Unbelievable exam question

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Specializes in ICU.

So, I took a nursing exam today and on this exam, there was a question that was pretty incredible. I got the question right, but I was pretty infuriated that my instructor defended the validity of this exam question. I won't give you the exact question, but here is a replica of question's structure:

Instructions: Use the lettered answers for questions 30-32.

Question (fill in the blanks): The two most common household (30)_______ are (31)_______ and (32)________.

a. tools

b. pets

c. cats

d. dogs

During the exam, I approached my instructor and asked, "Couldn't questions 31 and 32 both be either c or d? And will you accept either c or d for both?"

Her answer?

"No. Answer the question exactly as it is on the slides. There is a certain order that they're in on the slides and you have to answer it that way."

The correct answers were:

31 - C (cats)

32 - D (dogs)

So, even though the two answers are correct in any order, if you didn't supply them in the exact order they were written on the lecture slides, you missed 2 questions on the exam which, on a 55 question exam (as this one was) is a total of 4% of your exam grade.

Un-freaking-believable.

Sounds like a scantron test to me. Welcome to nursing school where they test on your ability to fill in circles, and not on critical thinking or the ability to actually treat a patient.

What does that question have to do with nursing? I can understand that part of an assessment is finding triggers for allergens but in all honesty I think your instructor is wasting your time with questions like this in addition to wanting you to be able to memorize her slides. I wish you the best and hope future exams will actually prepare you for the NCLEX.

Specializes in ICU.
What does that question have to do with nursing? I can understand that part of an assessment is finding triggers for allergens but in all honesty I think your instructor is wasting your time with questions like this in addition to wanting you to be able to memorize her slides. I wish you the best and hope future exams will actually prepare you for the NCLEX.

Read the original post again, Jennybrie ;)

The question I supplied is a replica in structure, not content. The actual question wasn't about pets or cats or dogs.

The example was to show how ridiculous this type of question is. The point is that choosing to answer the question like this:

31 - D (dogs)

32 - C (cats)

instead of like this:

31 – C (cats)

32 – D (dogs)

Would have resulted in two missed questions and 4% off your exam grade, even though both ways are correct.

I've had a million like that. :banghead: takes away the critical thinking aspect and hopes that SOMEONE actually has a photographic memory. That kinda stuff drives me nuts.

What does that question have to do with nursing? I can understand that part of an assessment is finding triggers for allergens but in all honesty I think your instructor is wasting your time with questions like this in addition to wanting you to be able to memorize her slides. I wish you the best and hope future exams will actually prepare you for the NCLEX.

the OP stated that this was not the actual question, but an illustrative example.

Specializes in ICU.
I've had a million like that. :banghead: takes away the critical thinking aspect and hopes that SOMEONE actually has a photographic memory. That kinda stuff drives me nuts.

Questions like that should be disallowed. They are unethical in my opinion.

Read the original post again, Jennybrie ;)

I understand that the question is a replica. The format of the question has nothing to do with nursing at all unless you are prioritizing your care. The NCLEX has a lot of what would you do first, second, third, etc. If that was the point of the question then it does matter that dogs come before cats or that pt with a glucose of 62 is seen before the post-op pt running a temp.

I have to ask out of curiousity.....is this a nursing class or a pre-req course?

Specializes in ICU.
I understand that the question is a replica. The format of the question has nothing to do with nursing at all unless you are prioritizing your care. The NCLEX has a lot of what would you do first, second, third, etc. If that was the point of the question then it does matter that dogs come before cats or that pt with a glucose of 62 is seen before the post-op pt running a temp.

I have to ask out of curiousity.....is this a nursing class or a pre-req course?

It is an exact replica in structure. The original question was the very same premise as the dog and cat question. It asked what are the two most likely causes for a specific complication. Like this:

(30)_______ strokes occur when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow. The two most common causes include (31)________ and (32)__________.

a. watermelon

b. ischemic

c. thrombus

d. embolism

If I had answered embolism and thrombus instead of thrombus and embolism, I'd have gotten two questions wrong and had 4% taken off of my exam grade.

Unfortunately, it had nothing at all to do with prioritization. If it had, I wouldn't have been so annoyed. That would have made absolute sense.

In answer to your question, this is a nursing course (I mentioned that in the first post, too). My final nursing course, actually. I graduate next month.

Specializes in Pedi.

This reminds me of a test in an American Government class in high school. When the teacher went on an LOA with Congestive Heart Failure, the school found some permanent sub who was qualified to teach pre-school to teach this senior level class. She gave a test with the question: "Which of the following is true about the United States Congress?" A. The number of representatives each state has depends on the state's population, B. Each state has 2 senators and then 2 untrue things. Naturally, every student in the class argued that both A and B were true but the teacher insisted that one answer was more correct than the other. That's basically the same as saying that 1 + 1 = 2 is more true than 2 + 2 = 4.

Specializes in ICU.

Honestly, I don't think my instructor really "got" just how ludicrous the question was and was a little bit in denial that she had written (or selected) a completely crappy test question.

She sounds ridiculous and needs to get off her high horse and acknowledge her faulty test question. Perhaps a group of you should bring this to the attention of someone above her if she refuses to give students credit for either answer. When I was in my last semester of nursing school, I missed getting a B by something like 0.13%. I would not let this go.

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