So I applied to CSULA and didn't get in. I understand that they have standardized tests like the SAT and TEAS or GED. They "need" them because they wouldn't be able to differentiate the gpa from one school to another school. Okay I get that, whatever.
I take the TEAS and I get a 76%. I'll admit, I'm horrible at English. But my gpa was close to a 4.0. A in Anatomy, Physio, Micro, Stats, Chem. The only "B" that I have gotten were in some random history class or something. My friend on the other hand had straight B's and C's in her science classes and she scored higher on the TEAS and got into the nursing program.
SHE GOES TO THE SAME SCHOOL AS ME. Like, WHAT?!
Oh and btw, she didn't even VOLUNTEER. I volunteered over 150 hours. So the TEAS test which tests you on a couple of science questions, 2+2, grammar, and reading counts more than hours upon hours upon hours of studying, labs, and lecture/lab exams in a 16 week class? I just can't grasp my mind around this. How could they weigh so much on the TEAS to determine whether or not you will succeed in nursing school?
Am I going to be taking a reading test and math test at the end of each nursing class that I take? How in the world does the TEAS tell you that I am less qualified? Am I giving grammar lessons to patients that come in? Am I teaching them math? Am I there to take care of them with my knowledge of medicine or teaching them basic Algebra? I just don't understand how they could put so much weight on a single test. Two years, I tried so so hard to keep my 4.0 for TWO years and this test stomps on my dreams. It boggles my mind.
"Am I going to be taking a reading test and math test at the end of each nursing class that I take? "
Yes, at the beginning of the semester for every clinical class we had a dosage calculation quiz that required a 90% to continue in the class. As for the grammar, yes, you will be writing numerous papers that require you to use proper grammar.
It is time to stop being self-righteous that you have a 4.0 and you deserve to be in nursing school over a "B" student who did better on a test that a 4.0 student should have excelled at. I have seen plenty students that had 4.0 in high school and pre-reqs crash and burn in nursing school because they felt that the teacher didn't teach them everything that was on the test (that is why you have a book) or that nursing school test questions are unfair because don't have one right answer and 3 wrong answers, they require prioritization or application of knowledge from earlier in the semester or last semester or two semesters ago.
Will grammar and the ability to write clearly and concisely protect you against lawsuits? Will it protect your patients as your documentation is permanent communication that the next shift(s) may rely upon to deliver safe, consistent care?
Will the ability to solve basic mathematic equations--such as algebra--ensure that your patients get the right dosages of medication the correct number of hours apart or the right rate programmed into their IV pump?
This is pretty basic stuff here. You need to think beyond the components of the test and into how those respective areas of study fit into your practice. An essential part of being a nurse is critical thinking. I'd suggest you reevaluate yourself, study up, lose the self-righteous indignation, and try again.
To be perfectly honest, I think there is some over exaggeration in this post. For one there's no way you have a 4.0 with a B and for two, csula weighs heavily on three things: pre req gpa, teas, and volunteering/ health experience. There's no way even with a perfect teas score that she was able to get in with Cs in pre reqs and no experience
Grammar, spelling and math are ESSENTIAL skills in nursing school and beyond. You will write more papers than you can fathom right now. You will also be writing in LEGAL DOCUMENTS, documenting care that you provide, and I can assure you that grammar and spelling count. BTW, we do laugh at nurses and doctors who lack these skills when we see errors in the chart.
Your patients will rely on your ability to do basic algebra when their lives count on it.
Maybe it's time to look at yourself (and perhaps your college education if you're lacking these skills and have a 4.0) and work on YOUR skills and knowledge, instead of blaming others, which I can assure you WILL NOT fly in nursing.
Our program requires us to get a 90% or better each semester on med math or we fail the entire program. There's a reason why they weigh the TEAS heavily.
Instead of complaining that nursing schools are "stupid", take an honest look at your performance on the TEAS. Fix what you struggled with and reapply.
Or, keep complaining about how "stupid" nursing school is and get nowhere. The choice is yours.
Sure... Nursing school is "stupid" for not letting you in, OP. Nursing schools typically look at your Prerequisite GPA, your TEAS scores, and sometimes other factors as well. They often assign a certain number of points based on those scores and other criteria. Once you pass a certain points level, they consider you a qualified applicant. Then, just to make things just so much more unfair to you, OP, they often pick randomly from the pool of qualified applicants.
You apparently have applied only once to the school you wanted to go to. Your friend got picked and you didn't. Guess what? I applied 15 times to 2 programs (the only ones that were reasonably available to me at the time) over 4 consecutive years and I was rejected 13 of those 15 times. I was a qualified applicant every time I applied. Clearly they were discriminating against me because I'm male, I had a near 4.0 GPA in my post-grad studies to refresh my prerequisites that were 15 years old at the time (I was qualified even without the refreshed prereqs), and I scored extremely well on the TEAS. Why was I not picked so many times? I was competing against about 1100 other qualified applicants for about 60 seats every semester that I applied. Fortunately the programs increased the weight applied to my application every time I applied consecutively to the program so I had a greater and greater chance of being chosen.
My entire class was composed of people that had applied between 3 and 8 consecutive semesters before they were chosen.
Every test I've taken has at least 4 or 5 math questions on it. In our peds rotation, if you can't pass the dosage calculation homework with 100% you DO NOT get to pass meds. In clinical, if you can't correctly calculate med dosages you'll get an unsatisfactory for the day. We have a paper to write in every single class. Some instructors like for us to practice paper charting so we know how to do it "old school" if there is ever a need. So, YES -- you need math and grammar skills in nursing school.
