Customer Reviews

Evolve Reach Admission Assessment Exam Review

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Wow. I can't even believe that I'm writing this about such a major publishing company as Elsevier, but I am. This book is simply AWFUL. There are mistakes everywhere. Print mistakes. Copy mistakes. Editing mistakes. Informational mistakes. Two sentences one after the other that contradict each other. Here's an example sentence that has me completely baffled/astonished: "Prokaryotic cells are those containing no defined nucleus and a series of organelles that carry out the functions of the cell as directed by the nucleus." Huh? In the same sentence, they say it has no defined nucleus, and that the nucleus (which it doesn't have?) carries out functions of the cells. Wrong. Here's another great one: "HESI Hint: Concentrations have a great deal to do with the rate of reaction. As is the case with males and females, increasing the numbers of reactants (persons) means that a greater number of collisions can take place." I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Sometimes, in the sample questions at the end of a chapter, they'll tell you that, say, "B" is the answer -- and then CONTRADICT that answer in the explanation. So, say, question #6 from the "Biology" section: "In which organelle does transcription begin? A: Ribosome; B: Nucleus; C: mRNA; D. Cytoplasm" The answer? C. Except that mRNA is not an organelle. So the description says "The DNA of a cell is located in the nucleus. Therefore the beginning of the transcription takes place in the nucleus." Um...wasn't that answer B? So now I'm TOTALLY confused about where transcription takes place, so I'll have to Google it.

They also have problems with superscripts and subscripts. So 6.02 times 10 to the 23rd (where 23 should be a superscript) is printed in the book: 6.02x1023. Great. I am terrified that the test is going to be this horribly written!! I won't know how to answer the questions.

I really wish, as another reviewer said, there was some competition to this book. I haven't taken the exam yet (it's a requirement for entry into nursing school where I'm applying), but I will update once I have taken it. This book does not tell you useful things like, for example, if you will get to use a calculator, or if you will reference the periodic table or if you just are supposed to memorize the charges and atomic masses for every single element.

All in all, this book is just making me more confused than I was to begin with. I've got the brand new 2nd edition, and it's awful. I'm an older student, with a degree in English, but it won't take an English major to know how horribly written/printed/edited this book is. I can't believe they sent it to press. Wow.
I'm praying that the actual exam isn't this much of a disaster. I don't trust them even to score me right, if it's the same publisher!!


**EDIT** -- I'm back, after having taken the test. I found that the tiny part on medical vocabulary that is in the book is useful, and also that the math section is useful (I got a 94% on the math). There IS a calculator provided with the test -- as in the study guide, you need to know basic percentage problems, conversions, and how to read a ratio problem.

Now, for the sciences. There are only 22 questions per science section, so it's pretty-much a crap shoot. I am old and haven't had science in school in a looooongg time so I figured I'd do hideous. In prep for nursing, I did just finished a college chem course, and studied this book, and I got a 58% on the CHEM. Class average was a 60%. Most of the CHEM isn't covered in this guide -- chemistry seemed to be more related to biochem and physiology than the chemistry I studied in school.

There is SO MUCH biology in referred to (but not explained) the guide that I figure if you knew all that, you'd get at least a 70% or so...I got a 68% on the biology, but I didn't memorize it, and haven't studied biology since 9th grade a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Seems a bit unfairly biased toward these kids that just got out of 12th grade, but what do I know?

Anatomy/physiology had so much stuff that wasn't in the guide that, again, it's a crap shoot -- if you know the anatomy in this guide 100%, you'll probably get a 70%, plus any that you happen to guess right or just know. The physiology is complicated and this guide teaches you none of it. I think this test is a very poor test, actually. Depending on your program, you should consider sitting in on or taking A&P (at least anatomy I) first, before you take this test. I was permitted to take A&P while in the first 2 quarters or nursing school, but I would have aced this HESI A&P section had I taken A&P first.

The other thing: this guide does NOT PREPARE YOU for the very long and involved "critical thinking" section of the test, which is INFURIATING since the "critical thinking" materials are ALL scenarios of how to care for patients, how to prioritize patient care, confidentiality, ethics, etc. After you take the test, Elsevier sends you a link to "more materials," where they have all sorts of materials for studying the critical thinking section for a "retake." Why not put any of that stuff in this book? I'm NOT YET A NURSE, so I have no idea about how to prioritize patient care, what to look for in X, Y, or Z scenario, what a diabetic diet is, etc. I'd have loved to have studied that. Please, find a different way to evaluate critical thinking that doesn't rely on me already knowing nursing skills. I think I got a 760 or so on this section, which is amazing given how little I knew. Find a book about prioritizing patient care and study that. My school won't accept anyone with a score lower than 750 on this part. Some schools make it 850.

I did very well on the grammar, comprehension (study the definitions in the book for the vocab section), reading, etc. -- I didn't even study that part of the book because my undergrad degree is in that. I don't think I missed more than one on these sections -- they take a long time to do, but I thought they were intuitive (for me). Take your time. If you don't know grammar, I think it would be tough to learn it from this book (or any book, really, without studying a ton). I'd focus your efforts on your strong points to carry your score (depending on how your school weighs scores -- look it up or ask at school before you take it). You can definitely learn the vocab, score decently on reading comprehension, etc. My very high scores in the math and grammar/reading/vocab balanced out my hideous scores in A&P/Bio/Chem, so that works for me.

Good luck -- and don't think this is the last you've seen of HESI if you're going into a nursing program that uses their materials. We have to take a HESI test every semester, and one at the end of nursing school to get out of the program. That's okay with me, but it doesn't excuse horribly written/edited books that students have to pay lots of money for.







My test didn't have physics on it, so I'm glad I didn't study that.

I just took the HESI A2 for nursing on Monday Feb. 8th. My test had the Biology, Chemistry, A&P, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, Grammar, and Math subject areas. I also had to complete the Critical Thinking, Learning Style and Personality tests.

This book does prepare you sufficiently enough for the Math, Vocabulary & General Knowledge, Grammar, and Reading Comprehension subject tests. The format of the practice questions was very similar to what you see on the exam. The book reviews military time (24hr clock) and roman numerals needed for math. The vocabulary section uses many words found in the vocabulary section of the review book.

If you want to study for the Biology, Chemistry, A&P sections I would strongly, strongly recommend using McGraw-Hill's "Nursing School Entrance Exams" book with the ISBN 978-0-07-159937-5. The HESI review book does NOT, I repeat does NOT in any way help you review for the science sections. The science review is extremely sub-par.

The book does NOT review anything having to do with the critical thinking section. The critical thinking section is all about triage. It asks over-and-over again how you would prioritize treating several patients given their ages and medical condition. Does this make any sense? We are not nurses. We are not even nursing students. We have not taken any health assessment classes. It is so completely ridiculous that we are asked triage questions. There are many other ways to test critical thinking.

All this being said I did pretty well, got a 94% overall, and a 790 (out of 1000) in the critical thinking section. This is not meant to brag (especially since the test is not that hard), but more to give you perspective about me the reviewer. I owe the success mostly to the McGraw-Hill review book.

So I ordered this book and took the exam, and just thought I'd write this to give you a little info on the test itself, since there is NO info out there besides this book. I had no idea what to expect going into this exam, so here is some things I wish I knew beforehand...

First of all, you do not need to bring paper/pencil/calculator with you because they provide you with what you need. Every section is multiple choice, including the personality assessment parts and critical thinking scenarios. Basically, they sit you down, the timer is set for 4 hours, and off you go. You can take as much time on each section as you want, you must just finish everything within the 4 hours. If you get up to take a break, the clock keeps ticking. Four hours is PLENTY of time to complete the test, so take your time! I rushed through my first sections because I didn't know any better, and left with a full hour to spare! The science sections have I believe only 22 questions each. They are pretty specific, especially the A&P, and the study guide doesn't really help. I recommend looking it over, but it is such a broad range of material that there is nothing really you can do to prepare. The math, reading, vocab sections all have double the questions. The vocab comes right from the study guide, so know that section. The math was very basic, just make sure to know all the conversions listed in the study guide (ex. 1 inch = 2.54 cm, all that kind of stuff). They provide you with a calculator you can pull up on the screen, but they do not provide the conversion numbers for you.

