SECRETS of GREAT TEST TAKING!


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PAGE:
Introduction: My Story / 5
Tests you will see used for admittance to nursing programs: what you need to know about them?
  • (TEAS) test of essential academic skills
/ 6
  • (NET) nurse entrance test
/ 7
  • (PAX-RN) Pre-Admission examination-RN
/ 8
  • PSB-Nursing School aptitude Examination RN
/ 9
  • HESI A2 Health Education Systems Incorporated
/ 10
  • SAT/ACT
/ 11
Experimental questions: what are these? / 13
COST: / 13
The secrets to doing well: / 14
Why you need to Do your BEST the 1ST time: / 14
Admittance scores needed: / 14
Secrets for: TEST DAY
  • You must read all of these!
/ 15
Test Preparation / 19
Buddy System: who do I choose? / 19
Research: / 19
Study Guides: found where? / 20
On-line/ CD practice exams: valuable? / 20
Prep Courses: Are they worth the $ / 21
QUESTION ANSWERING/PREP: be prepared! / 21
  • Answer all questions:
  • Track time:
/ 21
  • Skip
  • To change or not to change:
/ 22
How to tackle the multiple choice question: That’s what these tests are made of: Rules 1-6: / 24
Scratch paper: should I use it? / 26
Do not assume more than what is there: / 26
Not a trick: really! / 26
No Pattern: of what? / 27
Reading for the exams/ reading comprehension :
  • Skim the answer choices first:
  • Main idea/points:
  • Shift of viewpoint
  • Use your own knowledge
  • Eliminate
/ 28
Illness or other major events: the best way to deal with it / 31
Test and math anxiety and stress: how to beat it! / 32
Cramming: can it work for you? / 40
Secret of writing down your fears for better test performance & re-training your brain / 41
NCLEX-RN & NCLEX-PN: the how’s and whys / 42-47

BONUS MANUAL # 3:

SECRETS OF:

PASSING ADMITTANCE EXAMS FOR NURSING SCHOOL

THE HOW'S AND WHAT'S of DOING GREAT on EXAMS

You may be asked to take an exam as part of the admittance process for nursing school. Schools that require an exam are usually competitive in nature...which means you have to do your best to be considered for admittance.

We will discuss the different types of exams that are offered...but, more importantly we will go over the secrets to passing and DOING WELL on these exams. You will have to take nursing exams in your program as part of the course of study and after graduating you will face the challenge of taking the NCLEX exam,the national exam that will determine if you receive your license to practice as a nurse. So, learning the secrets to exam taking will go a long way for admittance, while in the program and after graduating for the NCLEX exam.

I know that a little prep for these standardized exams can go a long long way. Many schools limit the number of times that you can take the exams, so it is important to do well your first time.

MY STORY

Over a dozen years ago I returned to grad school. I was required to take an exam for acceptance into a Masters program. The test was the GRE. It had been over 25 years since I had looked at an algebra problem... and just as long for taking a reading comprehension exam. The SAT's were probably the last time I had to take an exam like I was scheduled to take. I had options: 1) I could wing it and try it out for the first time just to see how I did...which I saw as a waste of the money to take the exam...and those initial numbers would not look so good on my transcript even if I improved the second time...and why would I do well on taking an exam that I had not practiced in decades?

Solution: come up with a quick/ fast/ easy plan to learn how to take the exam and do well on it. I'm going to give you some of the secrets to my plan that you can apply to nursing admittance exams. I'm also going to give you some secrets that I've advised students to use, to do well on those exams. I'll show you what has worked for them, and give you some insider secrets. I advise students on a continuous basis on test taking skills. Listen and apply these tested methods. It is not so much about "how smart you are" as it is"how smart you are in knowing how to take the exam".

First, we will look at all the exams that you may encounter for admission. Then we will get into the nuts and bolts of how to make it happen! How to get great scores!

