In my nursing program we implement the ATI proctored exams and content mastery modules to help prepare us for NCLEX. Personally, I LOVE ATI. It has helped not only in my studies but I have also scored 3s on every proctored exam excluding the very 1st one (when I had no idea what exactly it was I was supposed to be doing with ATI). However, it seems that a lot of students in cohorts ahead and behind me are struggling with a discrepancy between what they are taught in theory and what results they get on proctored exams (the instructors are also beginning to take notice as well).
I was curious what everyone's experience has been with ATI and if there has been a general disconnect between ATI and lecture material. Also, I would love to know, especially from the instructors, what the thought is regarding students taking initiative and teaching themselves the material as a supplement to lectures. It seems like a general issue with a lot of instructors just reading verbatim from powerpoints and that some students are put off with the idea they may have to just teach themselves a little bit.
Finally, I'm curious as to how confident people who took ATI were going into the NCLEX. The current disparity in my program is freaking a lot of people out and I feel that it may be unnecessarily so.
ATI books, online tests, and a 3 day ATI review course were included in the cost of my nursing program. I found it extremely helpful. I just took the NCLEX in February and finished with 75 questions in an hour. I am a supporter.
ATI was integrated into our curriculum through nursing school as well. On the proctored tests, I ranged in the 1 and 2's and never got a 3. I graduated in December, and I used the ATI capstone program to study for the NCLEX. Tested in February and finished in 75 questions. HOWEVER, I feel as if the style of questions in ATI are vastly different than what I experienced on the NCLEX. Two days before I took it, I googled the Kaplan decision tree and I feel like that is what helped me get through the NCLEX the most. I did not take Kaplan, just googled the decision tree online. The most important thing to remember while in school is as important as it is to learn the knowledge taught to you in your classes, using that knowledge to think critically and make informed decisions will be invaluable in your experience taking the NCLEX.
We do ATI. I have several due next week actually. The info in ATI is nothing like lecture. I do the questions that correlate with our chapters in lecture because some of the questions on our exams will be on there. I've gotten all level 2 on our proctored exams so far. Since I haven't taken the NCLEX yet I'm not sure if it helps or not.
I along with most of my classmates started doing the ATI NCLEX review immediately after graduating. It was the review where you are assigned to an online review coach. Honestly, it was a complete waste of time. They give you tons of Power Point slides that have less info than you were required to know in first semester nursing school. They give you far fewer NCLEX practice questions than you really need - probably only 10-15% of the questions recommended by Kaplan before you take boards. The ATI review will take you 3 to 4 times the number of weeks that ATI estimates because you are constantly waiting for your review coach to release more content to you. The quality of the review questions is very poor - content recognition/regurgitation, not application and analysis. Mastering the higher level questions is critical for passing the NCLEX and ATI provides no help with that. I quit ATI after a couple weeks of spending 6-8 hours a day on it and I did the Kaplan in-person course instead. Kaplan was very strong in every area where ATI was weak as detailed above. The Kaplan decision tree is critical for passing and their questions are extremely accurate when compared to the real test. In fact I had a couple questions on the NCLEX that matched Kaplan almost word for word. The trend I noticed with my class is that Kaplan students had a slightly higher pass rate than those that did ATI and among those that passed boards, Kaplan students tended to pass with far fewer questions (most of us with 75 questions) compared to ATI students (often 200+ questions). That tells me that with ATI you are more likely to fail or barely pass than with Kaplan.
I LOVE ATI...exit exam for school last Monday was ATI predictor, I did the ATI virtual pn finished that Tuesday, gree lighted and took my NCLEX yesterday. Test shut off under 90 questions. So all of that in 1 week... full time program, I worked full time and will be 41 this month...use everything ATI has to offer, learn how to use the program. That was the only thing I used to prepare and I found ATI questions slightly more difficult than NCLEX. But I have also found that everyone learns differently. My proctored tests were all level 2 except medsurg and pharm I was level 3. If you are testing that high you will do fine on the NCLEX :)
So, it seems like the people that throw themselves into the ATI program from the start tend to make out okay. I am one that has leaned on it a lot in school so far and it's been helping a ton. The ones who aren't don't seem to be reaping the benefits. I wonder now if a lot of it is how much gets lost in translation from when we are introduced ATI right smack dab in the middle of getting through compliance week and starting fundamentals. ATI, the NCLEX, critical thinking....these are all foreign concepts that we think we don't have time for until we get our bearings. I think that may be why there is such a panic with the ATI. I have a suspicion that a lot of students are still trying to memorize all the information possible but are skipping over concepts requiring application of critical thinking skills (this is just my observation from listening to students study for their ATI proctored while I was waiting to turn in some compliance stuff of my own -- IMO, they were doing it way wrong and the results are why the panic is really starting to kick off).
I think ATI sets new nursing students up for failure. The answers are most certainly ridiculous on most questions. The ATI material does not go along with my lecture classes. ATI, in my opinion is not worth the stress that is put upon nursing students. Medical information changes so rapidly there is no way for ATI to have to recent most up to date info. Honestly ATI should be band from nursing school. The NCLEX is nothing like ATI. NCLEX is extremely helpful, ATI very useless.
I used to hate ATI and grew to like it. It helped me succeed and pass the NCLEX-PN on my first try. I can tell you that the questions were getting harder and harder and thought I failed the NCLEX. Nowadays, I'm still nailing it for the RN Program. I used HESI and Kaplan, which my friends have been using in their programs. I liked all formats. However, I do like how the HESI would ask questions. I'm doing well with ATI, so it doesn't matter. I keep up the good work.
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ATI books, online tests, and a 3 day ATI review course were included in the cost of my nursing program. I found it extremely helpful. I just took the NCLEX in February and finished with 75 questions in an hour. I am a supporter.