Slap in the face

[natrgrrl]

I got my first two test scores back this week. On the first test, there were no As and I got an 86 which is the lowest B. Then after two scary days of clinicals I got the grade for my second test, 74. That's not even passing!

I knew that material inside and out. Where in the world did her test questions come from???

I feel so inadequate. If I can't figure out most of the test questions and I can't figure out what to do in clinical, should I be in this program? Am I wasting my precious time? I study at least 2 hours every day and have study group on Saturday. Then I review for 8 hours on Sunday for our tests--we have 2 or 3 tests every Monday.

I don't really want to quit but I am really down right now. I've never been in a situation where I tried so hard and succeeded so little.

Any have any advice to spin my bad week into a learning experience?

[deeDawntee, RN]

Please don't let this stop you from becoming a nurse. NCLEX style questions are a pain in the behind and different from any other testing you have ever had. It doesn't mean anything about your qualifications for being a nurse whatsoever!! I know you feel bad, but use that energy to find out what you need to know. Also, DEFINITELY make that appointment with your instructor. Often, instructors would give a student a point on an exam if she/he could argue intelligently why she picked a different answer. Stay engaged and involved. Be that open book and let yourself be taught. Any negativity or discouragement you feel and show will only work against you. This is a different world. Show your commitment and willingness to learn and you will understand what NCLEX is looking for....

hang in there ;)

[KEL2BanRN]

(((HUGS))) Nursing school really rocks our self-eteem, huh?

I have learned more through the bad experiences than the good one. Hard way to learn, but true. Maybe you need to change the way you study? Or maybe you need to just study more NCLEX questions--thats what has helped me. I do study group, note cards and NCLEX review books. Lowest grade in whole program was an 84% a few semesters back (had the same kind of thing happen to me so I changed how I studied). I consistently get 90% and up on everything now. I also study the morning BEFORE the exam-get up really early and go through all my notecards.

Best wishes! :monkeydance:

What do you put on your notecards? I lived by my notecards in pre-req's but I, too, am finding it difficult to know how to study for the critical thinking questions. How are you incorporating notecards into your studying?

[suanna]

I used to rant and rave about how nursing educators were incapable of forming a coherent test. Chem , Math, biology, E Civ, W Cult, even Sociology, English, Pub. Speeking... had tests that if you knew the material and the expected behaviors you could pass with a "A". Nursing seemed full of quirky questions with vague or ambiguous answers that it was impossible to be prepared. I still don't have an answer but I know where you are comming from; I just don't know the soultion.

[jjjoy, LPN]

I used to rant and rave about how nursing educators were incapable of forming a coherent test. Chem , Math, biology, E Civ, W Cult, even Sociology, English, Pub. Speeking... had tests that if you knew the material and the expected behaviors you could pass with a "A". Nursing seemed full of quirky questions with vague or ambiguous answers that it was impossible to be prepared. I still don't have an answer but I know where you are comming from; I just don't know the soultion.

I hear ya! Nursing test questions are often terrible! I also recommend studying NCLEX style test questions and reviewing their rationales for right and wrong answers... and while doing this, keep in mind that if you got something wrong, it DOESN'T mean you didn't know the information being tested on. It only means you didn't get what the question was getting at. Some nursing test questions ARE terribly unclear about what exactly the question is testing on. You have to assume things on the one hand (since they give so little context) and not overanalyze the question on the other hand. You have to read if the question is asking about assessment, intervention, patient education, etc. On some, you could argue that the question could be interpretted differently and thus answered differently using valid information that clearly shows you know your stuff, but that's not the point... the point is learning the test style enough in order to improve your test scores, and then get back to learning as usual. Good luck!

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

Our entire class did much better in our first two semesters, and in this, our third, the majority of us are struggling -- as in barely passing. I think what's happening in our case is that the material is much more in-depth, requiring us to pull from a LOT of sources to answer these questions. It's just not easy like the old days where we would memorize "facts" and then regurgitate them come test time.

It is very depressing and from what I skimmed through here, you are certainly not alone. Hang in there and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

While I'm not fond of platitudes, I have heard over and over:

C = RN

and

What do you call the nurse who graduated at the bottom of her class? RN

Don't give up!!