You need to learn everything you can about the exam that you will be taking: Knowing what to expect and knowing what you will be tested on is vital information. Youneed this information so you will know what to study and what to prepare for, so you can do well on the exam.

My first practice exam I took for the GRE showed a very poor score. With practice applying the secrets I am going to show you, I was able to learn how to take these tests and doubled my initial score...in 3 weeks. "You can do the same" ……if you apply these secrets and practice them.

You may have to take more than one exam if you are applying to several schools. The good news, most of the tests are very similar and the skills learned for test taking can be applied to all of them.

Here are the exams that you will encounter/ and the information, andthe Secrets you will need to be successful:

(TEAS) test of essential academic skills

  • This exam is becoming more and more popular for nursing schools to use as pre admittance criteria for entrance to their nursing program. They are trying to identify strengths and weaknesses in basic information needed to successfully complete a nursing program and pass the NCLEX. The company has a long record of statistics that show student success in nursing programs if they score a certain number on the exam.
  • Administered by: Assessment Technologies Inc. (ATI)
  • You will be given a composite score as well as sub scores for each of four content areas. You will need to create an ATI account before taking the exam. Time limit is approx. 209 minutes where you will see 170 total questions. Calculators may NOT be used for this exam. Again, this exam appears to be gaining in strength and is being used more and more frequently.
  • Covers 4 general areas
  • Math Skills: whole numbers, metric conversion, fractions, and decimals, algebraic equations, percentages, and ration/proportion
  • Reading: paragraph comprehension, passage comprehension, and inferences/conclusions
  • English: punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, contextual words, spelling
  • Science: science reasoning, science knowledge, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, basic physical principles and general science
  • The following web link displays several items you may purchase to assist with preparation for the examination. I would recommend the package that contains the study manual with sample questions as well as the online practice assessment. It is the most expensive of the products available but this is the type of practice you need to do well on the exam.

(NET) nurse entrance test

  • Administered by: Educational Resources Inc.
  • Evaluates these areas:
  • Math skills: whole numbers,fractions, decimals, percentages, number conversions and basic algebra. The exam will allow you one minute per question to complete this section.( 60 problems in 60 minutes)
  • Reading comprehension: science reading ability, reading rate of college level material, critical thinking, reading rate placement, inferential reading main idea of a passage and predicting of outcomes, basic science vocabulary for biology, anatomy/physiology, cellular biology and chemistry / you will need to answer 33 questions in 30 minutes. Calculators are NOT allowed. They will give you scratch paper for you to use.
  • Not all schools use this section: Written Expression: grammar,recognizing correct sentence structure, basic spelling patterns, nominative/objective case of pronouns, subject/verb agreement, capitalization rules, fundamentals of punctuation, ability to organize your ideas in written format,test-taking skills.
  • Learning styles: auditory, solitary, visual, oral dependent, social, writing dependent
  • Stress Level Profile: family, academic, social, work place, money/time
  • Most schools will consider only the math and reading scores and possibly the written expression for admittance.
  • A study guide and online practice exam is available at:

(PAX-RN) Pre-Admission examination-RN

  • (NLN National League for Nursing) creators of the exam
  • Format is the same as the NCLEX RN( The exam that is given when you have completed nursing school and you are ready to take the exam for your license.)The PAX-RN measures three academic areas. One hour is allowed for each subtest/ you will need aprox.3.5 hours to take this exam.
  • The areas to be tested include:
  • Verbal Skills: word knowledge and reading comprehension ( 60 minutes)
  • Math: basic calculations, word problems, algebra, geometry, conversions, graphs, applied math ( 60 minutes)
  • Science: biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, health and first aid ( 60 minutes)
  • A review practice guide by NLN is available for purchase $35-40. It provides an overview of the areas being tested. The manual contains over 1000 practice questions that have been on actual previous exams. It is available from:

