Pan: Hurst NCLEX-RN Review

     This past Tuesday, June 26th 2012, was the biggest day of my life. I realize it is bold to place such a label on a single day, and as I have lived 22 years' worth of days, that has pretty substantial meaning. On June 26th, I took the NCLEX.

     The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses is a computer-based, adaptive, scary, potentially-265-questions test nursing school students are required to take following graduation. The NCLEX is designed to illustrate for your respective state's Board of Nursing committee that as a new graduate nurse, you know enough to provide safe and competent care in your setting of practice. The test is a combination of multiple choice, dosage calculation, audito/visual, and "place in order" questions reflective of two years' worth of Bachelor of Science in Nursing course curriculum. Testers may receive a minimum of 75 questions (15 of which are prototypes and do not count for or against you) and must achieve a score of 75% or greater for the exam to shut off. If by question 75 you have not made the benchmark, the computer will continue to generate questions up to 265. This test was beyond intimidating, as both my own self esteem and spot in the graduate nurse residency program at my hospital were on the line.

     In the off chance that I have a reader who is prepping for the NCLEX, currently enrolled in nursing school, or even just thinking about nursing school, I thought it would be a good idea to review my Bible Hurst book to 1) mix things up when it comes to my choice of book reviews and 2) give an honest opinion about what it was like to study for the exam. The Hurst Review, hosted by the one and only Aunt Marlene Hurst, is a three-day live review crash course of a lecture I signed up to take at the end of May. Such review courses are completely optional and by no means as a graduated student do you have to take one, it was just a decision that I felt was best for me. Hurst study material focuses on nursing school content such as pathophysiology and pharmacology rather than test-taking strategies such as "recognize the stem of the question" or "think Maslow." I have friends from my graduating class who chose to take a strategy-based Kaplan review course who had nothing but good things to say. When it comes to choosing between the two, it really just depends on your learning style and what you think you need--do you struggle with understanding what the question is really asking, or do you want to brush up on the specifics of cirrhosis and pancreatitis?

     It is a little tough to agree with the asking price, but I am so glad I chose to invest $350 in to a Hurst Review. The live lectures are 8 hours each day for three days straight and you are provided with "4th and 5th Day" material via the Hurst website. The student workbook is a 250 page fill-in-the-blank lecture complete with diagrams, lab values, medications, and practice questions organized by body systems. Each section (i.e. Cardiac or Renal) incorporates each particular disease process with signs and symptoms, diagnostics, and treatment options. According to the course director, your success on the NCLEX is reflective of your ability to talk through the workbook; recall and understand the information provided. In the 4 weeks at 4 hours a day of studying, I made it through the workbook twice and was able to consistently lecture myself on the material. In addition to live lectures, Hurst provides you with "Q Reviews," six 125-question practice exams that contain rationales for all answer choices. In my opinion, much more than worth it.

     It was so difficult to stay so dedicated to my study regimen, but it definitely paid off in the end. My NCLEX shut off after 56 minutes at 75 questions. My palms were sweaty and my heart was beating out of my chest it was so stressful. To have two years of a college program summed up in 75 questions is so hard to believe! My official score is not expected to be posted until 48 hours following my exam time, so I have one more day of waiting. However, according to "the trick," the registration website did not let me finalize another scheduled exam with a credit card payment. The ladies at the testing center swear up and down it is legit.