Finished my first week, took my first exam, got an 80, how bad is that??

[avidhunter3]

Hello! I just finished my first week of the LVN program today. I took my first exam in Basic Skills over 4 chapters. THere were only 50 questions, and I made an 80. I am glad that I passed. HOWEVER, I just wondered if that is not good being that its supposed to get harder from here on out. A lot of my classmates didnt pass at all, many were crying etc. I got to review my test, and I see what I did wrong. Had I went with my FIRST guess on all the ones I got wrong, I would have literally made a 100! Lesson learned. Now I hope I can make myself pick my first answer! I just wondered for all you veterans, do you remember your first test? Did you bomb it or ace it? I really put in a lot of time studying, but our study group studied more of "definitions ect." versus actual scenarios. We know now what to study!

[Saysfaa]

The grade isn't the important thing about the first test, at least not when you have several tests in the term. Knowing why you got that grade and how to adjust for the other tests is more important. This is true whether you ace it or fail it. It sounds like you know those whys and hows, so you are doing well. :)

[The Bell Jar]

Your post sounds very familiar. The great news is that if you had went with your first answer, you would have done better! Remember that.

Nursing school tests are different and people have to get used to taking them. As you noted, they are based on application of knowledge, not on definitions.

As for the tears, many of your classmates are used to making straight As and those days are OVER. A passing score on any nursing exam is a good score!

Remember that you can only do the best you can. Study hard, focus on application of knowledge and let the chips fall where they may.

Oh, and buy all the NCLEX guides you can and use them as practice for tests. These are invaluable for letting you know how to "think."

Good luck and have fun.

I agree a good thing to do is to read the chapter of the NCLEX that relates to what class your taking.That helps you get the hang of how to apply the knowledge.

And I also agree,any nursing school test passing grade is a good grade

[avidhunter3]

thanks guys! Its getting better, I have a chemcal test in the morning that we have to make 85 percent on so wish me luck!

[JAYBRI811]

Not bad just aim higher next time

[avidhunter3]

woohoo made a 90 on chemcal!

[CAwant2be]

good job, my first exam i recieved an 80% too. others passed too. i think the entire class pass the first exam. pretty easy. it gets harder and harder each time but focus is the key here.

[CrunchyMama, ASN, RN]

I'm halfway through my 2nd semester of an RN program and yes I do remember all my tests, lol. They're hard to forget! Our 1st one covered 15 chapters, yes 15! I got a 90. An 80 isn't bad of course....it's passing and then some! Good job!

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

I remember my first nursing exam--I got an 86. It was a pretty big shock to me because I wasn't used to getting below 90. A few people in class did score in the 90s which was also humbling for me--I was used to being on top of the class. Since then my scores generally ranged in the high 80's, low 90s--very rarely did I manage above 95. I have learned not to second guess myself and not to stress over my test score--I just try to learn as much as I can from each test and then move on.

Important when you're learning about a new disease process etc. to ask yourself, what are the signs? What do you do, and why? Test questions tend to revolve around these key points.

[hburatti85]

My first two tests I thought I had a 100 and nope it was a 90. It's hard to get in the mindframe of NCLEX style questions. Finding the "best" answer sometimes kills me. My problem is I constantly second guess myself. I'll know what the right answer is and then think "hey that was too easy that can't be right." and then I found out my first answer was right!