Settle an argument for me

Clarise I think that is great if you feel that you do not need to take a review class. It was mandatory at my school and I am grateful for that. The review class is very important and will not only review important information but it will help you organize your studies. I do not test well and needed this class to help me organize and prepare myself for the NCLEX. Feeling that the review class is a waste of money is wrong. If your friends want to take it please do not discourage them. It can be extremely helpful to someone who really needs it. I know of 4 nurses who opted not to take the review at their schools and 3 failed the boards.

Be careful when advising someone against this. Just because you feel confident does not mean another person should feel bad for taking a review class.

I believe that the best possible preparation for NCLEX is to work as a professional nurse. If your state allows you to work as a GN or RNLP prior to taking NCLEX, then I highly suggest doing so. You will be gaining clinical experience, critical thinking skills, learning to prioritize, expanding your knowledge of medications, participating in interdisciplinary care, etc. And you will be getting paid to do so, as opposed to shelling out hundreds of dollars to a company that will not guarantee you a passing score on NCLEX. The dirty little secret about NCLEX preparation courses is that most people who take them would have passed NCLEX regardless.

my thought is if you didn't learn what you need to know to pass the nclex in nursing school then a review course ain't gonna help you..but that's just me

my girlfriends and i are in our last semester, graduating in may...it will take at least 6 to 8 weeks after graduation before taking the nclex. most of them want to take the kaplan review course. i say that we don't need to, as we have all done well in nursing school (a's and b's), and that we should be able to pass the nclex without a $350 review course. i mean really, what is the point of nursing school if you then have to take an expensive reivew course to pass the nclex?

I think that Kaplan was a great review and a couple girls who I know who did not take it some of them did well while others did not. Kaplan does not re-teach you things from nursing school, if it did then you are right what would be the point. Actually one of the things my instructor from Kaplan said was that she would not answer questions based on nursing content. Kaplan gives you the strategies you need to pass the test that you might not have had through nursing school. I would encourage anyone, even the smartest girl in my nursing class, to take Kaplan cause it can't hurt your score.

My girlfriends and I are in our last semester, graduating in May...it will take at least 6 to 8 weeks after graduation before taking the NCLEX. Most of them want to take the Kaplan review course. I say that we don't need to, as we have all done well in nursing school (A's and B's), and that we should be able to pass the NCLEX without a $350 review course. I mean really, what is the point of nursing school if you then have to take an expensive reivew course to pass the NCLEX?

I'd never spend that kind of money on a review course. You should have all your notes and tests and be able to review it yourself. My instructors were pretty savvy about what would be on the test and geared their teaching to that. And you can always ask your instructors for tips. I agree totally with txspadequeen921...but that's just me too.

Ya....you either know it or ya don't.

Just bear in mind that Nclex is unlike any test that you've taken in nursing school. That being said, know all that you need and should know about it because it will help you. I know of some people who had the same mentality and did not prepare before taking the nclex, and they failed while others who did the opposite passed on the first try. Think carefully about it but don't discourage others. I myself was a B student in nursing school, however I benefited greatly from a review course. My motto is: Do it once, do it right. Good luck!

Just bear in mind that Nclex is unlike any test that you've taken in nursing school. My motto is: Do it once, do it right. Good luck!

I couldnt agree with this statement more. I got straight A's in a top notch nursing school with a 100% pass rate. However, the NCLEX questions are VERY different than exam questions from nursing school. The application of knowledge is far more advanced in NCLEX questions. With that being said, some of it is strategy....test taking skills.......Most of what they barely spent time on in school....at least at my SON. We barely had enough classtime to cram all the content in, much less go over test taking skills. The Kaplan strategy book and NCSBN extension course were great practice. I would rather pay the money for this review than take that MONSTER TEST again. The NCLEX is NOTHING to play around with! If you feel you dont need a review, or at least a quick review in NCLEX strategy, great! But dont discourage others from it!! It can only help with probably the HARDEST exam you all will ever take!!!!

I believe that the best possible preparation for NCLEX is to work as a professional nurse. If your state allows you to work as a GN or RNLP prior to taking NCLEX, then I highly suggest doing so. You will be gaining clinical experience, critical thinking skills, learning to prioritize, expanding your knowledge of medications, participating in interdisciplinary care, etc. And you will be getting paid to do so, as opposed to shelling out hundreds of dollars to a company that will not guarantee you a passing score on NCLEX. The dirty little secret about NCLEX preparation courses is that most people who take them would have passed NCLEX regardless.

Yes, this can help kick your critical thinking into high gear, but REMEMBER......NCLEX is textbook, perfect world nursing. One strategy I learned for NCLEX is never compare NCLEX questions to real world nursing....You'll get the question the wrong every time. JMHO.

When I graduated I paid for a review course. I went one day and didn't go back. I felt like it was wasting my time. I studied by taking practice NCLEX questions, timing myself, and reviewing rational for questions I missed or got right by guessing. I bought a big book with tons of tests and took 2 or 3 a week for a couple of months. I felt the NCLEX was easy. It was kind of a letdown because I was expecting it to be really hard and stressful. That worked for me, but might not be everyone's cup of tea. That's just my take on the review courses.

taking a review course is the best 3-4 hundred you can spend. you cover different delegation questions. you gain confidence, and learn how to answer the questions. that cost is about two days of work as a nurse....but if you fail...you lose 45 days of pay as a nurse...you decide, which you can afford.

I took the Kaplan class along with my two best friends from nursing school. They were both straight A students, I was an A/B student. Although we dedn't enjoy the class, and thought portions of it were not helpful, we learned some really valuable things in the class.

1. Things are not the same in "NCLEX-land" as in the real world. When you are taking the NCLEX, you will always have enough staff, the right orders, etc.

2. "Call the Doctor" is almost never (empahsize ALMOST) the right answer.

3. When doing prioritization questions, look at the answers and ask yourself, "What is the ONE thing I could do and then leave and go home?"

4. It also showed how to read the question to get to the point of what it is really asking about. Sometimes what at first looks to be a question on meds is really a question on prioritization.

I know there were others as well, however since I passed, I have conveniently forgotten most of the strategies. . . .

I didn't learn new knowledge, but the little "tricks" made it possible for me to deal with questions when I had a limited amount of knowledge about the condition, medication, procedure involved in the question.

75 Questions

40 minutes

$26.75/hr job after passing

=

$375 well spent

I would say take the class. Better to feel you have done everything you did in order to pass the test than to flunk it, not be able to work, and wish you had done something different.

Good luck!