I have completed all of my nursing pre-reqs with the exception of A&P II (which I am taking now) and Microbiology. Today was my first exam for A&P II and I am almost certain I did horribly! I studied extensively, made note-cards, the whole nine yards, but the questions on the test didn't look familiar at all. At this point I am pretty much terrified. I am worried that there is no way I will be able to cut nursing school if I can't even learn A&P II. I am much better with English or History based classes, and have a hard time when it comes to science and math.

Is my struggling in this class any reflection of how I will do in nursing school? Am I in the wrong career field?

I took 3 quarters of A&P and had the same teacher for the 1st two terms and a change in instructors for the 3rd. Threw the whole class on the first exam. We were used to questions with memorization and he was asking questions that required critical thinking. I started studying differently by looking at sample quizzes in his study guide and questions at the end of the chapter and trying to understand the answer. Note cards are helpful for memorization but you'll need to take the next step by understanding the processes of the body and what happens to A when you push on B.

Well, let us know when you get the test back. I had a few exams I thought I did terrible on too, and I did quite well. My last class was A&P II as well and it was very time consuming and 'hard' because we werent sure what to focus on for exams. Go to ratemyprofessors.com and see if anyone there has given tips about your particular professor.

Did you talk to the other students after the exam? What did they think?

Just took it this morning, so probably won't get it back until next week. Our professor is brand new and he moves so fast! He is very nice, but he is a molecular biologist so it all makes perfect sense to him. We shall see how it goes....

Have you formed a study group? That might help.

Also, it has been my experience that the first test in a class is almost a throwaway -- you don't know how the instructor's exams are, or how he/she teaches, how much study time is really required, etc... so don't drop your career goal so soon. My A&PI instructor chided us all as he passed back our first exam last semester: "So... now reality sets in, right? I really DID mean @ 20 hrs of study a week. Now you know..." ;-) And many of us recovered to earn respectable grades. Even if you tanked on this first one, it is still possible to recover, regroup and get a good grade.

Good luck! :)

For A&P I and II, I used to write out basic summaries based on whatever system we were currently studying, and then double check what I wrote against what's in the book. Helped me earn all A's on every exam. I used this technique only for A&P; it just seemed like the best method for this type of class.

Don't beat yourself up over it, it's your first exam. As others have said, the first is the worst, once you get used to the format, you'll ace them all. Good luck.

It is much too soon to decide you are in the wrong career field.

It is also too soon to think you won't do well in the A/P class. I would go see the prof at office hours and ask for either opportunity (if you don't get the tests back) or help in figuring out the patterns of what you missed. Do not just work harder in the same way you worked for the first test.

A&P, in my opinion, is not at all an indicator of how well you'll do in nursing school. The content and tests are extremely different. Granted, I have only had 1 test so far, but I've done a lot of practice questions etc.

Also...I bombed my first test in A&P II (I got a 59, I think)...and after that, my lowest was in the 70s! You can bring your grade up, don't worry :)

You should meet with your professor and go over your test to see what you were doing wrong. This will really help you study more efficiently.

Oh, and I don't think it's an indicator of how well you do in nursing. I've heard tests are completely different. Anyway, I'm sure that if you did bad you will be able to pull your grade up! It is only the first test. :)