Help! Bought an online test bank not sure what to do!

mrsboots87 · May 15, 2014

The problem is only partly the actual test bank. The reason for denying the appeal is de to waiting 3 days to speak up. This makes it loom bad for the students. Had the students spoken up the day, they may or may not have been dismissed, but the fact that they came forward so soon would work in their favor. The academic dishonesty comes from waiting. Also, that site is know for being a "cheaters" website because it has educator copies of test banks. It is impossible for the faculty to know if students from previous semesters have I formed the current students that the instructor uses questions from that site. It is quite possible that the original purchaser of the test bank knew that. It is also possible he didn't. There is just no way to know. Therefore waiting 3 days to say anything does not look good. Whereas speaking up during it immediately after the test would have shown that it was completely u intentional.

seriouslyserious, LPN · May 15, 2014

i believe i read something similar to this on allnurses somewhere... the student challenged the school through litigation and the decision to boot was overturned...

anyway... i was always told to "DO QUESTIONS" ... they said in theory, you'd run into a similar question somewhere along the road. in addition, you learn through the rationales because the disease process never/minutely changes. i also know people who haven't cracked a nursing book who are now nurses because of question banking (online, books, etc...).

anyway,,, good luck

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 15, 2014

This makes me wonder, is it common for nursing instructors to utilize test banks to compose their exams? I've been seeing more and more of this happening, and it seems the best way would be to NOT use provided test banks for exams and instead create your own exams?

mrsboots87 · May 16, 2014

My first block instructors do a mix. They pull questions from both student and educator resources. But they commonly change them a bit. Like if a question wants a single answer they may change it to a SATA. Or they may use a fluff scenario question but change the lab value to make the answer different. Or instead of wanting a priority answer, they will change it to what would you NOT do. I use a few NCLEX resources and in my entire semester only came across maybe 5 questions that were verbatim from my study materials. I like it because it keeps the question style in order with NCLEX and the wording is always good, but no one has an edge if they happened to study the 'right' book or online source before a test.

As for OP, have you heard anything back yet? I'm still praying you get a second chance, or at the very least don't get an academic dishonesty attached to your transcript.

Cathylady · May 16, 2014

I think it's a shame that instructors don't do their job and make new tests as often as they give them. If old tests are being posted somewhere the remedy for that is to make new ones. Yes it's work but that's their job. No student should be penalized for using every study resource that's available.

The OP did nothing wrong.

RookieRoo · May 17, 2014

Wow am I glad I read this thread. I have never heard of test banks before this and now I know to avoid the crap outta them!

OP, I'm so sorry you had to go through all this. What an incredibly hard, costly mistake. I do hope it works out for you. :-/

springchick1, ADN, RN · Jun 11, 2014

OP, what was ever decided?

hayloftbham · Jun 17, 2014

That was definitely a dumdum idea. How did you not anticipate this happening? You paid money to access something that was not meant for you and then gave it to other people. Eeks sorry for being so judgmental, but that was not smart. Just because you were honest about admitting to using the test bank does not offset the fact that you used it in the first place. Good luck getting into any nursing school after this. Time to look for a new career.

Nurse Leigh · Jun 17, 2014

hayloftbham said:
That was definitely a dumdum idea. How did you not anticipate this happening? You paid money to access something that was not meant for you and then gave it to other people. Eeks sorry for being so judgmental, but that was not smart. Just because you were honest about admitting to using the test bank does not offset the fact that you used it in the first place. Good luck getting into any nursing school after this. Time to look for a new career.

Just to clarify, the OP did not purchase the material; a fellow student did.

newRNstudent02 · Jun 17, 2014

Using a nursing test bank was a bad idea. A nursing test bank is not a study guide. The punishment you received was more than fair. Nurses need to be ethical. Cheating is absolutely unacceptable.

Spangle Brown · Jun 17, 2014

If they all had it, then they all should have been dismissed. If the issue is because they waited, then those who did not admit it STILL haven not told, and have waited even longer. Hence, they should have been dismissed. The only thing left is that those that told the truth got kicked out and those that lied stayed in.

Unless the school stated those 'liers' reported the issue that day, then no one can use that as the reason they stayed in school. The school should have treated them all equality, and they did not.

jetsy62 · Jun 18, 2014

I am thinking this is still being fought at school or there is some kind of legal action pending and the OP has gone silent because of this. Hope we find out what happened some day because this one of those situations where an argument can be made for both sides. Personally, I think it should have been an all or nothing decision if they all in fact had a copy. You can not put a time limit on doing the right thing. Is the time limit immediately upon seeing the test, immediately after taking the test, that day, via email by midnight, within 24 hours ..... too many variables. But that is just my opinion, and as everyone knows, we all have one.