I was looking into my CC ADN applicant requirements because I will like to apply to them as a back up program if I don't get into a BSN program. And what I found a little ridiculous was the fact they only required Microbiology, A&P I&II, two communities class, stats, chem, and a humanity and fine arts as prerequisites for their program.
But that it not the problem, the problem is that even if an applicant takes all of the prerequisite classes and excells in all of them they are still required to take the compass test (College Placement Test) and it's MANDATORY. I attend a university and they don't require the compass test so you basically can take any class you want (I took Organic Chem for my first semester as a freshmen andI had no other college credit).
And what the CC's ADN program is saying that once you take the compass test that if you don't get a high enough score in reading, math, or eng you have to take the required remedial class before the start of the program. Which is damn near impossible for one because that is an extra year of school and paying thousands of dollars!
So to sum it up: If a college student took Eng 10&102 and got A's in both they may still need to take the remedial classes for the program if they don't get a good score.
Granted though, I think this is a good and bad thing because this CC has had 100% NCLEX pass rates for five years and my university has been put on academic probation because of the freshman's 2.1 GPA average. But still...it sucks I wanted to apply to it and now I can't.
A lot of nursing programs don't start until the junior year. In the Freshman and Sophomore years, students major in "pre-nursing" or have no major at all while they are taking their pre-requisite classes. At the end of the Sophomore year, they apply to be accepted into the Nursing Major, which starts in the junior year. Such schools can accept students for the Nursing Major who have done the first 2 years at the same college -- or students who took their first 2 years at another school. They are commonly called 2+2 programs -- 2 years of general education and pre-req courses + 2 years focusing on nursing.
Actually, finding a 4-year BSN program at a university that accepts people into the nursing major as freshman is become less common these days. A lot of programs make their students take a year or two of general education and pre-req's before they'll accept them into the nursing major.
I know I can pass the reading and English because I tested really high on the ACT but I know I'm not good at math at all and I never have been. The only way for me to pass math is if it taught to me, not me teaching myself. But as the PP has said, it is only a backup school so yeah their is no need to fret I guess.
So, you don't want to take the Compass test because you suck at math and you think that you will not get a good score and be required to take remedial math. Instead, you want to go directly to college math and struggle. Practically all nursing programs have dosage test requirements. You have to achieve a 90% or higher to continue in the program. I had a dosage quiz each semester. By the last semester the pass score was 100%. You need to understand college math for nursing school. There is no shortcut.
Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.
I know I can pass the reading and English because I tested really high on the ACT but I know I'm not good at math at all and I never have been. The only way for me to pass math is if it taught to me, not me teaching myself. But as the PP has said, it is only a backup school so yeah their is no need to fret I guess.
Spend a little time reviewing basic math and algebra (particularly functions) and you should pass it easily. I have always been weak at math and hadn't taken a math class in over a decade at the time I took it. I spent some time on Khan academy brushing up areas I was weak before taking the test and placed into calculus. I think with just a short amount of review you would probably be just fine.
Did you not have to take stats or college algebra? I'm confused. There are generally two college level math classes for any BSN program. But you don't want to take the basic COMPASS math placement test to see if you can multiply and divide?
Any accredited program will require at least 10% medical math on each test. It's an accreditation thing because as a nurse you must be able to accurately calculate dosages or somebody could die. It's that important.
I would suggest if you can't do math, you brush up before you enter a program.
If you have current ACT scores you don't have to take compass tests. Compass is used to access your current level if you don't have high school tests to show life ACT and SAT
Scrubs_n_sirens, MSN, RN
136 Posts
A lot of schools require placement tests and remedialization. And those are the ones with higher graduation and test pass rates.
It is what it is-- take it or leave it.