Preparing for the Entrance Exam

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I recently got accepted into a local college and have set my mind to doing the 2 year RN courses. I know that there is an entrance exam to take in order to actually start nursing school so what is the best way to prepare for this exam? Any help would be appreciated!

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It depends on the school but just review basic math skills, and some medical terminology. When I took my entrance exam it was so basic that I way over studied (which I guess is never a bad thing). Everyone will give you different opinions on this but be honest with yourself and work on any area you are weak in.

Good luck and wish you the best.

Basic math skills?

I hope no algebra is involved.

There are study guides available. The school you are applying to should tell you what test they give and then you could find the appropriate study guide. I imagine they are all similar. I took the Kaplan test and it had a lot of basic math including fractions, decimals, percents. There was a reading and science section as well.

Different schools (may) have different admissions tests requirements. Most schools list the test(s) they required for admission on their website. If not, call the school and talk to an advisor. Once you know what specific test they require, you can purchase a review book for that particular test, if you like. I was required to take the HESI A2 (A2 = Admissions Assessment). I did not purchase a review guide/book. I studied some flash cards that people had made on quizlet, reviewed some basic math (ie fractions, decimals, roman numerals, conversions, addition, subtraction, multiplications, division, etc.), studied a little vocab, and did some grammar review. We were only required to take the english (which consisted of vocab, reading comprehension, grammar) and math sections (which consisted of all of the basic math concepts I listed above). I passed with flying colors. I was accepted into the BSN program I applied to in December 2011, started the program in January 2012.

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Nothing else really needs saying. The test that is required by some of the public schools in California is the TEAS (I don't know what it stands for). I kept hearing horror stories about this test, but when I took it I, I did fairly well. If you've ever taken the SATs or if you remember those standardized tests they had us doing in elementary and middle school: it's basically like that. The math only went as far as basic concepts in algebra 1. The English was slightly easier than what was on the SATs: reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing strategies, grammar, punctuation. The chemistry portion was about high school level. Make sure you know what a Redox reaction is ^_^: important for biology too. The life sciences portion (i.e. biology, microbiology, anatomy, physiology) was actually rather challenging, as there was a lot of information from those lower division courses being tested. If you have the money to take it multiple times, it can be good to take the test and use the results to focus your studying in the areas where you're weakest.

Find out if it's HESI, TEAS, or any other test. They usually use these programs which come with a study guide. See your advisor and book store to find out what book you will need to study. Good Luck.

Awesome! Thanks for the input y'all! I'm a bit nervous, I'm 26 and have been out of school for a while and did most of my pre-req courses online through University of Phoenix. Funny, I want to be a nurse yet I struggle the most with science and math, lol.

Find out WHICH test you're taking. I took the Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam the other day, it was HARD. The science portion was VERY difficult, but the math was mostly fractions and percents. Every test is different. Amazon.com has tons of good study guides, pick up a few and work through them. Good luck to you!!

Nothing a little studying and tutoring can't fix. Your school provides tutoring services...Use it! Good Luck to you.

What test is it?

Most school require some sort of entrance exam. I'm in California and took the TEAS V, which is the Test of Essential Academic Skills. I passed with a good score and was accepted to the BSN program. But you should check with your school to find out which test you take. If you are taking the TEAS V I'd suggest you get the Ati study guide and maybe purchase their quizzes since Ati are the ones who actually do the test. Also, pay particular attention to the Science portion.

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