Tips on how to score well on ATI Pharmacoloy Proctored Exam?

Nursing Students Student Assist

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I am currently a senior and my school requires that you pass ATI before your even allowed to sit for the hesi exam. I currently have to redo the pharmacology part and I was wondering if you had any tips on how to prepare or increase my score.

Specializes in critical care, PACU.

I havent taken it yet, but have taken 3 of those ATI tests so far. What did work for me was trying as many practice tests as possible, even if it meant collaborating with students at other schools that had extra practice tests. ATI has a warped way of testing and getting used to it helped me a lot. I am interested in the advice people will give specific to the pharm one also.

Thanks maggiofliore!! Best wishes to you!

Specializes in Critical Care-Neuro/Trauma ICU.

Bumping for posts!! My school just switched from ERI to ATI and it's supposedly really different from what we are used to with ERI. I'm REALLY nervous about ATI's so if anyone has taken them help us! I will be taking OB and Med Surg I this semester...took Pharm 1st semester with ERI thank goodness (eventhough we have to retake ALL of them before we graduate).

ATI Pharm test, hmmm...I took it at the end of last semester and we had pharm the semester before that, lol. We had the test close to finals so barely anyone studied for it, including myself. I honestly tried to study it, but that ATI pharm book was just toooo much to handle!

the test was worth 10 points. I think there were like 60-70 questions on it. IT WAS HARD (maybe because I didnt study). But they considered 66% and up to be passing so you'd get 10 pts. 55%-65%= 6 pts. 35%-64%= 3 pts. and anything below 35% is 0 pts. And most of us left thinking we were not going to get any points, lol. There were very unfamiliar drugs but they gave you hints to what they were used for and you had to apply critical thinking to properly answer the questions. But honestly there were times when I would think 'hmm, the name of this drug sounds like a beta blocker, I'm going with that' lol.

But I ended up with a 64% ::shrugs:: that's better than I expected! I would not stress too hard on the ati, you'll be amazed by how much you actually already know, :).

I took the Pham ATI 2 semesters ago and got a level 3 score. I read the book front to back at least twice- once throughout the semester and again over a two week period before the exam. I studied by using note cards that i wrote out on my own. For each class of drugs I had one notecard that listed the ATI prototype drugs for that class. I also had one notecard explaining the general purpose of that class of drugs and the side effects. I also did the same thing for each individial prototype drug within that class in order to make sure i knew if there was something special about a particular drug i should know-- one card for purpose and acation and another card for side effects and nursing consideration. I did every class and drug in the ATI book. It was long and tedious but it paid off.

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