Pre-interview DDI & Math Test now required... HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

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hey all,

i graduated form nursing school two years ago and have been working in psych. i am now trying to transition to a traditional hospital job, tele. i applied to my local hospitals and finally got a call back today from the telemetry nurse manager of my first choice hospital. she informed me that prior to an interview i have to take a ddi assessment and math test.

has anyone taken this test before. i was doing some online research and read that the test is quite difficult to pass. i really want this job but am now worried that this test will stand in my way! :crying2:

any tips, advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.

DDI? What's that?

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Specializes in Med/Surgical; Critical Care; Geriatric.

Hi there!

I've worked on telemetry step-down units and ICU. I have never heard of it. What state are you in?

Rhonda

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Specializes in ICU, PICU.

I was asked to take both. The math is med-calc... easy... The DDI is a pain in the butt. This is how they screen most people out. It has 23(?) sections with different kinds of questions. Most of them are "What would you do in this situation?" Others are asking what you're like.

Ex: A patient asks for your assistance. You are busy. There are other nurses that are available to help. What do you do?

Ex: Very effective, Very ineffective, Somewhat Effective, etc- Subject: Angry patient-- Asking the patient specific reasons why patient is upset. Agreeing with the patient's complaints. Referring the patient to a more experienced nurse.

Easy enough, right? Wrong.

This pdf seems to outline the DDI a bit for nurses. http://www.ddiworld.com/DDIWorld/media/facts/nursingCareerBattery_hc_fs_ddi.pdf?ext=.pdf

ALSO, most organizations will only let you take the DDI once in a 6 month to 1 year time period. So if you are unsuccessful on it (aka: Don't get a call back for an interview), you must wait before you can take it again, thus eliminating all your chances of getting a position with that organization (and yes, I said "organization," not "facility" because these are being used for entire organizations, not just individual hospitals).

All I can say is GOOD LUCK. Be yourself, answer the questions as best as you can and DON'T overthink them, like nurses tend to do.

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hey!

thanks for you replies!! this test is freaking me out. i have been reading online web reviews from others who have taken such a test and failed :crying2:, thus not even being offered the opportunity to have an interview at that point. so now i'm attempting to locate information on test taking strategies and question examples in order to give me a better idea as to what to expect... so stressful! i'm in california and i actually interviewed with this hospital about a year ago and this was not apart of their hiring process, but some new potential applicant weeding out policy they recently implemented :(

@llhrn was the ddi basically a personality test?? and how difficult was the math?? today i have been trying to refresh my math skills and i'm not really sure what to focus on. i've been out of school for 2yrs and have not had to use any math in my current job. they actually sent me an online link today to take the math test so i assume i need to do that soon!! ugh i am sooo frustrated at this point!:confused:

thanks again for any insight you can provide.

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Specializes in ICU, PICU.

The DDI is more than just a personality test... Did you check out that link I posted? It gives you different examples of the questions asked. They're straight from the test. And the math is a med-calc. There are IV questions with drop factors, heparin with units, etc. My advice here is review all you can and use only what is relevant in the question. You get plenty of time for the math. Write out all your formulas beforehand.

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hi,

just briefly looked over the link but will definitely give it a more through once over tomorrow :) was it difficult to pass the ddi portion in your opinion once you assesed what the test would entail by going to the ddi website??

thank you sooo much!!

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I've taken a test like this twice. Some good advice given above in that you can't overthink. Also, if you try and take the test with a certain "intelligence" you will fail. The test is to see that you are a rule follower and have no ambition (not kidding). If you are applying for a staff nurse position do not answer the way a manager would. The first test of this type I took right after I graduated, I did not pass. The second time I took a test like this I did pass. I passed because I took the test pretending in my mind that I had absolutely no experience in the adult working world. If you answer like you are a nervous 16 year old applying for your first job ever, you will pass. Yes it's a dumbing down that you must do.

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Yikes, I think this is the test I'll be taking on Tuesday. Any more advice from folks who have taken one? Do they give these in person, too? I see that most people have had to take it online..

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When I originally took this test back in July I was pretty nervous. However, after taking it I can say it was not that difficult. I PASSED on the first try!! :) The first part is math and med-calc. The second set of questions were similar to the ones mentioned above. The link llhRN provided was also a great help. In addition I found tips online the suggested to answer every question with either "strongly agree" or "strongly disagree". That is how I answered all of my questions.

Good luck... I hope all goes well!

:)

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The second time I took a test like this I did pass. I passed because I took the test pretending in my mind that I had absolutely no experience in the adult working world. If you answer like you are a nervous 16 year old applying for your first job ever, you will pass. Yes it's a dumbing down that you must do.

Sorry for resurrecting a dead thread, but I'm sure there will be people in the future searching for this subject. There is some good information about the DDI in this thread, but nothing like the help that I really needed to pass this test.

The above quote IS NOT the way you should think when you take the DDI. DO NOT pick the answer that is "your gut feeling" and don't pretend like you are a nervous 16 year old. Follow these tips to pass this test. (I have failed once, passed the 2nd time)

1. Think as a perfect employee. What does the employer want you to be like? Teamplayer, conscientious, sociable, etc.

2. Answer the Strongly agree/agree/neutral/disagree/strongly disagree questions with strongly agree or strongly disagree.

There you have it. There is nothing else to it!

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I am schedule to take the nurse career battery test in a week and would like to know if it's a personality test or are there clinical questions. Besides the strongly agree/disagree type questions, how should the other questions be answered?

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