group tests in nursing school ***??

[br107]

local school does majority (not all) of exams as group tests. the students break up into groups and the members of the groups work together on the test. if this isn't common in nursing school, i don't think i will go there. so how common is this?

[mysterious_one, ASN, RN]

never heard of that, how can that prepare you for NCLEX, or critical thinking? Is this for your prereqs maybe?

[AnnaN5]

For our fundamentals nursing class we took group tests but we did them after everyone took their individual exam. We all take our individual exam then hand those in, then we break into small groups and retake the same exam so we can discuss the reasons why we chose a certain answer. If as a group you get above a 90% on the group exam you get 1 point added to your individual grade.

[puggymae]

Our school does the same as the above poster - students are not allowed to choose their groups - they are picked by the faculty.

[sshannon]

Never heard of such a thing. We definitely don't do anything like that in the ADN program I'm in.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i had an instructor who allowed her classes to work on her tests in groups but each student turned in an individual scantron sheet. her explanation was interesting. she said that, in general, the students get a higher grade than they normally would. students who don't study are pulled along with every one else. she was known for doing this with exams and after a while i think that people took her class knowing she tested like this. last semester after the first test, the exam score was very low--it seemed like no one had bothered to study! so, she converted to take home tests. the students had the choice of discussing the questions among themselves outside of class if they wanted.

it's probably not a bad situation to test under. if, however, you work as a group and the group has to turn in one answer sheet then a lot depends on how well the group gets along. and, how do you deal with conflicting views? it is well-known by educators and memory experts that we learn and retain more when it is spoke out. therefore, you are going to see more and more group work emphasized much to the chagrin of many who aren't very outgoing.

i went to a nursing school where we could take our tests any time we wanted. to head off any cheating, there were several "forms" of each test, each with different questions, so you could tell your buddies what was on a test you might have taken before them, but it didn't necessarily mean that they were going to get a test with the same questions. every single one of us passed the state board exam on our first try! we didn't have nclex in those days.

the thing is this and it is an important concept that all students have to understand: a school is going to give you some sort of letter grade because it has to. it's the traditional way of evaluation. grades are very subjective. getting a license to practice nursing, however, is granted by the state you live in after you pass the nclex. the grades you make in school have very little correlation to whether or not you are going to pass the nclex although most schools really endeavor to try to show a relationship between these two. what determines that you pass the nclex is if you learned the nursing concepts in nursing school, understand the way the questions are written and expected to be answered on the nclex and that your nursing program covered the nursing information the nclex tests you on. passing the nclex only demonstrates that as far as the nsbns, the people who write the nclex, and your state board of nursing is concerned you learned the minimum amount of nursing theory that will make you safe enough to practice. unlike the hundreds of nursing schools in the world, the people who write the one nclex exam spend hours and hours striving to make it as objective a test as they can. you cannot say that about the exams you are taking in your individual nursing schools.

so, this poses the question: do you want to learn where educators are kind to you and stimulate your learning experiences without the added stress of proving yourself on graded tests, or do you want to learn where there is always a degree of fear to have to earn a passing grade on a exams?

if you want my opinion, i'd be going to the local school that does group tests as long as you can work as a group but turn in individual answer sheets. it's obvious to me that they are trying to take some of the stress of the formality of testing off the student's shoulders. sounds like a progressive group of teachers to me that is more concerned that their students are learning and being mentally comfortable. there's no need to be a sadist about school. it's always going to be up to the individual to do the studying and learning to be able to pass the nclex anyway.

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

Our school does the same as the above poster - students are not allowed to choose their groups - they are picked by the faculty.

Ditto for my ADN program....we each take the test individually, then they break us in to groups of 3 or so to "retake" the exam. If the group scores over a certain percentage, then each of us in the group gets an extra point for that test. The groups change for each test.

The group thing can be a bit exasperating if you end up with someone who's always got the right point-of-view (in their opinion), particularly if you're handing in one scantron for the group. Otherwise, it can help if you realize you had a wrong answer or weren't sure of an answer and the others can help explain a rationale.

I think I'd ask around about this school and its reputation in your community. Have you checked the state's board of nursing to see what their passing rate is on the NCLEX? I think there are several things to take in to account before you totally discount this experience.

Best wishes!!

[mysterious_one, ASN, RN]

Remember, you all took the group test after you already have taken the test individually. I would not want to argue with someones opinion the first time I would have to take a test in a group and my grade depends on that. Once my grade is settled, and I may or may not get an extra point, sure why not. Anyways, I can see it comming.... people that don't want to study, just getting by....., no thanks.

[elisabeth]

I think I would check your state's BRN website and see what the pass rate is for that school.

The California BRN site has a list of all accredited programs and what the pass rates are for those programs for the past few years...

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I had taken group tests in the first semester of nursing and had group projects all throughout the program. I actually hated it, but, it did allow those that were not that strong in test taking have a chance to get out. What I hated about the group projects is that there were always the ones that got away with murder because they didn't contribute, yet, earned the same grade as those that did the most. I used to get the jest of what they wanted from the group project that semester and from there, I would do it within the first two weeks and let the rest of them argue. I had made more time to focus on the material that may appear on NCLEX.

[NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN]

I would not want to go to nursing school that did group tests. How can you learn to critically think as a nurse, if you have help from other students during the exams. And everyone would be earning the same grade in that group. That is not fair to those students that put in the most effort. And what about the NCLEX? Group tests do not prepare you for that at all. Just my opinion.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I would not want to go to nursing school that did group tests. How can you learn to critically think as a nurse, if you have help from other students during the exams. And everyone would be earning the same grade in that group. That is not fair to those students that put in the most effort. And what about the NCLEX? Group tests do not prepare you for that at all. Just my opinion.

I can understand that. Under normal circumstances, I would not have bothered, either, but the school that I attended was the first LPN class they had, it was not mentioned until we received our syllabus and basically, by then, I had decided to go for it....I already invested too much time taking pre-requisites to blow the program, now. We had the group exams in the first semester...the rest of them had one major group project that was worth even more than the individual exams, unfortunately. I felt the same way, that it would be difficult to think critically, and the same grade thing for little effort...but, I will say that most of the people in our class did, in fact, pass NCLEX the first time. Would I advocate for group projects? NO WAY. But would that make me not attend a school...not really. Most of the studying still has to be an individual effort, and I would never let the group projects get in the way of my individual study. I used to do my portion of the group project early (within the first two weeks of the semester), make adjustments as needed then, move on to my own study. Let the rest of them argue...it wasn't worth it to me.