What do I do? Flunked my first exam

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Well, I flunked my first nursing exam.. It was worth 20 points I got 14 points which is a 70 and that is an F. Anything below an 80 % is not passing and I studied my tail off...I don't know what to do I cried until I just could not cry anymore...

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Pass all the rest then... :) Now you have a feel for what a nursing exam looks like and how different they are from any tests you've taken previously.

Our instructor was joking about nursing exams today. In prereqs they wanted to know stuff like "George Washington crossed the _____ River" with a few answers. Now they are like, "George Washington crossed the Delaware River. Before crossing the river, what did he have to consider? Mark all that apply." ;)

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I have 2 Test before midterms ughhhh

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

We don't have midterms. We have tests, then a final. What's the difference?

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Have you met with the instructor to go over your exam? Reviewing tests and figuring out where your thinking went wrong is very helpful. 1 to 1 time with the instructor is also very helpful because he or she can walk you through the question.

Did you do practice questions on the subjects your exam was on? Aside from studying the material I also do practice NCLEX questions on the subject to see if I'm grasping the material correctly.

You could also try modifying the way you study? I was very close to failing an exam my junior year, I missed it by a few points. I bought Prentice-Hall Reviews and Rationale books related to the subjects that I was currently taking and I found that they helped a lot.

Don't lose hope! Learn from the mistakes you made on the first exam and keep moving forward. :)

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

:redbeatheAwww don't feel so down. I was such a good student in my pre-req's that when I took my first nursing exam I felt very prepared and even felt good about the exam after and when I got home and got my grade that night I passed but only by 2 points and was so upset. I cried and moved on. You have to too, I know I just had gotten tripped up on easy stuff by not takinbg my time on the exam. Now my scores are usually in the upper 80' and low 90's which I still hope to improve. The funny thing is I always do by the end of the semester my last exam grades and final exam grades are always super high. It just takes some figuring out how to study best, what to expect on tests, and taking my time on a test :) Hang in there, I'm sure you'll do better on your next one!

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Get a couple good NCLEX books ASAP. I really like Saunders, it breaks down the important nuggets from lecture and your text.

Another good one for mastering the NCLEX style questions is the Success series. For instance, Fundamentals Success, Med Surge Success. These books are by Nugent and Vitale.

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Specializes in Infusion.

The advice I would give anyone is to meet with your nursing advisor or the instructor that lectured on the material and determine why you had trouble with certain questions. Sometimes we don't spend the time to carefully read the question to pick out a key term - usually it's one word that I pass over in the question that messes me up. Understand that there is usually more than one good answer, you have to pick the best answer. It really helped a lot of classmates to have a NCLEX study guide with rationales to help decipher what a question is asking and how to prioritize the answers.

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Thanks Everyone... I email my instructor, just waiting on the reply! I came close to giving up....:( This is my life long dream, but I am a single mother of 2 and have to provide for my children (father past away)...

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Specializes in Infusion.

Oh my goodness, don't give up! I remember flunking one of my exams. I got a 62 and was so angry with myself. After going over the test, I knew my stuff, I just didn't read the questions or answers really well and assumed I picked the right answer based on memorization of certain facts. I felt like an idiot because after more careful reading, the answers were really clear. Taught me a lesson and never had a bad test after that.

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JrOregon,

Thank you! I did the same thing I knew everything but went blank I was scarrred to death, I purchased the success book I sure hope it helps

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.

man that seems harsh to give u an F :( I would review with the instructor, and ask what tips she has for the next exam.

the positive side, you know what the exam style is now and should do excellent on the next exam :)

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