To be perfectly honest, I think there is some over exaggeration in this post. For one there's no way you have a 4.0 with a B and for two, csula weighs heavily on three things: pre req gpa, teas, and volunteering/ health experience. There's no way even with a perfect teas score that she was able to get in with Cs in pre reqs and no experience
May I point out that the OP wrote a post in October stating that she has a B in microbiology and a cumulative GPA of 3.67. So yeah, you're 100% right about the exaggeration. A 3.67 DOES NOT equal a 4.0 (and is honestly actually quite far from a 4.0.) And a B in a science class absolutely doesn't equal a 4.0 in the sciences either.
OP- If you're expecting sympathy from people, don't post things that will ultimately hurt your credibility and rub everyone the wrong way. I understand you're angry for not getting accepted, but that attitude will not get you very far in nursing.
I'm having a hard time understanding how you could have a 4.0 with your own statement that you earned multiple Bs.
So the TEAS test which tests you on a couple of science questions, 2+2, grammar, and reading counts more than hours upon hours upon hours of studying, labs, and lecture/lab exams in a 16 week class? I just can't grasp my mind around this. How could they weigh so much on the TEAS to determine whether or not you will succeed in nursing school? Am I going to be taking a reading test and math test at the end of each nursing class that I take? How in the world does the TEAS tell you that I am less qualified? Am I giving grammar lessons to patients that come in? Am I teaching them math? Am I there to take care of them with my knowledge of medicine or teaching them basic Algebra? I just don't understand how they could put so much weight on a single test. Two years, I tried so so hard to keep my 4.0 for TWO years and this test stomps on my dreams. It boggles my mind.
Well, to be perfectly honest, if the TEAS is as basic as you describe [2+2, grammar and reading] and you can't meet the school's minimum standards there, you are unlikely to succeed in their nursing program. I never took TEAS as I entered nursing school directly from High School and the only standardized tests I took were the SAT and the SAT-2 so I don't actually know what it entails but since it is the Test of Essential Academic Skills, if you don't meet the school's standards they have judged you as not having the academic skills essential to matriculate there. Not stupid. Sorry.
The school doesn't care how many hours you spent studying and, no, they doesn't carry any weight into their admission decisions. You WILL take a math test at the beginning of every class/clinical and with every job where you will be responsible for medication administration. If you fail the math tests, you will not be able to continue on in the program. Math will also be on tests that you will take in every course throughout nursing school. Reading comprehension and grammar are also essential to success in nursing school and in the nursing profession. As SoldierNurse says, your charting is extremely important. If you get called into court and your charting is full of grammar errors or is incomprehensible, how do you think that will reflect on you as a witness? If you can't give report to the next shift, how will that affect patient care?
I suggest you spend some more hours studying and try again. Calling the schools stupid because you didn't' get what you want is rather childish.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Many colleges and universities are heavily weighing the results of pre-entrance nursing exams such as the TEAS, HESI and NET due to grade inflation. Yes, I said grade inflation.
Numerous students have earned notable grade point averages in their prerequisite courses (3.5 to 4.0), yet some of these people are unable to comprehend a passage from a literary work, solve an intermediate level algebraic problem, or write an essay that clearly captures one's thoughts using the written word.
How can someone fail out of nursing school if he/she earned a 4.0 grade point average in the prerequisite courses and a 3.9 overall? It happens all the time. It happens more often than we want to admit.
Due to grade inflation, an excellent grade point average does not always capture the applicant's fund of knowledge. So to assess what the student really knows, nursing programs are depending on pre-entrance exams. For this reason the NET, HESI and TEAS are not going away anytime soon.
Many colleges and universities are heavily weighing the results of pre-entrance nursing exams such as the TEAS, HESI and NET due to grade inflation. Yes, I said grade inflation.
Numerous students have earned notable grade point averages in their prerequisite courses (3.5 to 4.0), yet some of these people are unable to comprehend a passage from a literary work, solve an intermediate level algebraic problem, or write an essay that clearly captures one's thoughts using the written word.
How can someone fail out of nursing school if he/she earned a 4.0 grade point average in the prerequisite courses and a 3.9 overall? It happens all the time. It happens more often than we want to admit.
Due to grade inflation, an excellent grade point average does not always capture the applicant's fund of knowledge. So to assess what the student really knows, nursing programs are depending on pre-entrance exams. For this reason the NET, HESI and TEAS are not going away anytime soon.
THANK YOU for addressing this. The poor English skills of some applicants is mind-boggling. I believe this is part of the reason my program required an essay with the application. I am amazed at what colleges produce now with regards to the writing skills of graduates. My exit essay from my university was actually on this exact topic, for which I am thankful, as it was VERY easy for me to write a persuasive essay on something about which I feel SO passionate. It seems like grade inflation is getting worse and worse with some professors. I know that I was HANDED my C in chemistry, and I was seriously shocked. I was certain I'd have to repeat the course (this was about 10 years ago, and my grades have significantly improved since then). As someone who works hard to get the grades I do now, it's frustrating to think of someone "earning" the same grade I am courtesy of grade inflation.
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NICU Guy, BSN, RN
4,161 Posts
"Am I going to be taking a reading test and math test at the end of each nursing class that I take? "
Yes, at the beginning of the semester for every clinical class we had a dosage calculation quiz that required a 90% to continue in the class. As for the grammar, yes, you will be writing numerous papers that require you to use proper grammar.
It is time to stop being self-righteous that you have a 4.0 and you deserve to be in nursing school over a "B" student who did better on a test that a 4.0 student should have excelled at. I have seen plenty students that had 4.0 in high school and pre-reqs crash and burn in nursing school because they felt that the teacher didn't teach them everything that was on the test (that is why you have a book) or that nursing school test questions are unfair because don't have one right answer and 3 wrong answers, they require prioritization or application of knowledge from earlier in the semester or last semester or two semesters ago.