Level 1 student; help me out if you can

[tarotale]

I realized that nursing tests aren't really about what you know, but how you take the test. I know b/c last semester I would memorize over and over and read chapters again and again but still fail a test b/c the nursing test questions are... well, we all know.. DIFFERENT.

I mean I would learn and read about prioritizing, but the question was asking the priority between cleaning a food tray from patient's floor or removing an equipment from a hallway or attending a lady patient who is crying. Answer was food tray and made me think "God D*** this is freaking ridiculous". So here I am re-taking Competencies only, thank God. But I can only tell that it's not what we learn from notes or lecture, but really figuring out how to answer the questions correctly; b/c we know that those nursing tests are mostly absurd and do not make sense. The only way to pass or make an A is to know how to answer the questions and know what the professors are asking.

So it is concluded that I must get my hands on a book that contains bunch of practical test questions that I can solve and practice on. I already have an NCLEX exam book from amazon.com, and this thing doesn't have all that much. Just bunch of text, text, text and very few questions to solve. I need a book, possibly that has all its pages filled with questions. If that's not an option, I heard there's an phone app that have NCLEX questions to solve. Just let me know whatever please!!! Thanks in advance.

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

You'll want an NCLEX study guide that includes the rationale for your answer. I suppose the food tray question was trying to emphasize safety. If the patient or someone visiting slips and falls on the gravy from tonight's meatloaf, well, your bad.

I have the Davis and Kaplan guides. I find the Davis guide a little more helpful because it gives rationales for ALL of the questions. It may be a little more info than you actually need right now but it will get you in the correct thinking mode for answering your test questions.

[NCRNMDM, ASN, RN]

I totally disagree with you. Tests in nursing school are very much about what you know, but also about how well you critically think and apply the information that you know. Simply trying to learn how you think a question should be answered isn't going to get you far in school, and it won't get you anywhere in the real world of nursing. The tests are set up to simulate real life as much as possible, and they require you to think critically. That's why simply memorizing information isn't going to help you. You need to know how to answer the why and how questions rather than simply regurgitating facts on the test. For instance, your patient has hyperpyrexia, what is your priority intervention? Sure, you need to know what constitutes hyperpyrexia, but you also need to know the pathophysiology behind it and what you do to treat it. In this instance you would want to administer antipyretics, notify the physician, and begin trying to cool the patient. In your example you talked about clearing a tray from the patient's floor, and I can see how this would be correct. If the tray is literally on the floor in the patient room and the patient gets up to use the restroom, to move to the chair, or to do anything, there is a chance that they could trip over the tray and fall. Therefore, the tray is a safety hazard, it increases the risk of falls, and it needs to be moved. Also, if you have a psych patient, they could possibly find something on the tray with which to harm themselves, you, other staff, or patients. I do feel that it would help you to buy an NCLEX-RN review book, but until you learn to critically think and apply all the material you've studied even that won't do you any good.

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

I totally agree with you mattmrn. I don't believe you can get through a nursing program without critical thinking skills. Being able to understand test questions is yet another level of critical thinking, you won't get the questions unless you are a critical thinker.

[tarotale]

I totally disagree with you. Tests in nursing school are very much about what you know, but also about how well you critically think and apply the information that you know. Simply trying to learn how you think a question should be answered isn't going to get you far in school, and it won't get you anywhere in the real world of nursing. The tests are set up to simulate real life as much as possible, and they require you to think critically. That's why simply memorizing information isn't going to help you. You need to know how to answer the why and how questions rather than simply regurgitating facts on the test. For instance, your patient has hyperpyrexia, what is your priority intervention? Sure, you need to know what constitutes hyperpyrexia, but you also need to know the pathophysiology behind it and what you do to treat it. In this instance you would want to administer antipyretics, notify the physician, and begin trying to cool the patient. In your example you talked about clearing a tray from the patient's floor, and I can see how this would be correct. If the tray is literally on the floor in the patient room and the patient gets up to use the restroom, to move to the chair, or to do anything, there is a chance that they could trip over the tray and fall. Therefore, the tray is a safety hazard, it increases the risk of falls, and it needs to be moved. Also, if you have a psych patient, they could possibly find something on the tray with which to harm themselves, you, other staff, or patients. I do feel that it would help you to buy an NCLEX-RN review book, but until you learn to critically think and apply all the material you've studied even that won't do you any good.

i know where you are coming from, b/c that's what i thought before too. but my opinion of what i wrote strictly came from many professors who are big members of STT and with most with PhD, so I do not doubt their wisdom. I know what you mean, but still I am sure I am right about this b/c part of what you have stated in your own statement is basically what i said; I do agree that we need to study the materials extensively, yes, but that alone is not enough to constitute a high score on test. even when you look into nclex books or nursing test strategy books, they highly highly stress on the points of how to take nursing test, b/c that so crucial in getting a good score on tests; for example, it is taught that words like "generally, normally" are most often more right than answers with "never". also observing 4 multiple options, sometimes you may eliminate wrong answers simply by finding out options that are similar with each other. i know plenty of smart smart fellas in pre-req and they totally screw up in tests just b/c they don't understand how the test is and what to answer. i assure you, i am doing a lot better now that i understand how the questions are asked and what the professors are asking. that's why i want to find resources with many questions so i solve as many of them and see the general trend and style of how questions are asked and answered. i don't think my opinion will change on this, and if yours work on you, it's just fine that way too. but you can't be a nurse unless you pass nursing school, all its tests and board exam. no matter how much you know, if you can't pass a test, then i see that as someone has mixed up his/her priorities in lot of his/her methods.

[dmw2489]

questions are different and no take time to get used to what they are REALLY asking for, is it assessment or implementation, remember safety is always a priority, books i would suggest would be:

Fundamentals - reviews and rationals by mary ann hogan

fundamentals success - i dont have the author but they also make a book named Test success by Nugent

i had gotten both and they helped tremendously, i passed my fundamentals with a 96%

If you need the isbn numbers i can give them to you i just dont have them right in front of me, but i would say get all 3 if you can the fundamentals reviews and rationals, fundamentals success, & test success- you can buy them used through amazon also if they are to expensive. but search for these and if you come up with no luck just post back and i can give you the isbns :) good luck!