Adult Med/Surg ATI test -- advice? Did you pass?

[melissa0]

Hi! I'm preparing to take my ATIs for adult med surg and mental health. Not so much worried about mental health but VERY concerned with adult med surg. Any advice? I've taken one practice test so far (without studying much at all) and got 61.1%. Sometimes the practice tests are much harder than the actual test. We have to get a level 2 to pass the course. Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

[sgalvin07]

athrun340 said:

question.. did you read the whole book and then practiced answering ati questions? or you just took the practice tests?

I hesitate to answer that because I do not want you to get the wrong idea, or take the wrong approach. The book is 1283 pages. I will say, I probably read about 300 pages, mostly focused on areas that I felt weaker in, had questions about, noticed I missed alot on the practice tests......... I personally do not suggest NOT reading the book, I think it's a huge risk. But when you look at the book it is basically review of everything from the two previous quarters (atleast the way my schools structure is set up). So when I looked at the headings in the book I knew that I had already taken the time to study that info in depth so I skipped most sections. Kinda thumbed through them to see if anything caught my eye as being different, charts, that kind of thing..... After I took a few tests and noticed a trend I went to the book and read that chapter.

If you've taken an ATI though you know how the tests are. Sometimes broad information needed, sometimes it seems like the most minute detail, such as a certain word that was written in the ATI book, is the answer.

If I had to do it over again, I would probably have managed my time a little better and began reading the book at the beginning of the quarter so that it wouldn't have seemed like a mountain to climb, but hindsight is always 20/20.

BSNstudent2013 said:

Thank you!! And, yes I have a feeling this will be a terrible test! Thanks for your help! Are there any topics that there were a lot of on the test?!

THANKS! ?

Topics? Sure there were plenty.....and they are all in the ATI book. I have difficulty saying "know this, know that, don't know this". The material you need is in your possession. If it's in that book it was covered on the test to some degree. Sorry to be of little help, but when you walk into a patients room as a nurse it's not like someone is going to be standing there saying "look at this, check the BP, are you sure your patient isn't at risk...." So I have a hard time focusing your attention to certain topics. Hell, for all I know your test might be equal to mine but different questions, so even then I would be doing you a disservice in giving you topics to cover.

The test is over relevant topics that you should know thoroughly before you graduate. Know the cardiovascular system, know how to treat burns, know risk potentials, know about TPN, know about infection control, know what you can/can't delegate and to who it is appropriate.......And only YOU know which of the topics you are weaker in, so really focus on those.... My advice, start studying for it early, it won't seem so overwhelming....But DON'T think it's impossible, plenty of people have passed it so it's completely doable.

[NurseNicole101]

Hello everyone, I am curious as to what is this "HUGE" ATI Med-Surg study guide that's approximately 800 pages everyone is referring too? Is this the ATI RN Adult Medical-Surgical Nursing Edition book (box of books for each semester) that is given to students at the beginning of the program or is this "HUGE" 800 page study guide something completely different?