Why?????

Hillgirl · Mar 13, 2007

Why is the entrance test a determining factor for entrance into the nursing program? The question that are on the exam are so elementary, but for a individual like me who have been out of school for unteen years it almost seem like a foreign language for me. I hope I did well enough to get accepted into the nursing program for the fall semester. :rolleyes:

Hillgirl · Mar 13, 2007

I hope I get some good news soon.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Mar 13, 2007

Is that the only determining factor? At my school they also looked at your overall GPA, your pre-requ GPA and the result of the TEAS test, which is like the "test" you described. Why is that a determining factor? Like you said, simple math. If a person can not do that they are not going to make it through nursing school. Since it is "so simple" it should be easy to review it fairly quickly. I do feel your frustration through. I felt the same way. Hope you did good!

2bNurseNik · Apr 12, 2007

Based on the practice online test, it doesn't seem so easy. That advance reading comprehension is a mess for me. How much of the test is reading comp?

ally21 · Apr 12, 2007

I took the NET exam a few months ago and did good on the algebra portion of it, yet didn't do so hot when it came to the decimals. Holy cow remembering how to divide them racked my brain! Kinda silly because that's the kind of math I remember doing back in the 3rd grade. Guess it's true if you don't use it you lose it.

I managed to pass the NET exam with a decent score and was accepted in the nursing program for fall 2007. The advisor at my school said nursing exams are filled with critical thinking. One, two, three or all answers could be correct, but you have to be able to determine which answer is the best out of them all. So that's sorta what the NET exam is all about maybe... weeding out those who are critical thinkers. She also mentioned how the NET scores help to indicate who will succeed in the program. If someone does really poor on the math section it indicates they need remedial help to get them to the level they should be at.

Good luck with everything. I'm guessing you've received your results by now? Hope you got a good score.

justme1972 · Apr 12, 2007

I had been out of college for a very long time when I took the TEAS..however, our college gave us a paper when we went for advisement on the nursing program about what types of question would be on there.

I went to a 5th grade website to help re-learn the math! It's because everything else didn't break down all the steps...I saw it done one time and then I instantly remembered how to do the problems...the fractions were the most challenging, but once I had it, I nailed it.

I think I studied a total of maybe 10 hours for the test.

Science, was the hardest part b/c the TEAS had some Chemisty questions on there too, and I had never had Chemistry.

TnKzMom · Apr 12, 2007

What website was that Hopefull? It'd be nice to try that stuff.

Anne36, LPN · Apr 12, 2007

HIllgirl, I would be walking in your shoes if I had to take that test. I have a lot of fears about not remembering what I learned in high school let alone middle school. I've been out of school 18 years. This fall I am going to try and get into some remedial math and english class to get myself established before I atempt pre-req's. I took algebra in high school but cant even remember pre-algebra now.

CiCigirl · Apr 12, 2007

why is it that a test so simple as decimals, fractions, ratios, division, percentages, reading comprehension and written expression can determine a spot in the nursing program? if there's anybody in this discussion panel like me that have been out of middle school for unteen years, then perhaps alot of this stuff have been forgotten. i took the exam on friday (the 9th to be exact) i feel confident about the math portion, it's just the written expression of: who, whom, that, which mess and the reading comprehension with the long passages that have a 45 minute time limit. i am waiting on the mailman, my results should arrive in about 2 weeks, sombody pray for me, maybe my guessing payed off.

here's my guesstimation as to why they give so much weight to that test, hillgirl:

when i took the sat (approx. 16 years ago) the teachers told us that the colleges used the sat as a predictor of how well a student would perform in college. kind of a "gpa predictor". i don't know if that was true or not for every student (but now that i think about it) it was true for me. mediocre sat score did translate into mediocre college student.

with that having been said, i'm now back in college trying to pursue nursing (older, more mature, more disciplined) and so far, my grades are great. yippee, right? so obviously that test was not a good predictor of my capacity to learn. b/c i'm sure if i had to take it over again today that i'l score lower than i did the first time b/c i've been away from math, vocabulary, etc. for so long.

so anyway, if they're using the test as a predictor of how well a student will perform in nsg school, then that might be why they give so much weight to it. on the other hand they may also be trying to test a prospective student's math abilities and critical thinking skills b/c both of those are very necessary to perform well as a nsg student and later on as an effective nurse.

all that having been said, i fully sympathize with your situation and fully recognize the valuable life experiences you can bring to the profession that a younger person with fewer life lessons might not have. i wish you the best with recieving your test scores and would like to encourage you to not worry yourself to death about it. i think you might just surprise yourself at how well you did.

:yelclap:

MB37 · Apr 12, 2007

Plus in nursing school you normaly have to pass a dosage calculation test that they will not offer a class on. They generally give it very early on, or some places you take it every semester. It's algebra and fractions, so if you can't do middle school math you won't be able to pass those exams, I don't think...I've always loved math, so it's different for me....

jspacegirl · Apr 12, 2007

why is it that a test so simple as decimals, fractions, ratios, division, percentages, reading comprehension and written expression can determine a spot in the nursing program? if there's anybody in this discussion panel like me that have been out of middle school for unteen years, then perhaps alot of this stuff have been forgotten. I took the exam on Friday (the 9th to be exact) i feel confident about the math portion, it's just the written expression of: who, whom, that, which mess and the reading comprehension with the long passages that have a 45 minute time limit. I am waiting on the mailman, my results should arrive in about 2 weeks, sombody pray for me, maybe my guessing payed off.

It sounds like you took the NET. If so, the section with the "who, whom, that, which mess" doesn't count toward your overall NET score and nursing schools don't use it when they evaluate your application. They just go by the Math and the Science Reading Comprehension scores. I'm not really sure why they have those extraneous sections that aren't looked at by the nursing schools. The reading comprehension was a little tricky however, and if I'd known better, I would have focused on practicing that rather than the math!