Austin Community College Fall 2009 Entry

To determine ranking points, ACC looks at your prereqs and gives you so many points for an A, so many for a B, and so on. Then they give you a point for each coreq you've finished. You get so many points for the HESI test, depending on your score, with 10 being the maximum number of points you can earn. If you've applied previously, they give you a point for that. I think those are all the points you can get, but I may be missing something. Grades in coreqs do not count. As long as you have a C, ACC gives you one point for each.

Hope that helps.

Hi, GeekGirl,

The best advice I can give on the HESI is to study basic anatomy and review a study guide for some of the math questions. They're not hard, but some of the skills tested are so basic and were taught so long ago (e.g., multiplying/dividing fractions), that people seem to have forgotten them.

I didn't think the test was difficult, but I did review the math and look at a study guide to get a feel for the testing format.

Good luck! You'll do fine.

Thanks for the insight on the HESI, editor2RN!

From the ACC Nursing Department website, I understand that the ranking formula for selection is:

Rank = (Nursing GPA) X (# of degree plan courses completed) + (HESI Points) + (Review points earned)

With the HESI point range being either 4, 7, or 10 pts earned & 6 Review Points earned the first time and 5 additional for each subsequent application.

However, I am still confused about the GPA portion of the formula. Do they count only the GPA of the five core pre-req classes or do they factor in both the GPA of the pre and co-req classes completed? What if the classes are completed at institutions other than ACC? Are the grades handled in the same manner? It does appear that whatever GPA they use, they multiply that GPA by the total number of completed classes.

Thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread - even if the news wasn't initially positive. It is incredibly helpful for those of us just getting our feet wet in the pre-req classes!

They only count GPA for the prereqs, and RNSG 1105 is not counted in that GPA. Course, if you (re)apply after completing 1105, it counts as part of the total courses finished for the degree, so you'd get a point for that.

Thanks editor2rn for the clarification.

If I understand correctly then they only count the GPA of the pre-reqs but they multiple by the number of classes you have taken, including co-reqs?

Example -

3.5 in pre-reqs (Math, Anatomy, Physiology, Micro, & Pharm)

10 classes taken toward nursing degree (5 pre-reqs plus 5 co-reqs like English, Psych, Human Growth/Dev, Speech, & Humanities Elect)

So for the ranking formula - If the student received 7 points on the HESI and is applying for the first time with the above classes completed (receiving 6 total review points with the first application), is the calculation belowcorrect?

Rank = (3.5 GPA) X (10 degree courses completed) + (7 HESI Points) + (6 Review points earned)

Rank = 35 + 7 + 6

Rank = 48

If this is correct I'm still puzzled because the description online talked about the "Nursing GPA" which I always assumed was the combined GPA of any pre and co-reqs completed that apply towards the Nursing Degree.

Any and all the courses you take, both pre-reqs and co-reqs count towards your rank gpa. This was a surprise to me when I first got my rank as well. I later built a spreadsheet in excel that computes the rank to I could figure out different scenerios. Feel free to send me your email address if you want me to email it to you.

You know, I think you all are right about the GPA. I'm looking at the e-mail I received from the department, and they show the formula as

Completed degree plan course grade point average X number of degree plan courses completed + HESI points + Review points = ranking calculation

They have the GPA for all of the courses listed for the degree plan except for nursing, in which case they only list RNSG 1105.

In my case, where I did not have 1105 yet, here's the calculation:

GPA: 3.6364 X 10 courses completed + 10 HESI points + 6 review points + 52.363636 (something went weird with the rounding, but close enough)

Sorry for the confusion! I just figured this out in February. How quickly I forget!

So the verdict is......co-req grades count towards your GPA, so do well in those too and also get them all completed to get more points. Is that correct???

It sort of doesnt make sense when you think about it. I mean, you can bust your butt trying to get A's in the co-reqs before you apply, or just take the 5 pre-reqs, get in to the program and just pass the remaining co-reqs with a C or better during the program. But I see how taking as many of the co-reqs as possible before you apply really helps your ranking.

Well I just got off the phone with a health sciences advisor and she clarified things for me. She said the GPA they consider the nursing GPA is solely based on the grades in the 5 pre-reqs. They only give you 1 point for each co-req done. So I think Geekgirl had it right.

Nursing GPA = (Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Micro, and Math)

x # of degree plan courses (5 preqs + 5 coreqs "they count as long as you get a C) so max points here is 10

Hesi points = max points is 10

Review points = first time applicant automatically gets 6 points

Hope that solves everything considering I heard it from the nursing department themselves. But I did mention that it was worded very confusing on the website and she said they have gotten that complaint before.

:thankya: I don't know if I had it right (I thought they considered both pre and co-req GPA for the calculation) but I sure do appreciate you clarifying it with the Nursing department RadiationRN2Be!!

If this is the case, then they have been calculating my rank incorrectly.

Looking back at the emails from the department, both semesters that I've gotten ranking scores, my combined GPA (co-reqs & pre-reqs) has been used to determine my rank.

Hopefully this link will work. I took a screen shot of the email I got from the department when they sent me my rank in February.

"Here is your ranking calculation for the January 3rd - March 1st, 2009 Review. This calculation includes the following: Completed degree plan course grade point average X number of degree plan courses completed + HESI points + Review points = ranking calculation."

I am not trying to be argumentative at all, just trying to point out a very obvious breakdown in communication between the department and the students. Had I known this information before, I definitely would have tried harder when I took my pre-reqs! :)