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In my class, several people used Lippincott or Saunders books in studying for exams during the semesters. These were books that about 85% of my class carried along with the vast pile of textbooks. I used other supplemental books for questions and study materials, but I found that these two books were up for debate depending on what a nursing student is looking for and how they study.
There are many different variations of the Saunders book, the one I bought and used was Saunders Q&A Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination 6th edition. This edition has over 6,000 question, the first few chapters go into the background of the NCLEX, preparation and transitional issues for foreign-educated nurses, and of course test-taking strategies. The book’s set up is by the patient content area, i.e., health promotion and maintenance. Each patient content area is put into a chapter or test with all questions of clinical content material within that patient content. I found that the setup of the questions and the answers were not what I prefer. The problems are lined up on the left-hand side of the page, and the answers along with rationales are on the right side of the page next to the question. Some people enjoy this set up by immediately checking the answers and reading the explanation. I feel that I am more likely to sneak a peek at the answers than to really look at the question. Listed underneath each item are the level of cognitive ability, client needs, integrated process, content area, and priority concept, which when studying for an exam or NCLEX by writing down these it will give you a better field of study, a great tool to use before the NCLEX. The last chapter in this book is a comprehensive test, questions that are randomized by both patient and clinical content area. The book when bought new has a scratched off access code for a website companion to the book.
Originally, I used the 6th edition of Saunders and the 11th edition of Lippincott, I have included the updated versions as well.
The other book I used during my primary Nursing program was Lippincott Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN 11th edition. Similar to the Saunders book it has over 6,000 questions, a background of NCLEX and test-taking strategies. The topics are divided by pediatrics medical-surgical, adult medical-surgical, maternity, and mental health. These broad topics are further broken down by body system and then again by individual diagnosis. The end of the book has six separate comprehensive exams in the back with a pull-out test sheet that can be copied and used when taking the test. The answers and rationales are located behind each chapter along with the cognitive level and client needs. When purchased new it also comes with a scratched off access code to a companion website along with a CD-ROM with additional questions.
Both these books are great study supplements. The Lippincott was my primary choice to study for a class exam. The setup of the book makes it extremely convenient to review, the body system and diagnosis. For example, we dove into the respiratory system, some diagnosis includes pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma, and lung cancer, dependent on what disease process is on the exam. This book makes studying a specific topic easy to find, and the questions work to assess the knowledge. The comprehensive test at the end of the book I used to study for NCLEX. During the studying for NCLEX, I realized that it wasn’t a clinical content area but a specific patient need. Once I noticed the familiar pattern I started using the Saunders book to work through the question. This method allowed me to read the item better and learn how to look at what they are asking. The setup of the question and answers in Lippincott enabled me to answer the question without looking. I responded ten to twenty questions at a time to then look at the solutions and still remember the thought process to the answers I gave.
Many fellow classmates loved Saunders. The setup of the books was the breaking point. The way the book was set up was like the way the lecture was taught. Rumors had gone around that they wanted to restructure the course, perhaps if they restructure using the patient’s needs over direct clinical content, the Saunders book would be a better study companion to the lecture.