ATI Fundamentals Exam

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I am taking this exam soon and I am nervous. It is my first ATI exam and I want to make sure that I pass the first time. We need to score a level II on all ATI exams in order to move on. I have the ATI book and have been reading that. We also use another text Potter and Perry, but I am not a big fan of that book.

Any advice/tips to prep for this exam would be greatly appreciated!

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If you have access to the ATI fundamentals practice exams, do those. We had to take that exam, and several of the questions were very similar to what was on the practice exams. Good luck!

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use the ATI book, cause that's what the ATI exams test on. It was annoying for us because the ATI book sometimes differed with the textbook (lab values, pharmacology values, etc) so you had to remember to go with the ATI for the ATI exams and what was taught in class for the class exams.

Level II is pretty hard to obtain, level III is near impossible.

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Specializes in M/S, pedi.
NuGuyNurse2b said:
use the ATI book, cause that's what the ATI exams test on. It was annoying for us because the ATI book sometimes differed with the textbook (lab values, pharmacology values, etc) so you had to remember to go with the ATI for the ATI exams and what was taught in class for the class exams.

Level II is pretty hard to obtain, level III is near impossible.

Not true, the only ATI exam I did not get a level three in was pharm, and I was only one question away from that one too.

I did every practice exam and read the rationales for each answer, even the correct ones and did each exam until I could get 100%. I did these on the couch while watching TV as well.

I say this because I don't want you to stress out, but do what you can, when you can. You can do this!

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You only need a 60 something to get a level 2, and an 80 for a level 3. I wouldn't say it's overly difficult. In fact, very few in my cohort scored below a level 2, and plenty of level 3's. Definitely not "impossible".

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LynM75 said:
Not true, the only ATI exam I did not get a level three in was pharm, and I was only one question away from that one too.

I did every practice exam and read the rationales for each answer, even the correct ones and did each exam until I could get 100%. I did these on the couch while watching TV as well.

I say this because I don't want you to stress out, but do what you can, when you can. You can do this!

I agree with all said. Don't stress out, do all the practice pre-test as well as the test. READ ALL the rationales. Retest until you get high scores on the practice ATI tests. Good luck.

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I took the exam last month and got a Level III, so it isn't impossible.

My advice is to focus on the ATI materials. The book isn't as detailed as Potter and Perry (we also used that textbook), but the concepts on the ATI exam come from the ATI book and practice questions. If you haven't read the book yet, at least skim through it and do the review questions at the end of each chapter. And make sure to read the explanations for the correct and incorrect answers--that info can definitely help on test day! Also be sure to take as many practice tests on the ATI website as you can. The website is a little hard to navigate, but you should be able to find two or three regular practice tests and your teacher may have opened up two other practice tests (labeled A and B). If you do nothing else, make sure you take those two practice tests, because then you are able to generate a "focused review." ATI basically puts together a bundle of videos and ATI chapters so you can streamline your studying. If you can, take the practice tests a few times and, again, read all of the answer explanations!

As for the test itself...it's tricky. By now, you probably realize that nursing exams feature a lot of those "what's the best/first action?" questions. The exam is heavy on them. Understand how to prioritize the options given. The videos in the ATI focused reviews cover this. There were a few drug calc questions, but they are very basic and you get to use a calculator if you need it. Some of the questions on the exam were identical to the ones on the practice tests, but many of them will be over circumstances that you've never been taught. You need to really understand the concepts behind what you've learned in order to apply your knowledge to a variety of circumstances. If you are totally thrown off by a question (and you will be), think about what it is really asking. You most likely already have the knowledge base, you just need to apply it in a new way.

I hope this was helpful. Good luck!

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Thank you all, I really appreciate everyone's replies!

If anyone else has any, more tips can never hurt! =)

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

If you are doing well in the class and you have been studying a lot throughout, you should not have a problem getting Level 2. Definitely use the practice exams and take them as you would take the real exam. Other than maternity (I spent about 3 days reviewing for the ATI for that), I never spent any time studying for ATI.

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Hey! I saw your PM, but since I'm a brand-new member I cannot PM people yet. I hope you don't mind me replying in the thread.

Regarding study materials, I think you're smart to have other resources on-hand, but I would still focus primarily on the ATI material. I didn't read the entire book but, the practice tests and focused review were extremely helpful.

You seem really on top of this, so I am sure you know your stuff, but if I can clarify anything for you or if you have any other questions, feel free to email me (since I can't PM yet): [email protected]

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I completely agree with PHS and others on here! Take your practice exams and then use your focused reviews to gather additional details

You got this! Keep up the great work!

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