Failed an exam

CelticGoddess, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2020

3 hours ago, StraightOuttaNursingSchool said:
Okay, so I just failed my first exam EVER in nursing school! I am in my last semester in nursing school and it finally happened... I made a 68! It was terrible. It was my second test in the class, so with my first test grade (a 90), my test average is a 79. Our program requires a test average of 78% in order to pass the class. So, good news is I'm still passing.
I just haven't failed yet and it was a huge shock!!
The class high was a 79.5, the low was a 46.2, and the average was a 66.
What did you do when you failed your first test? I feel like I'm losing confidence.
I do not get test anxiety and always do relatively well (A's/ high B's) on exams, so this was just weird for me.

Can you go over the questions you missed with your instructor? Or do you have access to those questions you missed and the rationales? THat would be a good first step.

Try to not stress out over it too much (yea, I know, easier said than done). You have done well before this, so I would assume that your study habits are not the problem. It might have just been an off day. I think your best bet is to find out why you got the questions wrong and go from there. Best of luck

_letssavelives · Feb 27, 2020

I know how you feel. I just failed my first Peds test with a 74, passing in my program is an 80. I am currently in my 3rd semester & the first time I ever failed a test was in my first semester. I was devastated!! Still am, actually. I’m so nervous I’ll have to repeat the class. This time around I’ve been studying nonstop! But I can get over this overwhelming feeling of “what if I’m doing all of this and still fail anyway”. It’s horrible. But don’t give up! Reach out to your professors, see what others are doing!! You got this far, you got this!

TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN · Feb 28, 2020

On 2/26/2020 at 3:08 PM, StraightOuttaNursingSchool said:
The class high was a 79.5, the low was a 46.2, and the average was a 66.

Sounds like the instructor put a bad test together. Almost the entire class failed that test, and the ones who passed, barely made it. Don't be hard on yourself. You've been passing all your tests, so just keep doing what you've been doing. Your teachers aren't perfect, and this really seems like it's a great example of that.

StraightOuttaNursingSchool, CNA · Mar 16, 2020

On 2/28/2020 at 11:18 AM, tonyl1234 said:
Sounds like the instructor put a bad test together. Almost the entire class failed that test, and the ones who passed, barely made it. Don't be hard on yourself. You've been passing all your tests, so just keep doing what you've been doing. Your teachers aren't perfect, and this really seems like it's a great example of that.

You are right- I believe the professor realized this as he gave MAJOR points back to the class. Our high ended up being a 90, the average a 77.2, and the low a 58. I ended up with a 77, so that was extremely helpful! That was the first time we have been given points back on an exam, he also did a review in class to cover the topics once again.

Thank you!

joe090909 · Apr 29, 2020

Keep your head up! Nursing school is stressful, but you don't want to bring yourself down. Keep working hard, and make sure that you are taking care of yourself. I promise you that no matter what day it is and what your schedule looks like incorporating 30 minutes of physical activity a day will make a huge difference and help your grades. This is coming from a person who barely did exercise and failed out of a program. You need to make sure that you are allowing yourself to release your stress. I always thought that I didn't' have time to exercise, but then I didn't realize how much time I was wasting because I was just sitting at my desk trying to do work even though my body needed a break and I wasn't giving it a break.