I realize when I had to write my nursing exam how much pressure I experienced about the whole thing. I wrote mine in June 2010 and passed in first attempt but still remember when I walked out the exam, I was not sure what would be the result.
The purpose of this thread is supporting those nursing students who are planning to write their CRNE in upcoming June. Students, please feel free to share your concerns and questions. Nurses please support those students with tips for study.
Just couple of reminders before we get started:
1. Please do not discuss specific questions or any content tested in CRNE.
2. Please read other threads for more information as well. Other threads give you valuable information and be smart and take them into your advantage.
Remember to leave you comments, tips, and what you think helped you to be successful for your future colleagues here.
Here's my 2 cents, hope it will help future RNs in passing the CRNE :)
General Study Tips
Studying for the CRNE starts in nursing school. Pay attention in class and have a good set of notes from each major area of nursing (Medical-Surgical, Maternity, Pediatrics, Mental Health, and Community/Public Health). Fill in the gaps in your notes (and in knowledge) when they occur. Organize your notes in a way that makes sense to you.
Don't just memorize facts and figures. Understand the whys and hows of the facts and figures. Reinforce your knowledge by applying what you know to clinical scenarios. Review your knowledge regularly--that doesn't have to mean sitting down to study, it could be talking about a clinical situation with your nursing friends, or solving a clinical problem with your clinical instructors.
Pace yourself. You don't want to start studying too early the same way you don't want to cram at the last minute. You don't want to overstudy or understudy. Find a pace that you're comfortable with. You may find it helpful to draw out a schedule and follow it.
Find a study routine that works for you. If you study better with friends, consider forming a study group. If you study better on your own, find a quiet spot where you can study. Find out when you are the most productive in studying--are you an early bird or a night owl? Do you prefer to study with some background noise, or do you need complete silence? Having a study routine that works for you can be winning half the battle.
Take care of yourself while studying. Take study breaks regularly, and do something fun once in a while. Yes, the CRNE is possibly the most important test you can write in your entire nursing career, but having good physical health is imperative to doing well on the test.
Put things into perspective. This goes with point 5. Yes the CRNE is important, but don't let it be bigger than it needs to be. Remember that there are other chances to re-write the test.
CRNE Study Tips
Use the CNA prep guide to understand the CRNE. The CNA prep guide teaches you how the CRNEis structured, the type of questions asked, and the rationales behind the right and wrong answers. Content wise, it's not comprehensive, but it is useful for learning how to approach the CRNE.
For contents, I relied on my notes (that's where the set of notes you took in school comes in handy), and my textbooks. Know the major common diseases and medications. Know the nursing process. Know your ABC's. Know what is considered a therapeutic response and what is not. Know the common nursing interventions. Know what to do if something unexpected occurs (ie, chest tube disconnection, NG tube not working, catheter not draining...etc).
Do as many practice tests as you can get your hands on, and while answering the questions, understand the rationales. Make sure you can explain and understand why an answer is right or wrong. Mark the areas that you struggle with and work on those.
Take a timed mock exam. Try to simulate environment as close to the test environment as possible. This will give you a good idea of how long four hours is, and how to pace yourself.
Review the gaps in your knowledge or areas that you are struggling with.
Day before the exam, do something fun!
Day of the Exam
Relax. Don't panic.
Pace yourself. Don't rush, but don't dwadle either.
If you're stuck on a question, make a guess (educated or otherwise), leave it and move on. You do not want to lose valuable time in figuring out ONE question when you can be using the time in completing the rest of the exams.
Read the questions carefully. Answer what the question is asking. Do not read into the question. If it's not mentioned in the question, it's not in the question. Likewise, watch for distractors in a question.
Remember to fill in your scantron card correctly--you don't want to skip any questions or fill in the wrong bubbles.
If time permits, go over the exam and work on questions that you weren't sure in the first place.
Lastly, make sure you filled in your name and other required information on the card!
I wholeheartedly agree with the above post. After nursing for a while now, and noticing various posts regarding the CRNE, I can say that yes....passing or failing does not necessarily indicate who makes a good nurse. BUT, the exam is a starting point to gage whether or not you can apply basic nursing knowledge. It's a game really, but you have to play by their rules.
All that theory you learned in school? May be useless to some, but you need to know and understand the theory in order to be successful, because all of the CNA competencies are based in theory, and that is what you are tested on. Know them cold. Nursing process and ABC's....also key. What do you do first: Assess.
And time management. Time management for many equals a pass or fail. Take the time to read and understand what the question is asking, but do not get caught in a trap. Read, answer, move on. Time yourself at home. The exam amounts to three things: knowledge, time management, ability to apply the concepts. All of these elements must be in place in order to be successful.
If you are rewriting, don't worry. You can make it next time. For those who passed, congratulations :)
Victory for many! Congratulations for those whom passed thus far! Those who are still waiting, it's almost there--you're not left behind. For those who did not receive their desired results, I wish you well for the next exam. Live and learn... do your best!