PSB-Nursing School aptitude Examination RN

  • Administered by: Psychological Services Bureau
  • Contains the following areas given in 5 exams/ scoring will include three subtest areas :
  • 1. Academic Aptitude
  • Verbal subtest: emphasizes vocabulary related questions( 30 questions)
  • Nonverbal subtest: measures ability to manipulate shapes mentally, to reason out differences in pictured objects, and to deal with concrete materials through visualization. ( recognition of relationships and of differences between shapes has been shown by research to be basic to learning aptitude)( 30 questions)
  • Arithmetic subtest: focus is on skill and computation and speed. The areas are what eighth graders have been exposed to. ( 30 questions)
  • 2.Spelling:measures written expression or communication skills( 50 questions)
  • 3.Reading Comprehension: interpret passages, understand direct statements, infer ideas and purposes and derive author intent, to observe organization of ideas and to extract information form passages with respect to ideas and purposes: to read and to understand what is read (40 questions)
  • 4.Natural Sciences: biology, chemistry, health, safety at an elementary level ( 90 questions)
  • 5. Vocational adjustment index: Individuals characteristic lifestyle by examining educational and occupational adjustment. Feelings, attitudes, personality characteristics and behavioral traits which may be quite acceptable in many situations ( 90 questions)
  • website where it is administered from with more information/ sample questions ::

HESI A2 Health Education Systems Incorporated

  • Administered by: Evolve/ Elsevier
  • The school may choose which academic areas to assess, there are a total of 9 exams, so ask questions so you will know which areas are tested on, so you may study and practice. An evolve account will need to be set up prior to exam day: Areas that may be covered:
  • Basic Math: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions & decimals, ratio & proportion, household measures, general math facts (roman numerals, military time etc.)personal calculators are not allowed but a computerized calculator will be available( 50 questions/ 50 minutes)
  • Reading comprehension: readings are related to health care concepts( 47 questions/ 60 minutes)
  • Vocabulary & general knowledge ( 50 questions/ 50 minutes)
  • Grammar: contains basic grammar including : parts of speech, important terms and their uses in grammar, and commonly occurring grammatical errors( 50 questions/ 50 minutes)
  • Science:
  • anatomy and physiology: general coverage general terminology and anatomical structures and systems( 25 questions/25 minutes)
  • chemistry: chemical equations and reactions, periodic table, atomic structure, nuclear chemistry, chemical bonding etc.( 25 questions/25 minutes)
  • biology: covers water, biological molecules, metabolism, cells, cellular respiration, photosynthesis etc.( 25 questions/25 minutes)
  • Critical thinking: all answers are correct; howevereach choice reflects a different degree of critical thinking skills. Scores range from 0-1000. ( 30 questions/ 30 minutes)
  • Learning / personality styles( usually optional, for help after you are admitted to the nursing program)
  • Review/ study guide with 450 sample questions: available from the company that administers the exam:

SAT/ACT:

These tests should sound familiar. They are the exams that are given for college acceptance. Many schools use this right from the beginning, for those schools that admit at the beginning of pre-requisitesfor nursing program admittance.This is usually at a 4 year BSN program but, not always. A good enough score may get you into the college as well as the nursing program.

SAT:The College Board(anonprofit organization) develops and administers the exam. They claim they can assess a student's readiness for college. This exam has been around since 1901, the name and scoring have changed several times.

Three areas are assessed with scores ranging from 600-2400. Multiple choice questions with a few questions in the math section where you will be required to produce your answers (no chance for guessing on these)

  • Math/Critical Reading/Writing : includes a 25 minute essay

Your college may prefer the ACT exam over the SAT. The SAT differs from the ACT in terms of the amount of time you'll have to complete it and the format in which you provide the answers. Many feel that the ACT questions are easier but must be finished in less time making them equal for degree of difficulty. Your school may allow you to convert the score of one to the other. This is a well-kept secret. Many students do better on one or the other so it would be wise to ask.Because of this kept secret, it is advised that you take both exams. Many schools will allow either, or let you convert the score from one to the other.

A few differences to consider between the two: