Is it HORRIBLE to get C's on a test?

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I have taken 2 tests so far in my first semester of nursing school. I've studied, but obviously not enough. I've gotten two high C's. I would have gotten a really good grade if i hadn't second guessed myself and changed a lot of my original answers that were right! I'm used to getting all A's in previous courses and all of my classmates are SO competitive! I really wanted to get at least a B in fundamentals but now i'm scared. Does anyone have any advice for studying or taking tests? Do you always go with your first choice? Is getting a B in nursing bad?

Just a word about your classmates being "competitive" as you mentioned in the OP...

I don't get that. I mean, each of you has been admitted to the program so the competition between you is OVER! You can just forget about that altogether.

Also, there is great beauty in being the one student who (thanks for asking, I'm doing fine) does NOT share her test scores when others ask. If the atmosphere is really that competitive, you can assume that your fellow students aren't asking about your grades because they are so concerned with helping you do well. Instead, they just want to confirm their (valid or invalid) hunch that they scored higher than you did. Smile, say something like, "...all's well" when they ask, "So, how did you do on the test?" and just move on to something else.

It's no one else's business what grade you earned, how you pay for your tuition, your sexual preference OR how you voted in the last election.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Depending on your school's grading scale, like mine you have to have a 75 or above to pass the course. So just because you get a C - it doesnt mean you are not good at nursing. But if you are having trouble with your exams, go to an instructor for help. It can make a difference. You dont want to be riding the line the entire semester, take the final, and then not pass. Also big no-no is changing your answer and second guessing yourself. I have learned from that one too.

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Considering that an 85% is a C in our class, I would say that it's not horribe it's the norm!

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I'm seconding what others have said about changing your answers - it's generally not a good idea!

The only two exceptions I'll make for changing an answer is if I accidentally answered "C" when I know I meant to answer "B", not that I thought it was B, but that I just accidentally penciled it in the wrong bubble. (That happens to me ridiculously often, so I always go back and check now. It helps when the professors let you mark on the actual paper test and the scantron, so I can circle the answers I want on the test, and also mark them on the scantron, and compare the two after I'm finished to make sure I didn't make any mistakes.

The other exception is, as others have said, if I notice I completely misread a question and missed a little important word or two that changes the whole meaning of the question.

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Hi

My name is Karen and I read your blog about getting a C on your test. My sister Kim has been an RN for twenty years and I asked her the very same question. I have always gotten a A's in my classes too. She told me that it would be silly to stress about getting all A's in nursing school because once you take your Registered Nursing Exam, unless you go on for further schooling, no one will ever look at your nursing school grades again. Even if you do go for more school, all you have to do is pass.

This made sense to me. I think that as long as I know all the information that I need to know in order to be a good nurse, that should be sufficient. And she is right about the part where no one will ever look at your grades. When you go to apply for a job, they don't look at your grades. All that they look for is whether you have a license or not.

For myself, I am just going to do the best that I can and try not to worry too much about what the other students are getting. Yea, nursing students are really competitive, aren't they.:confused:

Hope that we both pass everything,

Karen

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her assessment that we've been trained for 2 years in pre-reqs to memorize and regurgitate information. Now we have to apply that information in a dynamic way rather than a static / rote memorization sort of way.

I don't agree with the standard instructor line that nursing tests are harder because all of one's previous coursework was memorize and regurgitate. I've seen plenty a student take a major hit in GPA who had taken very high level coursework (well beyond memorize and regurgitate) and/or have a good deal of real-world experience involving critical thinking (it's not like 95% of jobs out there are mindless and demand no high level thinking). It seems to me that many NCLEX style questions require more in depth understanding of how to interpret and answer NCLEX style questions than understanding, application or integration of covered material.

Just my 2 cents : )

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Specializes in Case management, occupational health.

Depends, are you comfortable being a C student? Since you are used to being an A student then probably not. You can certianly pass with a C, but it will be nerve wracking for you.

76.9% in our program is an F. 77.0% is a C.

It would make me a nervous wreck to ride that close to the edge.

I have to have a cushion, but I am also a perfectionist and totally freak out when I get low B's.

Nursing school is so competitive, and unfortunately if students find out you are on that ledge of C or F, they try to push you over.

You are in your first semester, the first tests are all about getting used to how they test, that is usually a huge adjustment. Once you get used to that your scores will go up. You just have to get used to what they want, which helps you figure out how to study.

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A=RN, B=RN, C=RN.....It doesn't matter. Your thought process should be on knowing your material and passing the class. Study class notes, ppts, read your chapters, and look at NCLEX books. You should do fine. Don't panic because the panicking only leads to stressing out and that doesn't help.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I am totally jealous of some of these grading scales others have!

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First thing, my instructors say NEVER change your answers. If you are second guessing yourself, you are reading too much into the question. Nine times out of 10, you have the right answer and change it to the wrong one.

Second, I have been told, again by my instructors, that some of the BEST nurses were B and C students. So, please, don't beat yourself up...

Wednesday

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Specializes in CTICU.

Learn what type of test taker you are. I did a course once where we took a bunch, then went back to review what type of test taker we were. Were we "change from right to wrong", "Change from wrong to right", or "clumpers" (who get one wrong then a whole run of them in a row).

I am a "change right to wrong", so I try not to change unless I am sure.

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I know it is hard to get grades lower than what you're used to. I heard some students at my school saying recently "C's get degrees". I suppose it is true, but I'd rather get better than Cs if possible! Ha ha... I too am a victim of the change my answer when I shouldn't have thing. In fact, my clinical instructor last semester gave me the instruction to hear her in the back of my mind when I wanted to change an answer asking "WHY am I changing this answer? Does it really make SENSE to change the answer?" and not just change the answer because I'm second-guessing myself. Most of the time, our first instinct, our first answer is the correct one.

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