To become a professional nurse, you have to take one important step: study and write an exam called NCLEX. To be successful in this exam you need one of the best NCLEX review book or some of the best NCLEX review books.
NCLEX, which stands for National Council Licensure Examination, is the required examination every nurse that wants to become a licensed registered nurse or practical nurse have to write to determine if he or she is qualified or fit to start practising as an entry-level nurse.
This test is conducted by the NCSBN, which’s the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. This exam is different from any exam or test nurses take in nursing colleges or nursing schools. With nursing schools or nursing colleges, the exams nurses take are usually knowledge-based but NCLEX is more of the application and analysis of the knowledge they acquired in nursing colleges or nursing schools.
Nursing as a profession involves a lot of critical thinking and applications of knowledge. This is why the National Council of State Boards of Nursing instituted NCLEX for nurses who have completed nursing college successfully and want to start practising as a License nurse. This test helps the State board of nursing to access the critical thinking ability of a nurse and how a nurse can make accurate nursing judgments.
Nclex-pn Vs Nclex-rn Examination
Talking about The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), it worth mentioning that the exam is categorised into two different types; the nclex-pn and the nclex-rn. The nclex-rn is designed to evaluate registered nurses while the nclex-pn is meant for assessing and evaluating practical nurses.
Both examinations are quite similar but have some slight difference. For example, the nclex-rn is focused on assessing care management and how advance the nurse is when it comes to practical or application of nursing knowledge. But the nclex-pn is more of questions concerning the coordination of patient’s care.
You might have heard that it not easy to pass nclex without studying, that’s very true. To be able to pass the nclex successfully and become a licensed registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse, you have to invest a lot of time in studying test-taking strategies for nclex.
However, the good news is that there are many online nclex review courses that you can sign up for to prepare you to sail through this exam. These review courses come with reviews examination on completion. When you pass the nclex review course, you can be sure of passing the main NCLEX conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
Best Nclex Study Books
Aside from the nclex review online courses, there are also numerous comprehensive nclex-pn review books as well as comprehensive nclex-rn review books and study guides that have been of great help to many nclex candidates that you can also make good use of. Let’s look at some of the top or best nclex review books that are very comprehensive.
1. Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Guide
The Saunders nclex-rn comprehensive review book happens to be rank among the best nclex review books. Written by two trust nclex experts, this book has been the best choice for many nurses when it comes to preparation for NCLEX.
The unique thing about Saunders comprehensive review for the nclex-rn examination is that, the authors of the book keep updating the book frequently to meet the latest nclex plan. This nclex review material comes with about 4500 Nclex-style questions with very detailed rationale including strategies and nclex test-taking guidelines.
The questions found in this book are packed with a lot of critical thinking skills that every nurse need to pass the nclex on their first trial.
Above all, this nclex review guide is designed with what is called Pyramid to Success. The pyramid to success which is situated at the beginning of the book serves as an overview and guide provider of content.
The pyramid to success compresses of pyramid point and pyramid Alert boxes. Both of them serves as identifier of content that regularly popups on the Nclex-rn exams. This means that the boxes will help you to improve your critical thinking skills and abilities.
I personally consider the Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination, 8th Edition as the best and the most comprehensive nclex preparation material because this material together with The Mosby’s Review Cards for the NCLEX-RN helped me prepared from scratch. The book provides me with accurate and high level of information that has help me passed my NCLEX in South Africa on my first trial.
Don’t believe my word blindly, confirm what I’m saying by clicking on the Amazon link below. Get to see what real time users are saying. If you are through with that, just grab a copy to get yourself prepare for passing the nclex.
Note: Saunders also have book for a comprehensive practical nurses. It’s has the same quality as the comprehensive review for the nclex-rn. It’s called The Saunders NCLEX-PN review book. I would encourage you get a copy for yourself you are a practical nurse who want to prepare for the nclex-pn.
2. NCLEX-PN Q&A Plus! Made Incredibly Easy!
The NCLEX-PN Q & A Plus! AKA Made Incredibly Easy! Series, is a well-structured and well-packed nclex-pn question and answers review guide that is designed to help all pre-licensure practical nursing students in the practical and the vocational nursing programs to prepare for their nclex-pn exams.
When it comes to structure, the book has been separated into seven parts. The first part teaches the fundamentals of how nclex is constructed and also provide you with ideas on how to get yourself prepared.
The second part up to the fifth parts are structured to provide you with the major subject you need to have at your fingertips before seating for the exam. This includes medical, surgery, psychiatric and mental health, maternity including paediatric care.
All these four parts comes with well defined contents review of vital concept that are bulleted. At the end of every content review are multiple NCLEX-style questions and answers.
The sixth part of the book is concerned with care Coordination. It throws more light on content areas that cut across all major subject that are a must for every nurse to know in order to become a competent and effective license nurse.
The last part which is the seventh part is separated into two portions. The first portion is made up of 85 questions and the second part is made of 205 questions ( the minimum and maximum questions respectively that every nclex-pn students is expected to be tested with.
This nclex-pn review book contains over 4000 questions and answers that promotes action learning including more critical thinking skills. These questions contains the quality and the properties of the 2017 practical nursing test plan of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
Included in this book are other features like the use of make different format questions that are common in the licensing examination, this includes detailed rationale for correct and wrong answers for NCLEX-PN.
