What to actually study with
A short, opinionated list. Not everything in print — the things nurses keep coming back to, plus the free material most people never find.
Free, and worth your time first
Before you spend anything.
If you sat the exam and did not pass, this says which content areas were below the passing standard. Most people study everything again instead of reading it. It costs nothing and it is specific to you.
Published by NCSBN. It says exactly what the exam covers and in what proportion. Download it before you buy a single book.
Questions with the reasoning written out, included with a study buddy membership at $1.99 a month.
Books worth owning
Pick by what your performance report says, not by what is thickest.
The one most programmes assign. Thorough, heavy, and the rationales are the reason to own it rather than the questions.
View on AmazonQuestion-first rather than content-first, with a test-taking strategy on every item. The natural second book once you have worked the comprehensive review.
View on AmazonNarrow and excellent. If your report said management of care was below standard, start here rather than with a general review book.
View on AmazonReadable where most pharmacology texts are not. Good for the drug classes you keep confusing, not cover to cover.
View on AmazonA reference, not a read. Worth owning if lab values are where you lose questions.
View on AmazonNot sure what you need?
Tell us where you are and what you keep getting wrong. Somebody will come back to you with what we would point you at, and why — including when the answer is that you do not need to buy anything.
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A book cannot ask you a question back
Reading a rationale is not the same as being asked what you would do first, under time pressure, by someone who does it for real.
Find a study buddy — $1.99 a monthAffiliate disclosure: as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are set by the retailer and change. Titles here are our own opinion. Nothing is endorsed by NCSBN or any publisher, and no book guarantees a pass.