Got a 58.18% on my first nursing exam (1st semester)

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I've been crying for so long that my eyes are literally bloodshot right now.

There are 4 exams in Foundations (1 exam that is comprehensive at 22% of my grade, while the other 3 are 21% of my grade), and I need a minimum of a 73% for all exams to pass.

I feel like a complete IDIOT...like I shouldn't be there...like everyone is smarter than me. Because everyone always says 1st exams are always the easiest..let alone, first semester of nursing school is usually the easiest. I'm just.. don't know what to say because I never thought that I was actually score THAT low. I went through EVERY page on every chapter and took notes. I..just..don't..know

But I am trying so hard to put this behind me, because If I don't, it's going to show in my performance for the rest of the semester. Not only would my parents see me as a huge disappoint (wouldn't be surprised if they disowned me) but this so is already so expensive..I just can't afford to fail out.. AT ALL.

Guys.. I need help.. my next exam, looking at the date will be 11/4, which is a little over a month from now. Looking at the next month it looks like we will be covering: Pharmacology, Oxygenation: Cardiovascular, Physical activity & Mobility: Musculoskeletal assessment, Neurological assessment, bowel elimination, and Nutrition: Diets. My first exam was mainly about Oxygenation, Sleep, and Vital Signs..and I just can't believe I did horrible on it. I literally feel STUPID right now.. I feel like I do not have the mental capacity to even do this.

I REALLY need help, I don't know where to start. If any of you guys could provide me ANY resources that I can use to start preparing for the next exam or any websites that you use to practice NCLEX questions, any forums that I can go on, and books that I can use, I would REALLY appreciate it.

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The first exam is hard for a lot of people because it's a new way of thinking and a new way of testing. How are you studying? Although you may be studying a lot, are you studying effectively?

I recommend you review your test with your instructor, and see if they have any suggestions. Maybe you didn't know the material well enough, or maybe you did but you have trouble applying the information critically. Get a good NCLEX book, such as Saunders Comprehensive Review Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN® Examination, 6e (Saunders Comprehensive Review for Nclex-Rn): 9781455727551: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com for the NCLEX-RN and start doing practice questions.

Also, get a NCLEX test taking strategy book, so you can learn to answer NCLEX style questions (including the dreaded select all that apply). Here's the link for a strategy book: Saunders 2014-2015 Strategies for Test Success: Passing Nursing School and the NCLEX Exam, 3e (Saunders Strategies for Success for the Nclex Examination): 9781455733194: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

If you are allowed by your instructor, try recording lectures and re-listening them and taking additional notes. YouTube is also helpful for things you don't understand.

Best of luck!

*Older editions of the books also work if you're trying to save money :)

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Specializes in Cardiac, Home Health, Primary Care.

Whoever said the 1st exam is the easiest was LYING. The 1st exam is the exam where you see what nursing school exams are like. They are unlike any exam before where there is 1 correct answer. There may be 4 correct answers but you must pick which is MOST correct.

The 1st exam is the toughest. You know what the questions are like so now you know what to focus on for the next exam.

I'd suggest doing NCLEX questions (as PP did) and studying in a GROUP. Find a few people and study together. They may point out some things that you overlook and vice versa. Maybe each of you can take a concept and teach each other because you have truly mastered material when you can teach it to one another.

DON'T get too discouraged. Take this aggravation and energy and channel it into productivity. Negativity will get you nowhere.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

Okay. You earned a poor grade. It happens to all of us. At least, it happened to me in lvn and in rn school.

I think you should first compare your grade to the class avg. was your grade the lowest in class or within the avg?

In my case, my below passing grades were indeed above the class avg, indeed, in Lvn school, I was at the top of my class with a "failing" grade. If this is your case, try not to stress.

If your grade was toward the bottom, you have some work to do.

I encourage you to take practice NCLEX qs as part of your study regime.

Also, try not to walk into your exams stressed out. Test anxiety can cause failure to happen to the most prepared students.,

HTH!

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Specializes in Medical Oncology, ER.

let go of that negative mindset you just presented to us. you're thinking so much of all the things that can go wrong IF you fail your course.

let all of that go, let go of the what if's, sit down, take a deep breath, and focus on your next exams.

Make it a priority to meet with your teacher to go over your exam, this way you can see where your thought-process went wrong, what knowledge areas you are weak, and how to better prepare for the next exam.

What kind of learner are you? audio? visual? I didn't know what kind i was until i made it into clinicals that i found i did well in group settings where we can discuss topics. Find what works for you. Good luck, remember to breathe and take it one day at a time, you will get through this.

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Protip: always allow yourself to fail your first exam. I learned early on the first exam is a benchmark for how the tests here on out will be and how you prepared for it.

I'm in second semester now and I promise you if you use this failure as an opportunity to reevaluate how you're studying, you can only improve from here!

Read the assigned chapters BEFORE lecture and use lecture to clarify anything you didn't full get is the reading. Make note of what your professor spend a lot of time on, and keywords that are repeated throughout the lecture - write them down and study them!

Nursing is all about prioritizing for your patient so it's about what is most important vs. What could be the right answer.

Good luck - look up "how to get an a in any class" on this website - it's how i've been an honor roll student throughout my studies.

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Many students in my fundamentals class failed the first exam!!! Like other replies said it's a whole new way of being tested! I had the advantage of reviewing nclex style questions over the summer. But this one student who I thought would ace the tests because she is always prepared, reads each chapter word for word and types up a study guide from each chapter, always knows the answers in class...she got a 50 something. She said "this is the first time I have ever failed anything in school and I studied my butt off!" Our lab teacher told our class that there's always "that one test" every nursing student has that he or she doesn't do so well on.

Can you give us some examples of the questions that were on your first test? We can help you figure out how to get the right answers maybe.

Like one question we had that I got wrong was this

"Which patient is at most risk for infection?"

A and B answer choices were immediately dismissable and I don't remember them even.

Then C was elderly pt with severe dehydration. D. was a post op hip replacement pt in recovery.

I chose C...it was D.

All I focused on about D was the word "recovery" so I dismissed it.

Over the summer I used the Illustrated Guide to the Nclex. I have Saunders comprehensive right now, but I haven't been using it yet honestly. I need to.

Maybe this book would help?

https://books.google.com/books/about/Fundamentals_of_Nursing_Test_Success.html?id=2uP9IGWDmacC

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