Learning Express - Nursing School Entrance Exams

CHAPTER 2 The LearningExpress Test Preparation System CHAPTER SUMMARY Taking a nursing school entrance exam can be tough, and your career in nursing depends on your passing the exam. The LearningExpress Test Preparation System, developed exclusively for LearningExpress by leading test experts, gives you the discipline and attitude you need to succeed. F irst, the bad news: Taking the nursing school entrance exam is no picnic, and neither is getting ready for it. Your future career depends on passing the test, but there are all sorts of pitfalls that can keep you from doing your best on this all-important exam. Here are some of the obstacles that can stand in the way of your success: Being unfamiliar with the format of the exam Being paralyzed by test anxiety Leaving your preparation to the last minute Not preparing at all! Not knowing vital test-taking skills: how to pace yourself through the exam, how to use the process of elimination, and when to guess Not being in tip-top mental and physical shape Arriving late at the test site, having to work on an empty stomach, or shivering through the exam because the room is cold Whats the common denominator in all these test-taking pitfalls? One word: control. Whos in control: you or the exam? Now the good news: The LearningExpress Test Preparation System puts you in control.

In just nine easy-to-follow steps, you will learn everything you need to know to make sure that you are in charge of your preparation and your performance on the exam. Other test takers may let the test get the better of them; other test takers may be unprepared or out of shape but not you. You will have taken all the steps you need to take to get a high score on the nursing school entrance exam. Heres how the LearningExpress Test Preparation System works: Nine easy steps lead you through everything you need to know and do to master your exam. Each of the steps listed below includes both reading about the step and one or more activities. Step 1. Step 1.

Get Information Step 2. Conquer Test Anxiety Step 3. Make a Plan Step 4. Learn to Manage Your Time Step 5. Learn to Use the Process of Elimination Step 6. Know When to Guess Step 7.

Reach Your Peak Performance Zone Step 8. Get Your Act Together Step 9. Do It! If you have several hours, you can work through the wholeLearningExpress Test Preparation System in one sitting. Otherwise, you can break it up and do just one or two steps a day for the next several days. It is up to youremember, you are in control. Step 1: Get Information Activities: Read Chapter 1, Nursing School Entrance Exam Planner, and use the suggestions there to find out about your requirements.

Knowledge is power. Therefore, first, you have to find out everything you can about the nursing school entrance exam. Once you have your information, the next steps will show you what to do about it. Part A: Straight Talk about the Nursing School Entrance Exam Why do you have to take this exam, anyway? Because an increasing number of people need the kind of care that only a nurse can provide. And, since more and more people need these services, there is growing concern about the quality of care the patients receive. One way to try to ensure quality of care is to test the people who give that care to find out if they have been well trained.

And thats why your state or the agency you want to work for may require you to take a written exam. It is important for you to remember that your score on the written exam does not determine how smart you are or even whether you will make a good nurse. There are all kinds of things a written exam like this cant test: whether you are likely to show up late or call in sick a lot, whether you can be patient with a trying client, or whether you can be trusted with confidential information about peoples health. Those kinds of things are hard to evaluate on a written exam. However, it is easy to evaluate whether you can correctly answer questions about your job duties. This is not to say that correctly answering the questions on the written exam is not important! The knowledge tested on the exam is knowledge you will need to do your job, and your ability to enter the profession for which you have trained depends on your passing this exam.

And thats why you are hereto achieve control over the exam. Part B: Whats on the Test If you havent already done so, stop here and read Chapter 1 of this book, which gives you an overview of the written exam. Later, you will have the opportunity to take the sample practice exams in Chapters 3, 10, and 11. Step 2: Conquer Test Anxiety Activity: Take the Test Anxiety Quiz. Having complete information about the exam is the first step in getting control of the exam. Next, you have to overcome one of the biggest obstacles to test success: test anxiety.

Test anxiety can not only impair your performance on the exam itself; it can even keep you from preparing! In this step, you will learn stress management techniques that will help you succeed on your exam. Learn these strategies now, and practice them as you complete the exams in this book so that they will be second nature to you by exam day. Combating Test Anxiety The first thing you need to know is that a little test anxiety is a good thing. Everyone gets nervous before a big examand if that nervousness motivates you to prepare thoroughly, so much the better. Many well-known people throughout history have experienced anxiety or nervousnessfrom performers such as actor Sir Laurence Olivier and singer Aretha Franklin to writers such as Charlotte Bront and Alfred Lord Tennyson. In fact, anxiety probably gave them a little extra edgejust the kind of edge you need to do well, whether on a stage or in an examination room.

Stop here and complete the Test Anxiety Quiz to find out whether your level of test anxiety is something you should worry about. Stress Management Before the Test If you feel your level of anxiety getting the best of you in the weeks before the test, here is what you need to do to bring the level down again: Get prepared. Theres nothing like knowing what to expect and being prepared for it to put you in control of test anxiety. Thats why you are reading this book. Use it faithfully, and remind yourself that you are better prepared than most of the people taking the test. Practice self-confidence.

A positive attitude is a great way to combat test anxiety. This is no time to be humble or shy. Stand in front of the mirror and say to your reflection, Im prepared. Im full of self-confidence. Im going to ace this test. I know I can do it.

If you hear it often enough, you will come to believe it. Fight negative messages. Every time someone starts telling you how hard the exam is or how it is almost impossible to get a high score, start telling them your self-confidence messages above. If the someone with the negative messages is you telling yourself you dont do well on exams or you just cant do this, dont listen. Visualize. Imagine yourself reporting for duty on your first day as a nurse.

Think of yourself helping patients and making them more comfortable. Imagine coming home with your first paycheck. Visualizing success can help make it happenand it reminds you of why you are working so hard to pass the exam. Exercise. Physical activity helps calm down your body and focus your mind. Besides, being in good physical shape can actually help you do well on the exam.

Go for a run, lift weights, or go swimmingand do it regularly. TEXT ANXIETY QUIZ You need to worry about test anxiety only if it is extreme enough to impair your performance. The following questionnaire will provide a diagnosis of your level of test anxiety. In the blank before each statement, write the number that most accurately describes your experience. 0 = Never 1 = Once or twice 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often ____ I have gotten so nervous before an exam that I simply put down the books and didnt study for it. ____ I have simply not showed up for an exam because I was scared to take it. ____ I have experienced dizziness and disorientation while taking an exam. ____ I have had trouble filling in the little circles because my hands were shaking. ____ I have failed an exam because I was too nervous to complete it. ____ Total: Add up the numbers in the blanks above. ____ Total: Add up the numbers in the blanks above.