Admission Assessment Exam Review

I love that these have the practice tests and also the answer keys inside the book!

Great book

I passed my exam . The book was helpful but I used. Online as well to pass

Couldn’t use the code when I needed to access the quizzes which are included

With the help of this study guide, I was able to manage a 94% cumulative score with nothing below a 92% in a single category. The subjects I needed to take were reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, anatomy and physiology, and math; this study guide was generally accurate on what I had to know. That said, I do have to emphasize "generally." For example, in the A&P section, I had several questions about joints, but the study guide only mentioned joints as part of the skeletal system and never specified them (e.g. hinge or ball-and-socket). My test also asked me to identify the proper sequence of bone healing (i.e. hematoma, callus formation, etc), but the study guide never described bone healing, just bone remodeling. I have taken A&P before, though, so I was able to depend on my own knowledge. For anyone without a background in A&P, I highly recommend Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology with Hank Green on YouTube. TL;DR I also came across questions in other sections of the HESI that this study guide never went over. "Immigrate" vs "emigrate" for one, and how to solve for x^2 for another. Again, I have a solid background in English and math, so I was able to manage. Honestly, though, anyone with a GED or high school diploma could probably manage at least an 80% in math and English using this study guide alone. Except for the odd question here and there, I did NOT find the HESI to be hard at all (A&P included), and I'm an adult returning to school after a 15-year hiatus. Most of the test question are likely what people encountered in grade and high school, which this study guide really is just a refresher for (except for maybe A&P). People who can confidently say they are/were good students can be confident in their ability to get a good score. Just don't wait until the last minute to study but do give yourself at least a week of prep time. As satisfied as I am, however, it did frustrate me at times. The pictures in the Kindle version are awfully blurry with the labels for the muscular system diagram virtually illegible. The math section was also confusing as the steps to solve an example are listed underneath instead of right next to the equations. The steps don't even specify which equation they refer to; readers have to figure it out on their own (which they will). Nonetheless, and despite the errors that previous reviewers rightly pointed out, I can honestly say this study guide was more helpful than hurtful (I didn't recognize many errors btw – I'd say maybe 5% of the content was erroneous). The grammar section was almost spot on, covering more than what I encountered in my test (I had no "who vs whom" or "less vs fewer" questions, but plenty asking me to identify dependent and independent clauses). The reading comp section also gave relevant tips on how to identify the summary, which usually has a little bit of each paragraph but no specific details. For math, I found that it covered mostly everything minus how to solve for x^2 as mentioned previously. I personally did not encounter Fahrenheit/Celsius conversions nor Roman numerals, but plenty of ratios and pint/gallon/ounce conversions. The vocabulary review wasn't exhaustive (I encountered maybe 4 words in the HESI that the study guide mentioned), but the test makes it so a person can glean a word's meaning from context clues, so I don't believe it's necessary to memorize hundreds of words. Plus several of the questions don't even require knowing the definition, just the correct spelling (e.g. perscription vs prescription). I do have to mention that I am a native English speaker, however, so I don't know how well non-fluent English-speakers will fare. The A&P section I think was this study guide's weakness, so I do recommend supplementing it. I'd say that it covered only 2/3 of what I encountered in the A&P section of the HESI; the review didn't cover ossification or the names of major blood vessels for example, which I did encounter. I suggest memorizing scientific names of parts of the body (e.g. popliteal = behind the knee; brachial = upper arm) since blood vessels are named after those areas. I also had some in-depth questions about the muscular system, so knowing muscle groups and the muscles that comprise them might also be helpful (e.g. the quadriceps femoris muscle group and abdominal muscle group). Luckily, tricky questions that required obscure knowledge were very rare. Nothing can replace a year of A&P and a textbook's summary/review section, but YouTube, Wikipedia, Google, free apps from Google Play/App Store, and at least a week of prep time will suffice. I don't think it necessary to buy extra prep material, but people do swear by Pocket Prep and Nursing Hub. Anyone looking for more practice can go ahead and purchase those. As a side note, I also purchased the 2nd edition of McGraw-Hill's HESI A2 review, but I found it redundant and covered mostly the same things as Elsevier's study guide. Plus I don't think it necessary to buy two study guides. To summarize my main study material: Crash Course A&P w/ Hank Green, my A&P textbook, ABC E-Learning's “HESI A2 Exam Prep Free 2021” app, https://www.hesia2practicetest.com/, and Elsevier's study guide. Wikipedia can substitute for an A&P textbook, but I'd suggest going to your local library and renting something like Anatomy and Physiology Made Incredibly Visual! . Again, I needed supplemental instruction only for A&P. For vocab, you either know the word or you don't – there is just no way to anticipate what words will appear on the test, but the test makes it rather easy to figure out the best answer. Otherwise, Elsevier's study guide adequately covered everything else. Lastly, I was able to access the (rather helpful) online practice tests after contacting Elsevier – the link in the Kindle version leads to an error. This and other hiccups like the confusing math review and typos (the agranular vs granular leukocyte error the most egregious) leads me to take away 1 star. End TL;DR For anyone stressing over the HESI A2, don't. Remember that it's an entrance exam that high schoolers take. It's not a grueling 8-hour slugfest like the MCATs, which is designed for college grads. Plus the material is easily absorbed so long as you dedicate a day to each section (3 days for A&P) and DO NOT LET TIME WASTERS get the better of you. Do take breaks and SOME time to relieve stress, but not if it cuts into study time, especially with the topics you're having trouble absorbing. I suggest studying two weeks in advance so you can spend a second week clarifying whatever doesn't stick. Take it from me, a humble waiter who hasn't been to school in 15 years: if I can do it, you can too.

I had 6 days to study for my Hesi A2 exam. I used only 2 resources: this book and nursehub.com. There were a couple questions on the actual exam that were straight from the A&P practice exam in this book. Overall it's very straightforward to read and the practice exam questions are great. I got an overall 95% on the hesi and a 100% on both the grammar section and A&P section. I highly recommend this book if you're studying for the HESI. WORTH EVERY PENNY!

This book has helped me so much with studying for this test! And I passed it first try!!

Great book to purchase for when you are preparing for the HESI exam. It has great pictures as well.