How do you round up decimal places on NCLEX?

Ingo456 · Jul 13, 2005

I just wonder how you round up decimal places for medication calculation on NCLEX...
Does the exam tell you how many decimal places they want you to round up???
for example if it is 3.25ml do you round it up to 3.3...
if it is 0.65ml or 0.65 mg, wo I have to round it up to 7.0
Please advise because I will take my NCLEX very soon...

Ok correct me if I am wrong but if its at .50 it can go either up or down if its bellow .50 your round down to the nearest decimal place and if its above .50 than you round up. I am not to sure about peds calculation. All though i havent herd anyone so far get a peds med calc. So 3.25 becomes 3.30 or 3.20 and 0.65 becomes .70 or .65

michw2 · Jul 13, 2005

I just wonder how you round up decimal places for medication calculation on NCLEX...
Does the exam tell you how many decimal places they want you to round up???
for example if it is 3.25ml do you round it up to 3.3...
if it is 0.65ml or 0.65 mg, wo I have to round it up to 7.0
Please advise because I will take my NCLEX very soon...

It tells you how before you take the test on the sample question. If I remember right it doesn't round. But .65mg would be 1.0 rounded instead of 7.0 :)

suzanne4, RN · Jul 13, 2005

They will tell you how many numbers out that they want.

If they tell you to round to the nearest tenth, then 0.67 would be rounded to 0.7.......or 0.325 would be rounded to 0.3

Same holds true for peds calculations, you round usually to the nearest tenth, nothing smaller..............

But the question will tell you what they are looking for.

KaliNurse · Jul 14, 2005

HI ATLANTA:

Remember this.........if you have a calculation question about an IV whether its cc/hr, gtts/min, or whatever.......you will round to the nearest #. For example if you do a drip calculation and your answer is 10.6 gtts/min, then your answer would be 11. If you have a calculation problem that is a PO medication given in a syringe, then you can calculate to the tenth (since there are tenths on the actual syringes). For example, if you were asked how many ccs to give orally in a syringe (ex. amoxicillin suspension) and your answer turns out to be 10.6 ccs, then your answer is 10.6 ccs because you can actually draw up to the tenths with the syringes NOT with the IV's. That's what we were taught anyway. Hope it helps. Also, I had 7 calculations on my boards and NCLEX will ask you to calculate to the nearest tenth for oral medications. That was a good question!! Best of luck to you! :)

atlanta · Jul 14, 2005

HI ATLANTA:
Also, I had 7 calculations on my boards and NCLEX will ask you to calculate to the nearest tenth for oral medications. That was a good question!! Best of luck to you! :)

Thank you.. RNmaria... That's what I was taught in school, too.

but what about 0.65 ml or 0.62ml on "IV med".... what I in school is that we don't round it because we can use smaller TB syringe for administration.

BORI-BSNRN, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2005

HI ATLANTA:
Remember this.........if you have a calculation question about an IV whether its cc/hr, gtts/min, or whatever.......you will round to the nearest #. For example if you do a drip calculation and your answer is 10.6 gtts/min, then your answer would be 11. If you have a calculation problem that is a PO medication given in a syringe, then you can calculate to the tenth (since there are tenths on the actual syringes). For example, if you were asked how many ccs to give orally in a syringe (ex. amoxicillin suspension) and your answer turns out to be 10.6 ccs, then your answer is 10.6 ccs because you can actually draw up to the tenths with the syringes NOT with the IV's. That's what we were taught anyway. Hope it helps. Also, I had 7 calculations on my boards and NCLEX will ask you to calculate to the nearest tenth for oral medications. That was a good question!! Best of luck to you! :)

:) Very good explanation RNMaria, thanx much!! I wrote it down on my Nclex-Notes. Gracias for share it with us!!! :)