How I pass the Exit Hesi

Nursing Students HESI

Published Jan 28, 2015

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candises

6 Posts

I hope my suggestions help.

First, I will give you a little of my back ground. I attended ITT tech were we had 11 weeks to do 16 weeks of schooling. The school gave us 3 times to that the exit test throughout those weeks on top of clinicals, care plans, writing assignments, regular test, and everything else they wanted to add on us. I am a full time working wife and mother, so you could imagine what I was dealing with. To say all of this I failed all 3 times during the school semester 620's, 796, and 650's where my scores in that order. Honestly, my focus was passing the classes and then I could see what the options were about getting more tries to pass the exit test. I also didn't remember taking the first exit because I worked the night before and had no sleep. I forgot to mention my last semester of classes started in Sept. 2014 and end Dec. 2014 so right in midst of all the holiday business.

I am glad to say I pass both my last classes and still got pinned but hadn't officially graduated from school until I passed the exit test. I was lost once classes was over. I didn't know where to start or even what to do. The school offered me one more chance to take the test for free and every chance after that I had to pay for it which was like $50.

The 4th time I took it I made 718 (right before Christmas). I was so depressed and exhausted. One of my classmates told me that I needed to take a break from all the studying and let my brain rest. She told me we just crammed so much information in our heads over a short period of time, and I need to time to let it all marinate. I did exactly that I didn't look at questions or any kind of information until Dec. 28th. What a relief it was.

Once I started back studying everything started to make sense all over again. At this time I had been using the questions from YourBestGrade website and I listen to Hurst Review. I completed the review and filled out all the sheets. Daily, I would just have lectures playing while I cleaning or getting ready for work. I got to the point where I knew the information forwards and backwards. I had taken the Kaplan Review during this time, but the Kaplan doesn't help for this test. The only reason I took Kaplan was because the school paid for it. The Hurst review was a hand-me-down I acquired from a friend, plus it was an old review and not the new stuff they have out now. Kaplan questions and Hesi questions are two different families.

Also, my DON allowed me to take specialty Med-Surg Hesi's to help me with my med-surg. Med-Surg is the key! If you don't know your med-surg you are never going to pass it.

I took my next exit test the second Thursday in January. I had a lot more confidence, and I knew I could do it. On that test I made 812! I had so many mixed emotions one I was super happy that I improved over 100 points, and I pissed that I was so close and didn't pass. I didn't get too down on myself I knew the following Thursday I was going to pass. I went back to the same website and re-took questions and finished up the remainder of the practice test. Then I started on questions from the Saunders book the 6th edition. I also looked some remediation information from the three previous exit test I had taken during the semester. It help some, but I am not a big reader. Reading this nursing information isn't like reading 50 Shades of Grey or Twilight books. I would just fall asleep with reading.

Now, we are at Jan. 22nd Thursday time to take another exit and I made 796! UGH! I know right; I just can't get over this hump! So, I planned to the my last exit Saturday 24th. Between those days I focus only on questions from the Saunders book. I realized then the Saunders book questions are very similar too Hesi questions. It was blurred lines. I couldn't remember if the questions were questions I had already answered from the book or questions from Hesi. From Thursday to Saturday morning I had answered about 500 questions from the book. While I was taking the test from the Saunders book, I covered up the question number with a post notes. I realized that knowing what question I was on stressed me out the most. I realized I got more questions right when I didn't know how many questions I had left or what number I was on. I even tried opening the book to read some topics, but once again boring and I dozed off. I did listen to some lectures from Hurst review again in the areas I was weak on like Renal and Endocrine.

Saturday came and my DON was suppose to meet me at 8am to take my test; but she was super late. She didn't show up until 10am, but I didn't let that distract me. I sat down got my post note ready to taped over the question number and started answering questions. I didn't need a break. I sat there the whole 2 hours answering one after another. I did take few seconds to stretch in my seat a couple of times, but other than that I was on a roll. I am so proud to say I made 953 or 88% on that test. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't expecting that high of a score.

I will tell you this all the questions were different just like I expect the Nclex to be. The main ones that were the same were the listening questions and hot spots. Every version I took was completely different besides those two types.

In summary, Hurst Review and Saunders Book questions are the way too go.

Now, I am officially a Graduate Nurse and waiting for ATT from the BON to set up my Nclex.

Sorry this was so long

Good Luck