Unbelievable exam question

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So, I took a nursing exam today and on this exam, there was a question that was pretty incredible. I got the question right, but I was pretty infuriated that my instructor defended the validity of this exam question. I won't give you the exact question, but here is a replica of question's structure:

Instructions: Use the lettered answers for questions 30-32.

Question (fill in the blanks): The two most common household (30)_______ are (31)_______ and (32)________.

a. tools

b. pets

c. cats

d. dogs

During the exam, I approached my instructor and asked, "Couldn't questions 31 and 32 both be either c or d? And will you accept either c or d for both?"

Her answer?

"No. Answer the question exactly as it is on the slides. There is a certain order that they're in on the slides and you have to answer it that way."

The correct answers were:

31 - C (cats)

32 - D (dogs)

So, even though the two answers are correct in any order, if you didn't supply them in the exact order they were written on the lecture slides, you missed 2 questions on the exam which, on a 55 question exam (as this one was) is a total of 4% of your exam grade.

Un-freaking-believable.

Specializes in BMT, Oncology, LTC/SNF.

Some teachers don't want to admit they made a faulty test question. I thankfully have had wonderful teachers who know they wrote an off question - even a CLICKER question during the lecture - when half the class starts arguing it, lol. I tend to just take the question and work with it, whether faulty or not. If I get it wrong, I find out why and move on.

But yeah, that question is a bit... ridiculous. I would find out your classmates opinions and if they feel the same as you, move up the chain of command. There is someone higher then that teacher in that nursing faculty. In my school, we have the teachers, a lead for each year, then the whole faculty, all faculty of BOTH campuses, and then the director.... and then moves onto others in the CC faculty. But test questions never get THAT far, lol. It gets to test review and the teacher holding the review goes "I will talk to the content teacher and ask them" - like with Mental Health. We were taught one thing, and we answered one thing on the test, to find out we all failed that question because we were going off the lecture notes.... second year be crazy.

All in all - some teachers want to be right. Others see their mistakes and feel for the students. Depends on the individual and the school.

Best of luck :)

You must be new to nursing school if this is the first such infuriating question you've had (or you're in a better program than me). They've been par for the course so far in my class. Easily 10% of the questions on each test should be thrown out due to their sheer stupidity, but I don't see that happening. The main utility of lecture so far has been to figure out what logical fallacies the instructor is wrapped up in so I know which incorrect answer to put on the exam.

Specializes in ICU.
You must be new to nursing school if this is the first such infuriating question you've had (or you're in a better program than me). They've been par for the course so far in my class. Easily 10% of the questions on each test should be thrown out due to their sheer stupidity, but I don't see that happening. The main utility of lecture so far has been to figure out what logical fallacies the instructor is wrapped up in so I know which incorrect answer to put on the exam.

If what you've written here (specifically the conclusion you've jumped to about my history) is any indication of how you approach an exam in terms of identifying relevant information, then I would be willing to bet that you are misinterpreting that 10% of questions.

Specializes in ICU.
Some teachers don't want to admit they made a faulty test question. I thankfully have had wonderful teachers who know they wrote an off question - even a CLICKER question during the lecture - when half the class starts arguing it, lol. I tend to just take the question and work with it, whether faulty or not. If I get it wrong, I find out why and move on.

But yeah, that question is a bit... ridiculous. I would find out your classmates opinions and if they feel the same as you, move up the chain of command. There is someone higher then that teacher in that nursing faculty. In my school, we have the teachers, a lead for each year, then the whole faculty, all faculty of BOTH campuses, and then the director.... and then moves onto others in the CC faculty. But test questions never get THAT far, lol. It gets to test review and the teacher holding the review goes "I will talk to the content teacher and ask them" - like with Mental Health. We were taught one thing, and we answered one thing on the test, to find out we all failed that question because we were going off the lecture notes.... second year be crazy.

All in all - some teachers want to be right. Others see their mistakes and feel for the students. Depends on the individual and the school.

Best of luck :)

Here's what's even more scary....

Only two students (myself and one other student) even noticed that there was anything wrong with the question.

So regardless if you had the two answers correct they had to be in a certain order?!!?!? Unless it was a priority question,which sound as though it was not, that is messed up. Instructors insist that these test questions are designed to "prepare us for NCLEX" and "not to trick us" but I think that is a load of crap. I'm the type of student that excels in lab and clincials but I absolutely stink at the tests...I am barely passing. It makes me so angry because when we are on the floor everyone comes to me for everything, my instructor sends me in to deal with combative patients but there is a possibility I won't make it through because I can't decipher those stupid questions. Makes me wonder how many others' would have been excellent nurses if things were different. It makes me mad just thinking about it. But I agree, that is a stupid exam question.

We do not have any fill in the blank mutliple-choice type questions like that. I am only in first semester, so I am not sure if I will see them later on. Seems like nursing school wants to test your ability to pick out the distracter.

Specializes in Trauma SICU.

I'm so glad we've never had fill-in-the-blank questions. My teachers base all of tests off the NCLEX test plan, and knowledge level questions like this one are never on them. You're teacher is being ridiculous about the order thing. It's neither head nor tails whether thrombus or embolism is put in either blank.

Specializes in Focusing on Epidemiology.

I wonder if it was a "Let me show you that I'm running things around here" question. Due to the instructors personal need to show you that he or she was in control that's why the question had to be answered "THEIR" way. Sad to say that there are a number of petty people in the medical field. We would get more done if some people didn't have prove that My Daddy is Bigger Than Your Daddy! Brother, an old man gave me a piece of advice one time. He told me it's a case of "It's Your World and I'm Just Passing Through It"! Thus you do it her way until you get out of the class and then you do what you know is right after that. She is petty and not worth the energy. Get finished thhe class playing by her rules and once you have passed it just be thankful you're not married to her! Just joking. Try and not let it get you upset because that only gives her space in your head. Save that space for people you care about. Not a little person! Try and have a Great Christmas. Keep your mouth shut and pass the class. Then put her in your rear view mirror of life.

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