Instructor giving away test questions!

Sour Lemon · Apr 21, 2017

I am currently in my first year of nursing school. I have an instructor who is awesome. She cares about the students and doesn't want anyone to fail. I am all for that, I know she genuinely cares for us. However, I don't agree with what she's been doing. She gives away test questions for the upcoming exams. Other instructors are not aware of what she's doing, only the students. I feel like, everyone needs a freebie every now and then, but to always be trying to fish people out of certain situations is not going to help. Students need to do their part as well and not rely solely on the instructor's questions to get by. I don't feel it's right, and I'm here to ask you what I should do. I want to let the other instructors know but I don't want to get her in trouble because she just wants us all to pass. But we need to be responsible for our own education. By her giving us everything, how are we to learn? I don't know what to do. Please help.

You seem rather dedicated to creating conflict. Every student will have to pass NCLEX in the end, so my advice is to worry about yourself.

caliotter3 · Apr 21, 2017

She won't be there to give away the questions on the NCLEX, so just study the material and stop worrying about what this instructor is doing.

amoLucia · Apr 21, 2017

You could well be painting a huge target on your back. You'll have NO support to back you if you have an issue.

llg, PhD, RN · Apr 21, 2017

You're in your first year. She's helping the first years get started by telling them some of what will be on the test. Her "sin" is not that bad. In fact, good instructors often do that sort of thing. We tell them, "I really want you to know this ... so I am giving you fair warning ... this WILL be on the test." That is part of good teaching. It's not all about "weeding out the weaker ones." Sometimes, it's about telling students what they need to focus on ... what is most important ... giving the guidance about what to prioritize ... helping them get started.

Don't worry. Your classmates will not be given all the answers in all classes. The weak ones will be weeded out at some point. Don't be in such a hurry for for the culling to begin.

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Apr 21, 2017

How is what she's doing any different than a teacher who gives students a specific outline to study?

amoLucia · Apr 21, 2017

You're in your first year. She's helping the first years get started by telling them some of what will be on the test. Her "sin" is not that bad. In fact, good instructors often do that sort of thing. We tell them, "I really want you to know this ... so I am giving you fair warning ... this WILL be on the test." That is part of good teaching. It's not all about "weeding out the weaker ones." Sometimes, it's about telling students what they need to focus on ... what is most important ... giving the guidance about what to prioritize ... helping them get started.
Don't worry. Your classmates will not be given all the answers in all classes. The weak ones will be weeded out at some point. Don't be in such a hurry for for the culling to begin.

I actually had a Chemistry instructor who used to hold weekend test study groups for whomever wished to attend voluntarily on their free time. He would actually pat the chalk/white board and emphatically say, "This is important. This is very important!" And he actually did the 'wink, wink' thing.

And on his tests, we had to give back the information he prompted. However, he didn't cut any slack on points for our answers. We had to be right.

nursingforme2 · Apr 21, 2017

These are specific test questions that she gives during theory, and it shows up on the exams. It's like giving us the test questions before the test so we don't fail. She shares the class with another instructor and only does it when the other director is not in the class room.

WanderingWilder, ASN · Apr 22, 2017

I wouldn't worry about it, if students don't study they won't pass the nclex and that will be their problem not yours. I wouldn't try to get involved with instructor to instructor issues (if what you are worried about is that the other instructor doesn't know). You will only cause problems for yourself if you try and say anything.

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Apr 22, 2017

I can't think of any scenario where making noise about this at your school will prove beneficial to you.

I'm not saying you're wrong. Of course, students should do their part and study, research, read, etc. That's a given. But an instructor who wants her students to succeed and is giving them the tools to do it is not your enemy here. You don't have to agree with her methods, but you also don't have to participate. She's not going to be able to give you or your classmates the answers to the all important NCLEX, which is the exam that counts the most.

I think that you, as a first year nursing student, have enough to worry about without making this an issue. There's no way that making an issue about this now is going to reflect favorably on you. I wish you much luck and success.

traumanurse99 · Apr 22, 2017

Every student will have to pass NCLEX in the end

ZombieRain · Apr 22, 2017

Had a pre-calculus class in the last semester of an electronics engineering program from a technical college where both the teacher and we-the-students knew there was almost zero reason to have a pre-calculus class, the math was well beyond the scope of anything we were learning on the electronics side and the math was beyond half or more of the class to grasp. Our tests were legitimately the teacher putting equations on the board and we would all do our best to go through them, but the grade was based on us copying the board onto our paper. We all got A's.

Context is important and you aren't providing a lot of detail.

But I also just finished reading through your "Cheating in Nursing School" thread, and really, you're going to get very tired and very frustrated trying to right all these wrongs.

Are you learning? If no, scream. If yes, please, please, please let this stuff go.

Some people who don't need to be nurses will fail out of school.

Some people who don't need to be nurses will not get passed NCLEX.

Some people who don't need to be nurses will not make it in the job market.

Some people who don't need to be nurses will have long careers in nursing.

It is not your job to figure out who those people are or what to do with them. It MIGHT be some day, but certainly not as a first year student.