PAX help

Nursing Students General Students

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Hi.. I'm a new member but I've browsed the forums for a while. Basically, I am applying for my school's nursing program in the spring and have to take the PAX. I don't have my scheduled time to take the test yet but it is a little while away. I have Mcgraw-Hill's Nursing Entrance Exam book and also the NLN's pre-admission exam book. I've just began to study in them. I'm fairly confident in every area but Math. I have always struggled with math. I blame no one but myself, although I have to admit that it has just been exceptionally difficult for me to grasp and I don't know why. I'm in a remedial class right now but am trying to move on to college algebra. Through high school, I started to fall behind in about the 9th grade.. Pre-algebra I would say. Every year after that I was unable to get the hang of nearly everything else because I was lacking the foundation needed to comprehend the new material. I passed with A's in all my classes though because it was just the kind of school where teachers didn't really care if you really learned anything, they got paid the same. I would ask for help and they did try to help me understand most of the time - but the moment I would get a glimpse of how it worked, it would slip away as fast as it came. I got a composite score of 24 on my ACT with a score of 16 in the math section. I have watched youtube videos, read books, etc but I have so much trouble trying to sort out what it is that I need to learn first before something else. I don't know if I'm making much sense here, but I don't know how else to put it. I need new insight on everything to do with math. I can't try to understand a concept without questioning the purpose of every step taken, because if I don't understand why it is being done, I can't go on and understand how to solve the problem.

I'm partly venting and partly asking for help. Has anyone else experienced similar obstacles with math? How did you overcome them? I mean I can add and subtract and multiply and do basic things like one or two step equations.. but anything more than that and it just gets so complicated. Nursing is the only career out there for me, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind. I'll do anything it takes to succeed, it is only a matter of how long it takes - any input is appreciated. Thanks so much for reading!

Specializes in ED, trauma.
Hi.. I'm a new member but I've browsed the forums for a while. Basically, I am applying for my school's nursing program in the spring and have to take the PAX. I don't have my scheduled time to take the test yet but it is a little while away. I have Mcgraw-Hill's Nursing Entrance Exam book and also the NLN's pre-admission exam book. I've just began to study in them. I'm fairly confident in every area but Math. I have always struggled with math. I blame no one but myself, although I have to admit that it has just been exceptionally difficult for me to grasp and I don't know why. I'm in a remedial class right now but am trying to move on to college algebra. Through high school, I started to fall behind in about the 9th grade.. Pre-algebra I would say. Every year after that I was unable to get the hang of nearly everything else because I was lacking the foundation needed to comprehend the new material. I passed with A's in all my classes though because it was just the kind of school where teachers didn't really care if you really learned anything, they got paid the same. I would ask for help and they did try to help me understand most of the time - but the moment I would get a glimpse of how it worked, it would slip away as fast as it came. I got a composite score of 24 on my ACT with a score of 16 in the math section. I have watched youtube videos, read books, etc but I have so much trouble trying to sort out what it is that I need to learn first before something else. I don't know if I'm making much sense here, but I don't know how else to put it. I need new insight on everything to do with math. I can't try to understand a concept without questioning the purpose of every step taken, because if I don't understand why it is being done, I can't go on and understand how to solve the problem.

I'm partly venting and partly asking for help. Has anyone else experienced similar obstacles with math? How did you overcome them? I mean I can add and subtract and multiply and do basic things like one or two step equations.. but anything more than that and it just gets so complicated. Nursing is the only career out there for me, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind. I'll do anything it takes to succeed, it is only a matter of how long it takes - any input is appreciated. Thanks so much for reading!

They give you the formula in nursing school. I would say they are set up mostly like ratios and algebra style questions. Nothing too hard. You do the same computations throughout the 2 years.

As for the entrance exams, I took the TEAS exam. It was heavy with algebra and geometry questions.

Have you considered a math tutor? Perhaps going to the college and speaking with a math tutor or general tutor could help you prior to taking your entrance exam?

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