Has anyone tested out of a nursing course before?

nevergonnagiveup · Jul 22, 2009

i was also a transfer student and my new school gave me the option to test out of nursing 1 and 2 (fundamentals, med-surg 1 and maternal child health). the test was divided into three parts: theory, skills and calculations given over two days. you had to pass one before moving to the next. they gave me copies of the syllabus, skill lab checklist and a sample calculations exam. i only had two weeks to prepare.

i brought two books, a nclex and maternity review books. they both came with practice cds that was loaded with sample questions. i divided the chapters into particular study days (eg chapter 1 & 2-monday, chapter 3 & 4-tuesday etc.) until i had all the material covered. then i wrote notes on the information that was "foggy" to me. also i did a few drug cards with common drugs and their potential side effects. i spent the majority of my time studying for the theory part because if i didn't pass that one i wasn't going to be able to move to the next part. it wasn't that bad studying because it's really just a review of information that you already know and recalling the important facts (common drugs used, s & s, treatment). i also did alot of questions and answers and studied the rationale for the ones i got wrong.

the test was 100 questions (thank god) and passing was 68% so i had room for errors. luckily, i was the only one that passed. after, i went on to do my skills demonstration and calculation exams (passing for those exams was 100%). i spent the following day reviewing the skills and doing the practice calculation questions.

you should be fine, just use you time wisely and focus on the information that is not clear to you (that's usually the information that comes up on the test). i will start nursing 3 this fall and be done next may. good luck and i will say a prayer for you!

moncj66 · Jul 22, 2009

thanks happiness for the advice and positivity :) !! I'm glad I only have to take a written exam! I ordered a NCLEX book 2day, so hopefully that will help..