What are the best study guides for RN program?

[adinawollner]

Hello, my name is Adina. I am starting school end of Jan '11. I am trying to get everything in order. What are the best study guides for RN program?

I see the "Nursing _____ Made Incredibly Easy!" series is highly recommended, but then I see conflicting reviews.

I live by CIG or Chem for Dummies. I didn't use them all the time, but were extrememly useful when I needed them.

Let me know!

Adina

[ProudRN2B]

I used the Fundamentals of Success the first semester. It was just a book of questions but very helpful. Also, I love the reviews and rationales books. They have just one big NCLEX R&R book that will be good. It's broken down by subjects. And then last, I used Saunders NCLEX book. I would study the content from the R&R and Saunders first. Then once I had a good handle on the info, I would go to my textbook. It gave me a better idea of what I was reading, rather than going straight to the text book and being overwhelmed by the info. Then a couple of days before the test, I would just do questions.

Good Luck!

[Servingshots]

I used the Fundamentals of Success the first semester. It was just a book of questions but very helpful. Also, I love the reviews and rationales books. They have just one big NCLEX R&R book that will be good. It's broken down by subjects. And then last, I used Saunders NCLEX book. I would study the content from the R&R and Saunders first. Then once I had a good handle on the info, I would go to my textbook. It gave me a better idea of what I was reading, rather than going straight to the text book and being overwhelmed by the info. Then a couple of days before the test, I would just do questions.

Good Luck!

I use these same exact books. Highly recommended!

[Nurse Kyles, BSN, RN]

I also like the Memory Notebooks of Nursing Series. I bought a DVD on ebay For $5 that had all of the images from Volume 1, 2 & Pharmacology, and think they are very helpful. They have fun cartoons to help you remember things.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

It depends on you and the class. I would start by getting a good NCLEX-RN review book. I highly recommend Saunders (either the 4th [blue] or 5th [yellow] editions) and/or Reviews & Rationales NCLEX-RN Review by Pearson Prentice Hall.

Some of the other Reviews & Rationales books are good but honestly if you have their NCLEX-RN book, you really don't need to buy the other books. I really like the Nursing Made Incredibly Easy series, too.

[anonymousstudent]

I agree about the Saunders 5th edition NCLEX review. From the start you'll be able to find applicable content and work through it as you move through your program.

Good luck!

[rnintwo]

I have the Fundamentals of Success NCLEX review book and while I can see why people think its a great book, It didnt help me at all with my Nursing school tests. I think it really depends on your class and how they test. Unfortunately, my nursing program tests dont focus on necessarily the MOST important points of each chapter like the Fundamentals Sucess book does. Alot of questions on my class tests seemed pick from obscurity and if you didnt read every line of the chapter in the book, you might not be prepared for the test. 5 tests later and I still cant figure out my schools testing pattern/style....grrrr