Teacher uses a different textbook for tests

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What are your thoughts on a teacher making their tests from a different textbook than assigned to the students for the class? We are assigned Taylor's Fundamentals of Nursing but the teacher makes tests using a test bank from Perry & Potter's Fundamentals of Nursing. Is this fair to student?

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Specializes in Hospice + Palliative.

I think it's fair. It's all fundaments stuff - it's not like they're taking stuff from a med-surg text and testing you on topics that aren't relevant to your coursework. Fundamentals are fundamentals, yk? I actually think in the long run this will be beneficial to your class, because it will expose you to lots of different ways of wording questions (I find that each textbook publisher has a "trademark" type of question, so that if you are taking questions from different texts, it'll help you down the road on the NCLEX if you're able to answer a variety of them) It will also force you to really understand the concepts instead of just memorizing how that particular textbook words things.

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Good thing you found out.

Perry and Potter has an online part that you can use so you can get a sample of what to expect. If I were I would purchase the Perry and Potter online quizzes and stuff so I could get ready.

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How do you even know that? I have no clue where the teachers questions come from but in my opinion, nursing is nursing, especially the fundamentals of nursing.

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Totally fair! I believe you should be able to get access to the Potter and Perry resources though on the Evolve website and the practice questions. It never hurts to do more questions!

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Would you think it unfair if the teacher wrote his or her own questions? After all, they don't come from the publisher of the textbook assigned for the class either. The point of a test isn't to find out if you've memorized everything you've read; the purpose of the test is to see how you apply the knowledge you should have learned. Who writes the question is irrelevant. What should matter is if the questions match up with what you should have learned- OB or critical care questions on a nursing fundamentals test would be a valid complaint.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Why isn't it fair? The material is the same regardless of who writes the question.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

I think you should complain about it and report back ;)

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I don't even know how to find out what test bank my nursing school uses. (I don't even know how to find out if they use one!)

What does it matter? Your test result demonstrates your knowledge of fundamentals, not your knowledge of a specific textbook.

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No it's not fair. Happened to our class and we all failed. Teacher never did it again. She used a book that had material our book never touched on. And the things it did touch on, the book we had used different answers.

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Best is to study from NCLEX review books with cds. Good luck!

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... That's why I practice questions from MULTIPLE SOURCES.

Go to Barnes and noble. Sit your butt down and grab all the fundamentals books and answer the questions out of those books. If you can answer those, you're golden.

Sorry to sound rude but seriously. No one takes my word for this but 1) Barnes and noble won't care - just put them back to not make anyone upset. 2) it's free? 3) takes a couple hours 4) got me 90+ on my tests

Ok done.

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