1) NCSBN online review course (5 wks) - content isn't great, very hard to learn from but

the questions were NCLEX type questions. I would purchase this if you're only needing

questions to study from and not for content review.

2) Kaplan - The RN Course Book: Preparation for the NCLEX-RN Examination 15th

edition (no online review course, just the book from amazon.com) (must have for content if

you don't have time to study, minimum time needed to read over this book is about 1 wk)

Only thing about this book is that it may not have all the info you need and there are no

NCLEX practice questions in this book. Probably contains about 50-60% info you would need

to study for the NCLEX. You would have to purchase the online Kaplan review course for the

questions or just use questions from another source.

3) Saunder's Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination 5th edition.

(Good review book, I just feel like it's too showy and has more info than you actually need to

study for. Questions to me are okay but appears to be easy.)

4) Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment (PDA) by LaCharity 2nd edition (very

important, must review for questions. I feel like this book helped me the most to prepare for

the NCLEX style questions, especially for those priority, delegation, assignment type

questions in which I saw alot when i sat for my 3 NCLEX attempts.)

5) Kaplan NCLEX-RN: Strategies, Practice, and Review 2011-2012 book (I read

through this book cover to cover but I don't think it helped me at all. Good book for

questions only). 

6) Exam Cram NCLEX-RN 3rd edition (You can actually skim through this book in about

2-3 hrs. It basically tells you the info you need to know for the NCLEX. Only thing, is it's a

small book and the info is probably only 30% from what you would see from a Saunder's or

Maryann. Good book for questions, as they are NCLEX style questions.)

7) Maryann Hogan Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN:Reviews and Rationales

2nd edition (must have for content and similar NCLEX type questions if you have time to

study, minimum time needed to review this whole book is about 1 month, to me this is the

best review book for the NCLEX-RN. The content is cut and dry, which was good for me.)

8) NCLEX 4000 (good for questions or alternative type questions, I didn't use it as much or

maybe hardly at all)

9) Kaplan Questions Trainers 1-7 from this website (questions are way harder than

NCLEX, I would probably use this if I need questions to study)

10) Lab values (very important, must review right before you sit for NCLEX. Thank you for

whoever posted this!): LabValues[1]nclex review2.

Yes, I used/reviewed them all. Some people say do as much questions as you can and others

have said to study mostly content. It's really up to you on how you study. You must have the

knowledge/content to answer NCLEX style questions. In addition, answering NCLEX style

questions such as the ones in PDA book helps you to understand why you would choose this

answer over the other. That's also important because it helps you to figure out what the

questions are actually asking. You probably hear people say to review rationales all the time,

well yes review them! It will tell you why you would choose this answer over the other, etc.

Doing questions and reviewing the rationales to me is like reviewing content as well. For me,

I mostly study content and used the questions from the book (end of chapter quizzes or the

comprehensive test at the end of the book, no other review materials used for practicing

NCLEX style questions). I think I ended up only studying a total of 500 questions or less from

all of my 3 attempts at NCLEX-RN. You're probably thinking, why didn't I practice more

questions, well I just ran out of time so I decided to review content more. And also, I did not

get to finish reviewing any review books. Saunder's was just too showy and hard to follow for

me so I probably only read through 2-3 chapters and was like alright no more Saunder's.

Kaplan, the book has good straighforward info in ADPIE (assessment, diag, planning, etc)

format. I probably ended up only using it for 5 chapters and switched bc I found out that

Maryann book was better suited for me. The Maryann book i think i only studied through

50% of the book bc my NCLEX date was near so I didn't get to finish. I did finish the PDA and

Kaplan strategies book as they were quick reads.

It seems that if you're doing well during your exam, you would see more SATA questions.

There will be lots of priority, delegation, assignment type questions so PDA is the best book

for it.

I would say that if you're pressed for time and only have about 1-2 week to study I would

stick with the:

Kaplan RN Course Book 15th edition, the lab value sheet I attached, the review

sheet I attached, and PDA book. 

The Kaplan book is like a shortened version of Saunder's and/or Maryann Hogan. It seems to

have about 60% of the materials you would see from either Saunder's or Maryann Hogan.

Very good if you're very pressed for time. 

I would say that if you have about 1 month or more to study, I would use:

Maryann Hogan 2nd edition book, the lab value sheet I attached, the review sheet

I attached, and PDA book.

The Hogan book is by far better than the Saunder's and/or Kaplan RN course book. It even

has NCLEX highlights, which highlights info in the chapter that is most commonly asked on

the NCLEX-RN. Even if you don't have time to read through the whole book, review the

NCLEX highlights in this book is probably enough. In addition, the questions in this book (end

of chapter quizzes and comprehensive test is the most similar type questions you will see on

the NCLEX). 

Hopefully, this helps those who have lots of NCLEX review materials and can't decide on

which one to study on or for those who are deciding on what review material to buy for the

NCLEX-RN. Good luck to everyone taking the NCLEX, if I can pass it without practicing lots of

questions and reviewing all the content, you can too!!!Attached Files

 25855834-Nclex-Study-Guide Must READ before test.pdf (251.8 KB, 44399 views)  LabValues[1]nclex review2.docx (11.8 KB, 30639 views)