Which BEST review to choose?

Nurse Connie · Mar 13, 2012

I took the Kaplan course on site. The classroom is mostly test taking strategies, but with this you get access online + the course book. The online lectures were pretty good, I watched all of them and followed along with the book. The best thing was all the questions you have access to. You take the Diagnostic & readiness exams and they break it down to tell you your weak areas and you can concentrate on those. There are 7 question trainers which get progressively difficult and the Qbank, which are all passing level questions. I only used Kaplan so I can't speak about the others, but for me, Kaplan was worth it.

purplechicxiii, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2012

I used NCSBN 3-week review and I just answered its diagnostic exams, posttests and qbanks. I find all the questions to be very NCLEX-like. It also has content review, which I only skimmed through since I already had Saunders for the content review. I just look for any additional info I may get from the content of NCSBN.

I also did try Kaplan, but not the $499 package, I just had the Qtrainers and the Kaplan Strategies book, which I also find very helpful. I think their questions were lot harder than the actual NCLEX which is good to build your test endurance/capacity. But I must agree that Kaplan is more of the strategies than the content.

I can't speak for the others coz I never tried them. I hope you can find the most helpful review course for you. Good luck!

el4ellie · Mar 14, 2012

Thank you Conni and Purplechicxiii.

I heard that AplusNCLEXreview would offer previous failed examinars no up front tuition, to only pay AFTER the NCLEX results is a very strange concept to me. All other review companies wants you to pay regardless pass/fail. Besides, I really like @AplusNCLEX daily tweets facts that I am finding helpful too.

Decision, decision, decions....

donkim · Mar 14, 2012

I used NCSBN 3 weeks- covered the q banks.

NCLEX 4000 75-100 questions a day a month before my exam

Saunders for the Content. (they're all the same just different formats)

Feuer Audio nursing review, it covers psych, pedi, OB and MS. i listen to it every morning and whenever i dont feel like reading. ITs AWESOME!!!

(I cannot afford review classes or kaplan).

2 hours a day and 4 days a week. i go out on fridays

Took the test last week,stopped @ 75 questions tried PVT had a good pop up, yesterday i found out i passed!- on my first try.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!

mommyof2Tees · Mar 14, 2012

DONKIM -

CONGRATULATIONS!!! So, you recommend using the Feuer Audio?

klau113 · Mar 14, 2012

I only used kaplan and i passed =)

My school had a deal with kaplan in which we paid $175 each semester depending on if we got did or did not get over 800 on the hesis from the previous semester. those of us who did had a choice of paying for kaplan during school to help with studies. It started when I was in my last semester so for me, I paid the optional $175 for the semester and then an additional $175 after the semester started for the actual NCLEX material.

We got 7 physical kaplan questions in which we did questions everyday and practiced Kaplan strategies with a professor and then we got all the online material, Qbank, Qtrainer and NCLEX prep exams.

I did all questions from the Qbank, Qtrainer and NCLEX prep exam that kaplan had to offer and I passed the exam on my first try.

Hope this helps.

klau113 · Mar 14, 2012

oh also I forgot to mention, I passed with 80-85 questions

RN_Marie · Mar 14, 2012

It really depends on you. Do you need to review information? Do you need to reinforce test taking skills? Or do you think you'll be good with answering questions?

Kaplan is good if you need test taking skills and reinforce information.

Dakeirus · Mar 14, 2012

I'd recommend Hurst if you feel that you need to review your content. I really learned Fluids and Electrolytes and Endocrine from Hurst and I was freaking happy when I took the NCLEX and I was able to answer the questions given to me with the aforementioned subjects. But I really learned most of my stuff from studying Saunders exclusively for about a month afterwards because I really felt that my content was weak. And after taking the exam, I really believe that one really needs a good content foundation for the test because you're able to rationalize and eliminate answer choices based on what you know.

I think that if you combine Hurst, Saunders, and possibly NCSBN, you really cant go wrong and you will pass.