Testing and remediation
Testing and remediation are crucial elements of any learning process, especially in nursing. These practices greatly help one pass major exams, such as the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), which was developed to assess nursing specialists’ professional skills (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2019). To be more specific, testing allows one to determine their level of knowledge, identify key learning objectives, strengths, and weaknesses of the student’s nursing knowledge. Remediation is the next stage that comes after testing; in education, this term implies rectifying the deficiencies in a student’s knowledge and further development. It helps not only to pass an exam but also to become a better nurse in the future.
Reading and Learning Strategies
Reading strategies are an effective measure to remediate one’s insufficient theoretical expertise. These include skimming and scanning, active reading, self-reflection, and material review. Learning strategies also help one better prepare for upcoming exams and tests. Students can effectively manage their time, fight procrastination, and learn more new things by sticking to them. There is a wide variety of different learning approaches, each with its unique tactics. However, each has several elements in common, namely participation in lectures, taking informative notes, developing good study habits, making a sleep schedule, and studying in a quiet and well-lit environment.
Exam Day Preparations
Students should start refreshing their knowledge a few days before exam day. Here study aids can help struggling ones to learn difficult subjects. Waking up and arriving early as well as having breakfast is the best start to one’s exam day. During the test, one should remember that focused thinking and time monitoring are the keys to good performance. If a student is feeling anxious, they should learn one or two coping techniques before the exam day.
Standardized Test Basic Rules
Standardized tests have been designed to assess students’ expertise in different subjects. Items in such tests have several formats; their focus and topics also vary. However, they all follow the NCLEX test plan framework. During testing, resources available for students include study guides, retrieval practice, online content, and the previously mentioned remediation. The final score depends both on the percentage of the correct answers and the weight of the items. It is worth noting that students can see their progress in the form of levels on a computer screen. There are also several penalties; following the test directions will help students avoid them.
Item Structure
Each item in NCLEX consists of two elements, which are the stem and the options. The stem consists of the scenario that comes first, the person of focus, the keywords, and the question that ends the item. Some items are worded positively while others negatively, which implies that the student must choose the correct or incorrect option from the four available ones. Some questions require students to set priorities in the proper order. Characteristics of the person of focus and keywords can help one choose the appropriate answer.
Options in NCLEX standardized tests are divided into distractions and a key. The former ones serve to trick the students, and the latter students must choose to score points. Multiple-choice strategies are what can help students to make the right decision. It should also be mentioned that NSLEX has alternative format questions. The category consists of multiple-response, calculation, drag and drop, hotspot, exhibit, and traditional multiple-choice items.
References
National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2019). NCLEX-RN test plan. NCSBN. Web.