sense to me, but you get the print out on how you fared after you take the tests. I'm not sure how many times you can retake a test (3? 4?), but you can only retake it after a set period of time. You may petition to do so sooner, though.

4. How many shots do you get to try and pass the CPNE?

Three shots of tequila and a Bud Light if you don't have Xanax.

Okay, okay. It's three times. For those who don't pass it the first time and are very capable nurses, most of them do it the second time, but some rocking nurses need that third time.

5. I am a Honor roll student and VERY serious about getting my RN done...how fast can I breeze through the 7 NC courses?

You can do them all in a day, if you want, I guess. I read about someone doing them all in a week. I took 4 nursing concept tests in 6 weeks and made all A's. I am an acute care medical transcriptionist and am exposed to much of the information on many of the nursing concepts tests tests daily. My training and experience as a nurse was certainly helpful for the other tests, though. (I would have been lost with many labs and hem/onc, for example, without MTing.) Your understanding of the material and your ability to keep your nerves in check during testing is most important. The tests are very similar to nursing boards except that you can flag questions and go back to change your answer.

6. While I am waiting to be accepted, can I be starting on anything?

Yes. The first nursing test (I don't know the name--I was under the old curriculum) is the one you can do before being enrolled.

7. Finally, what is the cost for EC? I cannot get their "what will this cost me" link to work. Again, I only have the 7 NC left to take and then the CPNE.

The application fee, the enrollment fee, the tests, the cost of the textbooks, practice tests from EC if you want, the supplemental materials (like videos and lab materials for the CPNE), the yearly fee if needed, the cost of the CPNE, a CPNE workshop if you are so inclined, hotels and food for the CPNE, and the graduation fee are what you are looking at.

You can access some of the study guides online to see what you would be tested on.

jenniferlynn98 · Aug 13, 2008

THANKS again to ALL of you!! You have been very helpful!! :bow: Do you find out right away if you pass the tests or do you wait, like boards to find out?

Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN · Aug 13, 2008

THANKS again to ALL of you!! You have been very helpful!! Do you find out right away if you pass the tests or do you wait, like boards to find out?

You find out immediately! Life is good that way.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2008

4. How many shots do you get to try and pass the CPNE?
Three shots of tequila and a Bud Light if you don't have Xanax.

:yeah:

jenniferlynn98 · Aug 13, 2008

THANKS again to ALL of you!! You have been very helpful!! :bow: Do you find out right away if you pass the tests or do you wait, like boards to find out?

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2008

THANKS again to ALL of you!! You have been very helpful!! Do you find out right away if you pass the tests or do you wait, like boards to find out?

As you sit at the computer.

:)

Raggedy Ann · Aug 13, 2008

Well...Hate to burst your bubble,but regarding #1...The price per nursing concept exam has gone up to 270.00. Ouch! I had paid for all of mine at 235.00 with the exception of the last one I had registered for and it was 270.00. That is when I thought I can no longer procrastinate. I have got to get this thing done. Anyway...everyone is very helpful around here. I love this place.:nuke: