Suggested Nursing exam help Books

BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN · May 9, 2011

I would start with the Davis Success series, the first one is called Test Success by Vitale and Nugent. This book teaches you how to think and get to the root of the questions. It is a great beginning book.

As you get into more specialized areas, I really like Saunders so that will help alot. You can do the questions that apply to what you are studying and they are really helpful!

dgolden · May 9, 2011

Thank you so much for the advice!! I will look into those :)

pockunit, ADN, RN · May 9, 2011

I lovelovelove the Illustrated Study Guide books. I have the RN but I'm getting the PN for my boards. It's by Mosby, and it's really, really great. It's pretty much just the bullets, which is just what I'm looking for. There's a CD with lots of questions along with the few at the end of each chapter. HIGHLY recommended.

lilag02 · May 10, 2011

I second the Success series. I've got Fundamentals and Med-Surg Success and love both. What I like most is that they have rationales listed for the right and wrong answers, and I highly recommend reading them all. Even if you get the question right there may be some tidbit of info in the rationale that may come up later or pertain to another topic.

Saunders is pretty great too, especially if you like info presented in outline format.

Good luck!

2012hopeful · Jun 1, 2011

The National Student Nurses Association puts out an NCLEX study guide and my wife swore by that book when she was preparing for boards. She passed first try, I'd at leats check it out.

dgolden · Jun 3, 2011

wow, thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate all your help!

AniraP · Jun 4, 2011

2 books- fundamentals success & test success : test taking techniques for beginning nursing students by Nugent and Vitale are very good. I loved the test success book more. I only bought the fundamentals success book and got the test success book from the college library. I also have a science background and before starting nursing school I thought my memorization skills was not going to help me any more in the NS. But I think they did help me to get through 1st semester. I'm waiting for the second semester to begin. Good luck !:)

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Jun 5, 2011

Hi all!
I am starting nursing school this upcoming fall, and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for books that would teach me how to answer nursing/nclex exam type questions. I am coming from a science background, and much of my test taking skills are using memorization, which I am quickly learning is not the case for nursing school. I got the Saunders NCLEX prep as an early congratulatory gift from my friend , and it looks great, but I think I still need something that teaches me HOW to answer. :)
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!! Good luck to all!

The first part of the Saunders book gives you some very good information on how to approach NCLEX type questions. I would read it before every semester of school because the farther you go, the more valuable the information is.

emilyBABSNRN · Jun 5, 2011

I took Drexel's NCLEX prep course after graduating nursing school and passed with the minimum questions. My biggest piece of advice is to do practice test questions over and over and over....but read your rationale for the ones you get wrong. But don't attempt these until you are through nursing school. I also got NCLEX flash cards that I reviewed while I was in nursing school.......there are questions from basic nursing 101 theory that you learn your very first semester on the NCLEX. While it isn't a lot, there still are some.