If you are looking forward to passing nclex-pn without studying too many different nclex review resources, then combine this book with The Saunders Comprehensive Nclex-pn Review Book.
NCLEX-PN Questions and Answers Plus together with the Saunders comprehensive nclex-pn review book are the best comprehensive nclex-pn review book you call fall on when looking forward to passing your nclex-pn smoothly. Again, don’t take my word for it, just click on the link below, you will find out that real time users are saying that this book is the best nclex pn study guide for all nurses.
3. Mosby’s Review Cards for the NCLEX-RN Examination
Many nclex-rn passers called it a savior. Yes! They say it “a savior on the NCLEX!!”
The Mosby’s Review Cards for the NCLEX-RN Examination is regarded as one of the best comprehensive review of nursing for nclex-rn. The Mosby’s registered nursing NCLEX review questions comes with a lot of review cards than any other nclex review cards in the market today.
It’s a great resource for groups study and also for on-the-go NCLEX preparation. The latest edition contains new chapter that focus on pharmacology to help you prepare more adequately before taking your NCLEX-rn test.
This new edition contains as many as 1,200 plus questions including integrated content questions that are well structured by different clinical area and bodies. At the front of the card are many practical and critical thinking questions with answers including correct and wrong options. This is to help you improve your cognitive levels. There is also a nursing process guide and NCLEX test plan included in the book.
The Mosby nclex review cards also comes with an overview of the most current NCLEX-RN test plan, and many other nclex secrets and test-taking tips.
The UNIQUE thing about the Mosby’s NCLEX review card is that it contains introduction chapter that provides you with test-taking strategies to improve your test-taking ability and help you to manage exam-related anxiety.
With the well-structured logical questions put together in this review card by body system in all the clinical section, you will feel prepared and confident going to the NCLEX-rn exam, especially when you combine it with the eighth edition of the Saunders comprehensive review for the NCLEX-rn examination.
4. HESI Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination
Another option to look out for when looking for the best NCLEX review is the Hesi NCLEX review book. It is one of the best comprehensive NCLEX-rn reviews. The latest edition is a complete package of all the information you need to pass your NCLEX-rn exams.
The book is written in a style and format that is very easy to read and it throws more light on content conceptually and clinically. Just as many other best NCLEX review books, Hesi NCLEX review book provides you with important NCLEX test-taking tips that will enable you to make the right clinical decision and improve your critical thinking.
In a study and exams format comes over 900 NCLEX practical questions. The amazing thing about this NCLEX review book is that it comes with a website that allows you to practice the NCLEX test in the exact format you will be taking in the main NCLEX-rn exam.
It is also worth mentioning that, this NCLEX-rn review contain a well-structured critical thinking question and answers to get you to establish the major concept and content of NCLEX.
It’s one of the few NCLEX review books that come with fill-in-the-blank space kind of questions that are included in the NCLEX-RN exam. There is also a summary of pharmacological tables that simplifies things you have to know about drug therapy for the NCLEX-RN exam.
It’s an amazing book but it’s similar to any of the NCLEX books described above. You can consider getting it if you are looking for more NCLEX materials. Aside from the 900 NCLEX practical questions, it has added 300 NCLEX questions available on its website to get you more prepared ahead of the NCLEX-rn.
5. NCLEX-PN Prep Plus: 2 Practice Tests + Proven Strategies + Online + Video (Kaplan Test Prep)
Our list of the best nclex review guide can not be complete without including the Kaplan NCLEX pn review book. If you are a practical nurse looking forward to preparing for your NCLEX-pn exam, you may consider this Kaplan review book also know as the NCLEX-PN Prep Plus . It includes 2 Practice Tests, a proven NCLEX passing Strategies and Video
You might have heard the nclex test is not all about what you know but also how well you can think critically and apply what you know when it comes to patient care.
The Kaplan pn review book provides high level of critical thinking skills to help you put your expertise into practice and also bring to light the knowledge you have gain in real-time situation
This NCLEX-PN teaches you very vital nclex strategies including how you can apply your knowledge to situations through critical-thinking techniques. It also provides you guidance and confidence for the NCLEX-pn
The book provides a detailed content review with about 60 minutes of video teaching. The book also comes with an invented website: www.kaptest.com that has been of great help to NCLEX students for decades. You don’t want to be left out. Just check it out, it might help you pass your NCLEX-pn successful.
There you have all our top five NCLEX review books, so what’s next? It’s now your term to go through our list and pick the NCLEX review books that will help you achieve your NCLEX passing dreams. But before then, let me give you some tips.
Consider These Three Points When Buying NCLEX Review Books
- May sure the nclex review book you are buying is very comprehensive
- Be sure the review book you are paying for is a review book that is meant for the type of nclex you want to prepare for. For example, if you are a registered nurse, make sure the review book you are buying is an NCLEX-RN review book and not an NCLEX-PN review book.
- Check if the review book you are buying is current. Don’t pay for any outmoded review book because it will just be a white elephant on your table.
On that note, I together with the entire management of Nightingale Know Dot Com wish you the best in your NCLEX journey.
