How to bounce back after failing a nursing test?

puravidaLV · Nov 28, 2010

some of the best materials are given in the book. look at the websites, study guides provided for that book by the publisher, and when all else fails...GO SEE WHY YOU DID BAD ON THE TEST.

Professors love when students go and see what they did wrong. Plus how are you going to know what you did wrong if you don't go spend the time to inspect the outcome. Its worth it in most cases to ask the professor to go through what you got wrong, your reasoning, and what you should have pulled out from what the question was asking.

Oh...and just because you got into medical school sure as **** doesn't mean you would have made it through...food for thought.

MissRnToYou · Nov 28, 2010

Excellent food for thought. However, I was passing Medical School with no problem, but as I stated, a life changing tragedy made me withdraw. Our tests were handed to back to us and I understood why I got them wrong. My problem stems from my critical thinking. That surface area of my brain hasn't been tapped in ages until now! I would like some suggestions on how to expand and perfect those skills. Thanks.

perseveRaNce23 · Nov 28, 2010

I'm no expert here, but what I've found has helped me the most is to get a good grasp on understanding the NCELX style questions. They require you to critically think because they ask questions in the most roundabout way. They'll include random statements, and a lot of information that has nothing to do with the answer. The trick seems to be decoding all the excess nonsense and figuring out the one or two words in the question that will direct you towards the answer. The Kapplan NCLEX book has a whole section on how to interpret the questions.

I've also found that it's equally important to understand how to apply the knowledge you've learned. Memorizing is no longer the goal, you have to be able to apply the information to the patient(s) in the question. Oh, and never assume. Only go off of what the question tells you, don't associate it with a patient you may have had in clinicals or your own scenario. The only information you have about the patient is what was given to you in the question.

Best of luck!

MissRnToYou · Nov 28, 2010

Thanks so much Reast2WestN! I feel so under-prepared because I haven't purchased any NCLEX books at all and again I assumed that Nursing school wouldn't be that hard to figure out. So far I have added Kaplan, Saunders, and Lippincott NCLEX study guides to my christmas list!

canigraduate · Nov 28, 2010

There is a book called Fundamentals Success that will help you learn how to take nursing school tests. It helped me pass my first semester.

Other things that helped me pass: making flashcards for vocabulary, reading books from the Incredibly Easy! series, and believing the instructors when they tell you what and how to study. If they say, "Look at the Nursing Considerations section", then read, re-read, and outline the Nursing Considerations section. Or if they repeat a reference to a table in your text, memorize it.

And, especially, practice NCLEX-style questions as much as you can. There's a program called NCLEX 4000 that you can get for your computer (Windows only) that is EXTREMELY helpful.

Good luck!

JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 28, 2010

I'll second the recommend on the Kaplan NCLEX study guide. It really does help to know how to read the questions to understand the emphasis on a particular word or scenario. I'm having some mediocre results but they are above average mediocre : ) A lot of people really struggle and even flunk tests. Even the brainy ones are hoping for the B grade.