Hope this help, good luck to you all!

This study guide wasn't that bad, as the last review said. I took the hesi about 2 weeks after studying from this booklet and with old math notes from college level 1 algebra. I recieved an 85, which is good but i could have done better in the Anatomy and Phys. section- The study book does NOT go into great detail on the anatomy and phys section, i suggest reading up on that section in your local library or from a friend's notes.
Good luck!

This is a terrible book, but I HIGHLY recommend it. I know that is confusing, but it's the truth. The book is poorly written. There are so many typos I can't believe it was ever read by an editor. Many of the practice questions actually give the wrong answers. This would be bad enough, but the A&P section gives nothing but a general overview. This type of general info, is not the least bit helpful on the test. It also offers no info on the critical thinking part of the test, which is the hardest!

However, it does have some very helpful info. The vocabulary section is invaluable. While I knew all but a couple of the words listed, the test often uses the least known definition. The Math portion is exactly like the test and the grammar was a much needed refresher! The reading comprehension section was also helpful.

All in all I would say, "buy the book!" Just keep in mind that it has numerous mistakes and not nearly enough info on some subjects. I also bought "Barron's Nursing School Entrance Exams." It was way more helpful on the critical thinking part, but since it is not tailored for the HESI it is missing a lot of stuff.

I only had one week to study. I only used the two books mentioned here to study. I did not take biology or chemistry and I cannot comment on those areas. With this in mind, I will say that I got a 100 on Math, 97.9 on Reading Comp, 98 on Vocab, 92 on Grammar, 92 on A&P and 860 on Critical Thinking. These books helped me. I hope my review helped you!

I purchased this book, along with the McGraw Hill Nursing Entrance exam book.

Just to give you guys a little background info:
I got a 95 and completed all portions of the exam.
I have not taken AP 2 yet, but I have taken Chem 1.
Chem is not a strong point for me ¡V I had to attend Chem tutoring all throughout the semester, but I got an A!

This book:
Great for the verbal portion of the exam.
Make sure you know ALL of the vocab. I had patent, labile and some other ones show up on my exam.
The reading comp on the actual exam is much easier. A LOT of implication questions so make sure you are solid for that part (my weakness). Also questions like, ¡§What does _____ in paragraph 2 mean?¡¨ Easy- as long as you have a decent vocab or can use context clues, you should be fine.
The grammar part is also a piece of cake, but I only got a 92 for that section! I wouldn¡¦t sweat this one.
As far as the science sections go, I would skim through this book, but don¡¦t expect it to help you much.

McGraw Hill:
This book helped a lot for all of the science sections.
Make sure you complete all of the practice tests. The questions in this book are actually a little tougher than the HESI, so if you can ace this, you can ace the HESI! º

The HESI:
You do get potty breaks. This was a major concern for me as I go often. There is a limit to the number of times you can sign in/out to go to the restroom (I think it¡¦s like 4 or 5), but I didn¡¦t reach that limit so you should be fine. You can¡¦t take ANYTHING in with you; not even a bottle of water or a watch. You have 4 hours TOTAL, it isn¡¦t timed per section. Once you click the ¡§Submit and continue¡¨ button, you can¡¦t go back. Oh, and if you accidentally hit enter, it automatically goes to the next question. Wish someone would have told me that.

Some advice:
I would go through the exam in the order that it¡¦s presented. By the time you get to the verbal part, your brain will be tired and you will be tired physically.

Biology:
I did not expect to take this part of the test so I did not review bio stuff AT ALL and got a 100. This section was extremely easy. I can¡¦t even remember the questions. There might have been one inheritance (punnett square) question.

Chem:
I didn¡¦t really review chem material either because I knew AP was going to be my weakness. I also got a 100 on this section. It is EASY common sense stuff. I didn¡¦t even have to memorize atomic masses bc it was provided in the question. Stuff like ¡§what is the total mass of CH4¡¨ and it provides the atomic masses for ea element so it¡¦s pretty much a math problem. Sublimation was a question on mine. I think liquidation was another one. You just have to know the basic laws/theories. You should also know which side of the periodic table the metals and nonmetals are located.