"""hi mud, how do you know you failed by 6 points? the rn exam doesn't tell you how many points you fail by from what i understand, it just says you fail. how did you get that information """"
they tell if u r on borderline...i aslo failed by just 2 points....110/112....so disappointed...and i already aplied to rewrite in october,2011..........
wow i didn't realize that either. i also thought that they didn't reveal the results. thats too bad pavu, you were quite close!
The best advice I can give to anybody studying for or re-writing the CRNE is to use the CNA Competencies (in the back of the CNA Prep Guide or online - http://www.cna-nurses.ca/CNA/nursing/rnexam/competencies/default_e.aspx) to guide your studying. Each competency is reflected on the test, and some are quite explicit.
For example: CH-70: Intevene in a rapidly changing health situation: acute renal failure. This gives you the hint to go study about renal failure. For the more touchy-feeley questions, it's a bit harder. I'd recommend reviewing a few topics on professional practice, and communication techniques. I used the competencies when studying for the CRNE, and I felt it was a great way to make a study plan! And as always, remember: Safety first, then ABC.
The best advice I can give to anybody studying for or re-writing the CRNE is to use the CNA Competencies (in the back of the CNA Prep Guide or online - http://www.cna-nurses.ca/CNA/nursing/rnexam/competencies/default_e.aspx) to guide your studying. Each competency is reflected on the test, and some are quite explicit.
For example: CH-70: Intevene in a rapidly changing health situation: acute renal failure. This gives you the hint to go study about renal failure. For the more touchy-feeley questions, it's a bit harder. I'd recommend reviewing a few topics on professional practice, and communication techniques. I used the competencies when studying for the CRNE, and I felt it was a great way to make a study plan! And as always, remember: Safety first, then ABC.
Yes, a friend of mine also suggested this strategy. However, I was bad because I only started studying only a month before the exam so I only did SOME of them. Since people have two more months to study, I suggest that you break the competencies by doing 3 per day or something manageable for you.
hello everyone..i got my june 2011 resultt nd i failed..i was shocked coz my exam went gud..rite now i m very stressed so ...can anyone helpme out wht shud i do next ..shud i go for oct exam r wait untill feb..kindly help me
hello everyone..i got my june 2011 resultt nd i failed..i was shocked coz my exam went gud..rite now i m very stressed so ...can anyone helpme out wht shud i do next ..shud i go for oct exam r wait untill feb..kindly help me
i wrote my exam in toronto
I'm sorry to hear you couldn't pass this time.
The question you ask is very specific and it really depends on multiple factors. If you thought the exam went well and despite that you were not successful, then something is not right there. Look at your mark under each specific categories that were sent to you. I would say if you failed by couple of marks you MIGHT want to consider writing the exam in Oct. If the gab is bigger than that, you really need to go back and work on subjects you feel you're not comfortable with them as well as working on your test taking skill which is huge when writing CRNE. If you're working, meantime, you probably need to give yourself more time to get prepared.
I know you're down right now but stay positive. Think of what you've done wrong and how you improve it next time. And that's why you get chance to write exam like this three two/three times, right? To learn from your mistakes and improve yourself. Look at it as you're going to learn more and you will make it. I know a lot of people how passed in their second try.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
is english your second language, 1717? i only ask because of the creative spelling of several common words and the lack of capital letters used in your post. if that is the case, perhaps that's where you should start. you could work on improving your comprehension so that the questions make more sense. another thing you could do is read the hundreds and hundreds of other posts here that advise what to do if you fail. it's entirely up to you whether you write again in october or wait until february. if you can afford it, it might be good to wait and study the areas where you're weak.
One more time please use proper grammar and spelling. Think of it like we are not the only people who read these contents and what others think about their future nurses are not even able to spell! I'm just hoping that our charting won't be like this. Otherwise, we'll be in a real trouble.
Congts.I m living in Brampton. I want to know is there any prep course or classes for crne. Any suggestion is helpful for me .Have you any material for crne. Thanx
Congts.I m living in Brampton. I want to know is there any prep course or classes for crne. Any suggestion is helpful for me .Have you any material for crne. Thanx
Hi Jass, you posted the same question in another forum. Search some of the other forums, theres lots of discussions on CRNE prep classes. Good luck and make sure that you don't only rely on a prep course, but rather study hard on your own. Use a prep class to simply reinforce the study material and content you are reviewing. You should also work on your comprehension abilities, as a lot of people choose the incorrect choice simply because of their inability to understand what the question is asking. Sometimes it's just that simple.
MPKH, BSN, RN
449 Posts
Here's my 2 cents, hope it will help future RNs in passing the CRNE :)
General Study Tips
CRNE Study Tips
Day of the Exam
Good luck!