Failed my 1st math proficiency test

nadj, do a search here for some of the math threads. There have been some great online sites with practice problems posted about on allnurses. There have also been some helpful threads about specific problems students have.

You just need to practice, practice, practice....and CHECK YOUR ANSWERS.

And yes, I think everybody faces the dreaded drug calc tests. In my program, we have to pass one each semester before we're allowed to go to clinical.

Do you remember the four that you got wrong? Maybe we could help you understand those.

Actually, the scary part is that I didn't screw up on the dimensional analysis part, and I knew my equivalents....I was simple math errors (we can't use calculators), a misplaced decimal point and a case of not reading directions well enough. If it was just simple case of not knowing how to set up the problem, I might actually feel better, but it was just simple stuff and I'm worried I'm going to do it again. Yes, I know next time I need to work the problems two, maybe even three times and READ directions. But I'm just freaked out, there's so many ways you can screw up a single problem!!

We're on spring break now, and I can't talk to my teacher about it until we go back. Huh, you'd think I'd be happy to be on spring break, but it started on a real sour note for me....

You aren't the first and won't be the last - You will appreciate that you now know what you need to learn! This will actually help you when it comes time for medication calculations - Better wrong on a sheet of paper than in someones body.... Just do research and practice - there are loads of sites out there and then you will be able to pass with flying colors both on paper and with people

Don't stress too much...you know what you need to fix. We have dosage calc tests before every clinical rotation, and I'd say that as many as 40% fail them the first time around. Second time, they usually pass. Not a huge deal. You can do it!

PS Stress can make missing those little points a little easier...just another reason to relax and just do the best you can :)

Thanks for that advice, I'm sure it will come in useful. I'm going to sit down with the instructor and personally go over the problems I missed. I've been told that the test will be the same next time, only the problems will have the numbers changed slightly.

I don't know if I can do anything about my stress level. If it were like any other test where we rec'd a grade and that was it, I wouldn't worry, but if I don't pass the test in three tries I'm done, regardless of the grades I've been getting. I know I can do better, otherwise I wouldn't be getting decent grades in the other stuff......it's just so stressfull and I can't seem to forget that!

You can do something about your stress level. Before you go into the test, take deep breaths - you will concentrate more on your breaths than worrying about the test. Right before the test, go outside, take a 5 - 10 minute walk as you take deep slow breaths. Try this before all your exams. It will help reduce your stress level.

Those students who try to cram or sit waiting become very anxious & stressed.

the decimal points and not reading the problem close enough are exactly the problems we have in the clinical settings, which is why your school is training you to solve problems now. Practice math daily. Even if only a few problems. Do you need a tutor? Can we help online?

No, I don't think I need a tutor. I think I just need to be more careful.

Don't get me wrong, I understand why these tests are so important. I understand that a misplaced decimal point IS a huge deal and that it can make the difference between medicating and killing a pt. I'm not complaining about the test or that we have to get 95% to pass. I do wish, however, that there weren't so many ways to get kicked out of nursing school.

I just need to practice some more with some sample problems. Anybody know any good sites??

don't feel bad. i failed my first math test before starting clinicals during my freshman year, and my instructor made a big deal out of it by writing in big, red letters: clinical warning! (as

if i didn't already know). :angryfire that made me mad, and i wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of me flunking the second test and out of school. i aced the second test with 100%. that nipped her use of her red pen in the bud! you can do it, too!

Thanks....I think my instructors were actually sad for me. I have great instructors. Another thing I keep thinking about, I am the Vice Prez of our class, and I keep thinking how bad it would look if I failed!

If your school has a nursing library, check out Pickard text, which focuses on nursing math.