AP:
Dun dun dun! Ok, so for AP I got an 88. Sigh, it was my lowest grade. ¼ One of my professors tutored me for AP 2 (for a week). I had a few questions about the membrane layers, skin layers (which layer contains the blood vessels)¡KThere was also a very obscure question about otitis (sp?). I guessed and got that one right. There were also some questions about bones (you¡¦ll have to know where they are located, but it¡¦s easy), the heart (valves) and muscles. I think there were some hormone questions too. But you don¡¦t have to know every little thing (other than that really random question). If you have a good understanding of all of AP 1 and 2, you should be fine.

Math:
Easy!!! There were TONS of 5:x::90:3 problems. I mean TONS. This section is a piece of cake.

I hope this helps! I know what it feels like to be freaked out and totally not know what to expect. I think that¡¦s the scariest part.

Good luck to you all and you guys will do GREAT!!! :D

First, I echo everything Emily M's review said. This book has an unacceptable amount of poorly written questions - in a way, that will prepare you for the exam itself, which is poorly written. Honestly, they need to hire an English teacher to proofread this book and proofread the exam. It's inexcusable and disgraceful to have an academic book of this low quality.

This book just gets lazy - not using superscripts for the Chemistry section (instead of an exponent, it just looks like a four digit number). There are not nearly enough practice questions for Bio and Chem, and they combine the Bio, A&P, and Chem sections into one practice test. This is especially bad, because you can't really determine what your weak subjects and areas are - and isn't that the main point of a review book? My book did not have a CD.

We aren't allowed to discuss details of the HESI exam, but I will say that the Math, Reading, Grammar, and Vocab parts of the book will prepare you well for the exam. The Bio and Chem parts are just about useless. I bought an A&P flashcard set for Bio, which was helpful. For Chem, I went through last semester's Chem notes and a small Chem review study guide - they were more helpful than this book.

I did not use the A&P or Physics section of the book because I wasn't required to take those parts of the actual HESI exam, so no comments there.

My last issue with the book and the test itself is that they ask questions on medical-related issues and terminology. Ummmm..... this is an ENTRANCE exam - I am not a nurse yet - not even a nursing student yet! Please explain the logic to that.

Like the other posters have mentioned, there are enough typos and grammar errors in the book to be a distraction, however, the test is written by the same people, so at least you'll be prepared to take a poorly written test.

At my college, we didn't take the chemisty/biology sections of the test.

I've taken and passed the HESI now, and in retrospect, the math section of the book was worthwhile - the grammar and vocab seemed like a waste of time. You really can't "cram" for a vocab or grammar test - you either know it or you don't.

Like other posters have mentioned, the "critical thinking" portion of the test is really unfair - it isn't covered in this book, and somehow, someone without any background or knowledge of protocols is supposed to infer the correct actions. My favorite "critical thinking" question was one that went along the lines of (this is a made up scenario, for illustration purposes)...

- you're a nurse, and you have a heart patient eating a double-cheeseburger, an asthmatic sneaking a cigarette, and a liver patient taking tequila shots ... prioritize these patients...

Um, suicide wasn't a choice - and if I'm the nurse, I'm going to continue reading the sports section while these fools kill themselves...

I was very disappointed with the format of study for this book. It doesnt give clear, definitions of the meaning of words in the biology section and when you go to take the test at the end and then go back to try and review items missed it doesnt give clear meaning of correct answer from the chapter. Math Section doesnt give enough information on how to convert different problems if your not familar with conversion of the metrics. Only gives answers to problems on the test but doesnt explain how they got the answer. I also didnt like the way they have Chemistry, Biology, and A&P all together when taking the test at the end. It's very confusing and at my college our HESI exam will only be on Chemistry and Biology. So to combine all that information together was confusing and not helpful to me because it's very little of what I needed to know on exam.

This is a worst study guide ever. it doesn't cover everything. When I heard that this is the most popular book that everyone use to study for the HESI exam, I was thinking that this is all I need to study to be prepare, but please, be warned, that this book is not all you need to pass the test.