study NCLEX books while in school?

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What does everyone think of studying NCLEX review books while in nursing school?

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What does everyone think of studying NCLEX review books while in nursing school?

I just purchased the Saunders nclex review for my pda and im in my first semester of NS....i don't think it's too early at all....i just go over the sections that we've discussed in class: it helps me study for my tests, and it helps to prepare me for the nclex...it's never too early to study!!!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.

The last three months of our program is only clinicals so our instructors told us to get a NCLEX book to study for the exam during this time. They keep on telling us when the time comes we need to do 100 questions a day for 60 days and we should be fine.

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Because they contain a combination of:

1) strategies for answering NCLEX-style questions, which is how all of our exam questions are asked during nursing school

2) actual questions, divided into chapters by subjects, so you can practice applying what you just studied to the type of questions you'll be asked on your exams

3) review - in many NCLEX books, each chapter starts with a review of the main points of the subject matter (i.e. cardiac medications), and it's from a different author than your textbook so it may help clarify something you didn't really understand the first time. They're also much shorter than doing all the assigned reading, so some students use them instead when they really run out of time.

4) you're going to need a couple anyways when it come time to prepare for the NCLEX, so why not invest in one or two early and do better on your exams throughout school? I like the Saunders Comprehensive review book if you're only getting one, it has all three parts I listed above.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

i bought a copy of saunders comprehensive review for the nclex-rn examination, 3rd edition, by linda anne silvestri to use as a general nursing reference since i don't have a nursing textbook anymore (lost in a flood). i really like the way it is organized. it gives you nice concise lists of the most important aspects you need to know about nursing subjects. in the area of the various diseases, it lists the important assessment information you should be gathering, the progressive signs and symptoms of the disease from early onset (mild) to the worst including death and the specific nursing interventions/considerations. this is information you need to know to incorporate into your critical thinking in making decisions. chapter 5 of the book contains the strategy for answering application type questions which are the kind of questions not only on nclex, but what many nursing instructors put on their own tests. there are sections on surgical nursing, basic nursing procedures, maternity, pediatrics, mental health and delegation. the only thing i find a little irksome is that sometimes i need to use the back index and try different key words to find things as they may not be in a section of the book that i think the thing is going to be in.

as a test review for school, these kind of lists are going to get down and dirty as to what you have to absolutely know and focus on as you study the various diseases. when all that information is new and potentially confusing to you, that can be a great assistance in helping you sort it all out.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I have to agree with everyone else so far. I also have the Saunders NCLEX review and its helping me tremendously in my adult health 1 class (med/surg). It really helps with testing.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I love using my NCLEX book as a study guide for exams. Good luck.

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

My study group has two Saunders books that we use when reviewing for an upcoming test. I love that it's another resource for the information that we are studying and that there are more practice questions, formatted like our tests and the NCLEX, that I can use to "practice" for our tests.

Well worth the money. As an aside, if you have a Borders bookstore near you, join their Rewards club (not sure what it's called)...you give them your e-mail address and they e-mail coupons every week or so that are worth anywhere between 20 & 30% off of in-store books (not special orders I found out the hard way). My local Borders carries a great selection of nursing books and this has saved me a TON on the extras I have bought outside of my texts.

Best wishes!!

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Yep, gotta get them. It didn't really help me out at first because we were learning the Nursing Process, Legal, etc. etc., but now that we are starting to cover specific clinical areas, they have been very useful. I say "they" because, while one book may be better than the others, get as many different ones as you can. Get the ones that break the subjects down like antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum. I have found it the best way to study for my exams because they all cover the same areas and since they ask the same questions so many different ways I feel more prepared to tackle the tests. I found that the very best way to get the most out of those books is to find out why the answer I gave is right or wrong. Study the rationales, sometimes, their explanation will click better than the teacher's.

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okay, thanks everyone! Saunders seems to be the popular choice - I'll check it out.

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What does everyone think of studying NCLEX review books while in nursing school?

Some people swear by them. I haven't found it necessary myself, but as I will be graduating in March, I will probably start to crack open a few soon. If you have enough practice questions on CD's and in your texts you should be fine for school without NCLEX books, but it couldn't hurt.

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