The Best NCLEX Study Materials
Finding the best NCLEX study materials can be extremely exhausting. that is why you need to find a few that work for you and stick with them. there are a few different types of study material. these include study guides, textbooks, practice questions, and comprehensive programs. Everyone will swear by their own material they used to study because it works for their learning. You first need to understand what kind of learner you are to find a study material that works for you. I am personally a visual and kinetic learner. So podcasts and videos such as Mark Klimek do not work for me.
NCLEX Textbook Guides
Saunders comprehensive review book is one of the top study textbooks out there. The book is extremely dense and goes into great detail. Imagine redoing nursing school again by reading this textbook. What is great is it also comes with a code in the back to register the textbook and get questions to go with the chapters. They are pretty difficult questions so be prepared. The only downside to this textbook compared to others on the market is it is a little more pricey than the others. But you do get what you pay for. I purchased a cheap $20 textbook and it didn’t have nearly close to the amount of information given in the Saunders comprehensive review book.
The NURSING.com review book is a great book with bulleted information. if you are looking for general information without having to read into great detail, it is all there in their review book. It is a great book if you do not need to go into great depth trying to research nursing school. Instead, it is a great book for getting the information you need quickly, and your memory can fill in the rest.
NCLEX Study Guides
There are great study guides that can be found on Etsy. This is a great place where other nurse influencers create their own material to help students pass the NCLEX. Remember these are nurses that probably just passed the NCLEX, so they know what material is on there and most important.
NurseInTheMaking is a great brand that has created flashcards, notebooks, and study materials for students wanting to study for the NCLEX. The brand is quite colorful and organized for students who like to use colors and pictures to study.
CeceStudyGuides is another brand on Etsy that sells study guides that have pretty colors and pictures as well. They are cheaper than the NurseInTheMaking brand, but you can tell a design difference between the two.
BeautifulNursing is another brand on Etsy that has nursing school bundles and packages. This brand is also quite colorful and vibrant. They have items that can be bundled with study guides and notes such as pens and clipboards. The bundles could be a great gift for any student!
If you decide to go with an Etsy seller just check out the photos and reviews to decide which brand works best with your learning style!
Nursing School Podcasts
Mark Klimek is probably one of the most well-known lectures for students trying to study for the NCLEX. With the podcasts, you are able to follow along and write your own notes. A lot of people vouch for Mark Klimek but not all students have this type of learning style. if you are a visual learner, a podcast might not be the best option for you. If you do well with writing your own notes, this may work for you as you have to write your own and follow along. Finding the podcasts might be tricky so you will have to dig around!
NCLEX Study Programs
NURSING.com is a great program to study for the NCLEX. It also has prenursing programs to help you study for the TEAs test, nursing school exams, and the NCLEX. There is so much information on there you could probably learn nursing school straight from the site. They have a textbook to help follow along with the study program, alternate books, videos, questions, and practice exams. Although they do not have the number of questions that UWORLD has, they are quite difficult questions. It is really a well-rounded program to relearn a lot of material. they have discounts and payment plans for those on a budget trying to learn. They also have a money-back guarantee if you do not pass the NCLEX and you follow their program properly.
Go check out their program here!
Hurst Review is another great program to help you pass the NCLEX. It is a video program where you follow along and fill in the blanks in a notebook. This is great for students that like to watch videos, hear people explaining it, and have notebooks. This program also has practice exams that are very difficult. I would say their questions were very close to the NCLEX, but they do not have a lot of exams and questions to go through. It is a very rigorous program that also offers money-back if you do not pass the NCLEX is you follow their program appropriately. The programs with money-back have strict rules on what qualifies you to get it back so read them thoroughly before you start studying.
NCLEX Question Banks
UWORLD is an awesome program if you want to hammer out a lot of questions. A lot of taking the NCLEX is knowing how to answer the questions. They give an explanation of missed questions and a little lecture regarding that information. UWORLD is quite expensive for being only questions, but they have A LOT of questions. If you are someone who does not need lectures, but simply a lot of questions and repetition then I Recommend supplementing with his.
If you had no idea what kind of materials existed for studying for the NCLEX I hope this article helped. these are the best NCLEX materials to help you pass the first time!
Studying for the NCLEX
There are all great study programs to use for the NCLEX and they are all based on how you learn. There are different learning styles and so make sure to choose a program that works best for how you learn. If you are curious about a studying schedule, check out my other article How to Study for the NCLEX
