How important is ATI???

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I have a Pharmacology ATI test tomorrow and am lacking ambition to actually study for it. It is worth 20 points at a Level 1, 17 for Level 2, and 15 at a Level 3, if we don't pass it we take it again, if we still don't pass it we get a 0. I'm just not concerned about 20 points I guess, I have heard that ATI is useless when it comes to NCLEX and if I don't have to pass it to pass the class, ugh, I would rather study the content that I need for upcoming tests that DO matter. Not that Pharma isn't important, because I do know it is, it's just ATI in general. Anyone have an opinion on ATI?

I agree about the ATI text book. It was my bible this semester and I did pretty well with it.

I am an RN (yay!). Graduated this past December, passed NCLEX in Jan and did well on it.

I studied ATI and took the Kaplan course. I used Saunders a lot through school to study for exams. The ATI course books were helpful as well in narrowing down all that massive info prior to the exam into what the key bullet points were.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Wow thats weird, so you get less points the better you do? I'm surprised ours is worth 50-100 points depending on the course. Usually 50!

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

No, a level 3 is the highest and it's worth 20, level 2 woth 17, and level 1 worth 15

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Trandazzo, they supposedly tell a lot. I know the pharm one is a beast, so I would study. I take the comprehensive one soon.

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I took ATI pharmacology exam today, we had 65 questions and since my entire class was completely overwhelmed, most of us worked the weekend, and we took a cardiac exam 4 days ago, we all did pretty good, i will say that i think most us only had time to take the assessment questions provided on the ATI website and we did okay, our school uses a conversion chart and give us an actual grade we also took the nutrition one today it also was 65 questions, i did better on nutrition but managed to pull B on both. good luck

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Specializes in Near Future: ED, Future Future: ACNP!.

We don't pass the class if we don't get a level 2.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
No, a level 3 is the highest and it's worth 20, level 2 woth 17, and level 1 worth 15

I know level 3 is the highest I was confused by your first post.

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

I am so glad our school doesnt put that much emphasis on it!My first post was incorrect, I stated that in a previous post, just clearing it up that we don't get fewer points for dong better.

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

Thanks Thawk28!

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Throughout our program ATI was de-emphasized...no big deal....

But at the end, if we dont score at a certain level on the ATI Comprehensive Test we dont get a sit pass for the boards...

BIG DEAL

My best advice, use ATI throught out school, do the practice tests and then generate focused reviews and use those to study. This will help you on nursing school exams, ATI Nclex Predictor AND the NCLEX itself.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Out of all the NCLEX study prep guides, I think ATI is the easiest to manage because all the info is in bullet points or in boxes. The other study guides aren't as well organized, IMO. I still pick up my ATI books every once in a while to to find s/s of toxicity with certain meds and acute conditions.

That said, although ATI is de-emphasized in your program point-wise, reading through the book can help you with learning. You can pass a test, but have you learned anything? (General "you"; not "you" in particular.)

Because nursing school is so time-intensive and tests are coming at you every other day it seems, so many people focus on knowing just enough to pass a test, but a week later, how much has been retained? Maybe I spent too much time studying, idk, but I was more concerned with learning, and passing the test came as a natural result of that.

BTW, I'm surprised there are nursing programs out there that don't have a basic pharmacology course. Learning on the fly with meds your patient has isn't the same as concentrated learning of broad classes, being able to recognize the meds within those classes, knowing how they work, the common conditions they are prescribed for, and when they shouldn't be administered. How do you acquire that knowledge base if a school depends only on a student researching the meds an assigned patient is prescribed?

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

That test sucked soooo bad, I got a level one and was floored as to how I pulled it off, I literally knew the answer to 3 questions and guessed on the rest. The drugs on this test I had never heard of, drugs aren't foriegn in our program and we go over drugs related to the body systems we are working on, but I knew about 2 or 3 of them and that was it. If this so closely mirrors the NCLEX, then why in the world don't schools put more emphasis on it. It seems like it would be a great tool if utilized correctly. Many in my class didn't pass and have to retake it, I feel for them because I thought halfway through that there was no way I was passing it!

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