When the class average is FAILING!!!

[HeartsOpenWide]

I got a 66% on my last test.............but the class average is 65%!!! The teacher is not going to grade on a curve or anything either. I think that when the average grade of the class is an "F" that it reflex on the teacher NOT the students...what do you think. How do you handle situations like this? I was doing well in the class before this.

After the test every one was saying stuff like "what the bleep was that??"

I miss the days for complaining when I got a 93% in nursing classes.......(where is the smiley with a rope around its neck? LOL)

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Let me give you a little insight on what was involved in this test.

I found a part early in the test that seemed to be a mistake I went up to the teacher and asked her because it would drastically influence my answer. She said yes, that she made a mistake. Then she stood up, pointed out the mistake I caught and apologized because she had a busy thanksgiving break and cut and pasted a much of previous tests together and that there were a few mistakes in there.....and did not bother to point them all out.....on top of some of the question sounded like the were written during an acid trip.

[Sheri257]

Unfortunately, sloppily written test questions are also all too typical in nursing school. You're lucky if they get the spelling right. I can't tell you how many typos and grammar errors we've seen in our tests, not to mention context errors.

It all goes back to the same problem. If they're not getting paid for it ... they often don't bother to proof read the tests.

:typing

[Freedom42]

Slightly off topic, but I feel compelled to respond to the post that suggested you can't find a professor after 2 p.m.

I know that's true at my school. But our instructors are often gone because they drive hundreds of miles each week to supervise students at rural hospitals. I don't presume because I can't see them that they're not working. And those who are full-time are paid only about $47,000 for a work week that is far in excess of 40 hours.

The problem is not always the instructor. It's just as often the "I'm a customer" mentality of the student.

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Unfortunately, sloppily written test questions are also all too typical in nursing school. You're lucky if they get the spelling right. I can't tell you how many typos and grammar errors we've seen in our tests, not to mention context errors.

It all goes back to the same problem. If they're not getting paid for it ... they often don't bother to proof read the tests.

:typing

This wan't just gramatical errors...they were errors that make it impossible to answer a question correctly if not questioned. That it wrong.

[Sheri257]

This wan't just gramatical errors...they were errors that make it impossible to answer a question correctly if not questioned. That it wrong.

Yeah ... we see a lot of those too. Hopefully they throw those out but, they don't always do. So ... I've gotten fairly good at guessing what they're driving at with the question, even if the question doesn't make sense because ... trying to challenge test questions is pretty much a waste of time. They rarely cave.

I finally got to the point that I just go into each test knowing I'm going to get screwed on some questions ... and do the best that I can. Ironically, I've done better on tests with that attitude.

None of this is fair, and I wish it was different but ... it's just the way it is.

:typing

[Sheri257]

I agree with lizz, the state board does not care what text book you used during your nursing education, and your instructors pull questions from test banks that most closely resemble NCLEX type questions. So that's where the differences might come into play between your books and those questions. In a way I'd rather be prepared for the boards early, then graduate easily and then can't pass the NCLEX. As she said , I try to study not only my textbook, but every NCLEX book I can get my hands on.

Actually, from what I understand with our state board at least, they are supposed to do a better job of matching up the questions with the textbook. If we don't have access to the material, they're not supposed to test on it.

But ... here's how they get around it. They can also test you on anything you've been taught going back to pre-reqs. So, unless you have a photographic memory ... try proving that you weren't taught something going back that far. To me, at least, every semester has been one hazy mass of information.

Besides, what are you gonna do? File a complaint with the board? It's been known to happen but ... it can definitely cause more problems than it would solve. Do you want to potentially jeopardize the school's accreditation before you graduate? Not exactly in your best interest ... and, after you graduate, you're not going to care anymore.

And, you're right. In the end, you're better off learning how to think on your feet because ... you can't challenge the NCLEX. You can't go to the board and complain I didn't get this material in school. The only time the board really looks at that is when the school's pass rate really sucks which, is pretty rare.

