Is this okay? Exam score

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 10, 2011

Congratulations! You have hit an important milestone in the process of growing up and becoming an adult. You have discovered that you are not the perfect student ... God's gift to the world ... destined to win a Nobel Prize before you are 25 years old.
You have imperfections just like everyone else. Success will not always come easy. Sometimes, life and work are hard.
The grade is good enough for now. Nothing terrible will happen because of it. I can understand your disapointment, but you need to learn from it and move on.
What are you learning from the experience? That's the important thing.

I know I am imperfect but when you try so hard to obtain a goal and you don't reach it, it can be very frustrating, ykwim? I realize that the score is not bad but for all the hard work I put into studying, I feel like I should have done better. I guess you could say I am venting.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 10, 2011

Believe me, I understand your frustration! The program at my school is known for being one of the most difficult programs in the area. That being said, I usually score pretty good on my tests and I spend most of my free time studying - I'm a mom and a wife and I work so I have lots to balance. I'm in the RN program and when we took our F&E test, I got a 96%! However, when we took our Renal/Urinary test, the class average was a 73% and I only got an 82%, even though I studied nonstop. Also, in our program, we don't have B+ or B-; we just have A's, B's, and C's and getting anything below an 80 is considered failing. Needless to say, I was really disappointed in myself. However, I felt like I should be happy that I at least passed, because I had the highest score in the class and only 6 of 25 passed the test.
So yeah, You have the right to be disappointed in yourself and frustrated but also know that you're lucky to be above the average. That's how it is in nursing school - sometimes you work so hard to achieve something and you may fall short. Nursing school is difficult and many students are lucky to even PASS. Our class started out with around 100 students LPN year and now we only have 80. I'm sure by the end of this year we'll be down to 70 or less. Some people just can't handle the stress. Some people refuse to study more and end up failing. Some people get burnt out and drop out. Just keep trying your hardest. Try different study techniques.
Also, if your school uses NCLEX type questions on the tests, by a Kaplan NCLEX study book. Kaplan may not be the nest school, but their NCLEX books are AWESOME. They tell you how to break down the questions and figure out the answers, even if you're not sure what the answers are. It teaches you how to deal with those pesky "select all that apply" questions. It's worth every penny.

Thank you. I am not a mom or a wife, so I cannot imagine how hard it is for you to juggle nursing school as well. As for kaplan, all students were required to purchase their book. And wow! How high is your program's fail rate? That is a lot of students.

Lifeofanurse · Oct 10, 2011

C = Nurse.

Not saying you shouldn't strive for better than a C....but to be bummed about an 87.5 and it's only your first test...and it's on a rather less complex subject than those to come? ... Chill. Your gonna be fine but don't be get all wound up over ONE grade.

futurenurseya33 · Oct 11, 2011

I just escaped a brutal test with an 83 and cannot be more thrilled....be very happy!

dee78 · Oct 11, 2011

I completely understand. I made mostly As in LPN school. Last semester my average was 86, that was me studying all the time. So this semester I have given myself a break, I don't beat myself up and I have made an 85 on both tests so far...well above class average. I will definately take it.