National University SD Cohort 55 - July 2018

uh, no · Feb 7, 2018

May I ask you a question......How is the GPA portion of the GPA points calculated? Where do the x/30 come from? For instance, I know that this is 40% of the total points, but the "out of 30" portion I do not know where that comes from. What is the 30?

I really recommend calling/emailing Elizabeth, she'll just give you what your score will be pretty quickly so you know exactly where you stand.

uh, no · Feb 7, 2018

You come in, pick a computer, open word, then they give you at random a paper facedown with your prompt (there are several different ones) on it. When they say begin you flip and start writing. You have one hour, and there's a few time warnings. My prompt was: What skills/attributes do you possess in order to become a good nurse? I basically said I had no skills or attributes, but I outlined an incident (a kid chopped his leg with a machete)where I showed leadership and potential to be a great nurse. I really played on my creative story telling talents and embellished details. I went on about how this changed my career path and how I learned something about my potential. My essay was 5 paragraphs, apa format with an intro/thesis, 3 paragraphs of body, and the conclusion. It was 2 pages exactly( maximum length; don't go over!) I had just enough time to edit. Many did not finish. If you guys need ideas for prompts just post them and I'll tell you what I would write. I would have used the same story for every prompt, just outline it differently.

Awesome info, I have some great stories.

Mr_Edwino · Feb 7, 2018

May I ask you a question......How is the GPA portion of the GPA points calculated? Where do the x/30 come from? For instance, I know that this is 40% of the total points, but the "out of 30" portion I do not know where that comes from. What is the 30?

Your GPA points are x/4(.40)=Points

Teas: x/100(.4)=Points

Essay x/5(.2)=Points

Add the points for your total and move the decimal two places to the right for your entry total.

airwicka89 · Feb 9, 2018

Oh BTW, I'm in cohort 54. I got in with GPA 3.9, teas 90, and essay 4.7/5. Hope I could clear some things up for you guys, there really wasn't anyone in cohort 54s thread that knew what the hell was going on. Lol
AMA, I'm here to help.

Thank you so much for your help and advice. I'm so glad and appreciative that you have taken the time to help guide us.

Mr_Edwino · Feb 12, 2018

Thank you so much for your help and advice. I'm so glad and appreciative that you have taken the time to help guide us.

I remember you from the other thread, best of luck to you this time around. I'm sure you'll knock it out of the ballpark this time! :cool:

airwicka89 · Feb 12, 2018

I remember you from the other thread, best of luck to you this time around. I'm sure you'll knock it out of the ballpark this time!

Thank you, I am feeling more confident this time around.

missellamae · Feb 15, 2018

@airwicka89 Thank you for the sample prompts! I'm not applying to this cohort but I'm studying for the TEAS :) Definitely trying to focus on the math portion and the essay.

missellamae · Feb 15, 2018

Oh BTW, I'm in cohort 54. I got in with GPA 3.9, teas 90, and essay 4.7/5. Hope I could clear some things up for you guys, there really wasn't anyone in cohort 54s thread that knew what the hell was going on. Lol
AMA, I'm here to help.

May I ask how you studied for the TEAS? Which book (if any) did you use? There's so many to choose from and I'm thinking of just getting the ATI book since ATI does the TEAS tests. Thank you in advance :)

Mr_Edwino · Feb 16, 2018

ATI teas VI manual and I purchased the practice tests.

The manual is very overly simplified, you will have to know what's in there, but in much greater detail.

I took one practice test a month out as a pretest and I scored about 78-80. I reviewed my weak areas according to the breakdown, and retook the practice test one week out from my teas date; I scored a 93. On the practice test I scored:

Science:96

Reading:96

Math:85

English:91

On the real teas i scored:

Science:80

Math:100

Reading:89

English:96

So as you can see, the practice test reflected my strengths in reverse. The science was definitely more difficult that I had anticipated. I went in a little too overconfident in that area because of that reason.

Mr_Edwino · Feb 16, 2018

If I retook it, I'm sure I could bring my grade up, but I'm already in the program. Good luck to you

klm18 · Feb 17, 2018

I am debating retaking the TEAS just because I am so terrified for the essay. I got an 88, but I also way underestimated the science portion - it was harder than any of my practice tests. I have been working with the writing tutor & he has just been ripping me to shreds, not great for my confidence level going in!! lol

Altaha · Feb 17, 2018

I am debating retaking the TEAS just because I am so terrified for the essay. I got an 88, but I also way underestimated the science portion - it was harder than any of my practice tests. I have been working with the writing tutor & he has just been ripping me to shreds, not great for my confidence level going in!! lol

I'm not sure if you keep on going back to the same person at the writing center or not, but I would recommend you try out different tutors. I am writing practice essays 3 times a week and scheduling sessions online via Zoom with different tutors. The online sessions have been great because we are reviewing my paper and talking about it in real time. It's also been very helpful because the tutors seem to have different perspectives and I understand some better than others. Sometimes, I also have two different tutors review the same practice essay to see if they give me different recommendations. And believe me, they totally have!

I think your 88 TEAS score is a great score, but if you feel you can do better than retaking it is always an option, but try not to lose faith in your ability to improve your writing.

The two online tutors who have been most helpful to me are Cristof and Anna. You might want to try them out. Good luck! You can do it!