:typing

[Lisa CCU RN, RN]

Come on now, if more than 50% of a class, it is the instructor. Remember not everyone should be a teacher. There are some instructors that have no business in the classroom. They just horrible!

Last semester, 23 students failed Maternity because of a bad intructor. She was fired at the end of the semester. Some of the students who failed were getting good greats in other nursing classes.

Then please explain to me how the few that passed managed to pass?

Were they just lucky? Did they guess?

I tried to guess sometimes when I didn't study on high school exams and I never came anywhere near to passing them. Ever.

There is only so much information on a given subject so why not just study all of it. I hear so many people complain that the instructor will not give test outlines and that they will not spoon feed them the information or that they are talking about things that are not on the test. Hello, you need to know ALL OF IT!

You are going to be a nurse with people's lives in your hands and you need to be able to critically think. Read and learn all you can about the subject matter the instructor is going over and if you still have questions, ask them after class and if they don't know or won't tell you, ask someone else or get online and look it up.

JMO

[NaomieRN]

7 people barely passed out of 30, I would say it is the professor. The students who failed, are doing great in other classes now. Most of the students that failed were like A and B+ students, not your typical lazy students. Some where in honor society.

If it was not the professor's fault, why did the president of the school fired her?

I understand your point; however, there are some situations where it is the professor not the student. The professor was unorganized, forgetting to bring her power points and assigned unrelated readings to her lectures. Although she had her APRN, she had no business in the classroom. She just could not capture her audience. Do you think everyone should teach?

[jov]

Then please explain to me how the few that passed managed to pass? Were they just lucky? Did they guess?

umm...some people go to nursing school with an already firmly established health care background. Not everyone is a neophyte to advanced medical concepts.

[Lisa CCU RN, RN]

umm...some people go to nursing school with an already firmly established health care background. Not everyone is a neophyte to advanced medical concepts.

Well, in my class, I was one of those that passed well beyond the minimum for passing ( a 75) and I only have a background as a CNA.

I honestly didn't even know exactly what cancer was till I started nursing school. All I seemed to learn as a tech was butt wiping.

I saw and heard a lot of things, but none made sense to me or had a rationale before nursing school.

My point is, I did not have an extensive medical background, and I am still going to get an A this semester.

I know for a fact that the instructor didn't tell us some of the things on the test and that she even said a few wrong things, but I read before class AND I read the book like she asked us to. I actually missed a very vague question on one test and brought it to the teacher's attention, but to no avail.

A lot of the students that complained about failing stated themselves they never read the book once, used the CD's that come with the book, use Meds Pub that we pay big money to subscribe to, and they wonder why they failed?

I remember doing the CD that came with our MED SURG book and I saw a question on out test word for word from it.

My point is, If people would use all the resources available to them and actually do what the insructor asks them, then maybe they would pass.

Now, this is only my experience, but I just don't see how you can study all available resources ( including NCLEX books) and still fail.

Again, JMO.

[Sheri257]

It is true that if you study, you're less likely to fail. Some people just don't want to do the reading and, in nursing school, you just can't do that.

However, some of these tests can also be a crap shoot. Sometimes doing the reading has actually hurt me because the book said something different from the test bank where the questions were pulled from. And, because of that, people who didn't study as much as I did actually did better.

A lot of it also comes down to test taking skills and gaming the test.

:typing

[NaomieRN]

So far, my average is a 94 in nursing 101. I do read all the assigned reading, do the end of chapter questions as well as the cd questions. I even go to the companion websites and do all the nclex questions. I will have to say, I have one of the best professors at my school. Eventhough students need to read the book, you also need a good instructor to explain some of the concepts. For the amount of money I am paying, I expect someone to break down the information to me. Study shows, you retain more when you hear the information rather than reading. Don't forget not everyone do well in just reading the book, some people need to hear the information.