Hello friends!
Your girl here has been running in circles, stressing unnecessarily trying to figure out what the first blog post for this website should be. I plan to put out numerous blog posts, so honestly, does it matter what the first post is about? No, but I am a perfectionist, and you deserve only the best!
So what better way to kick off this blog than with the first post I ever wrote?!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 3 years since I wrote this post. I still remember sitting in front of my laptop, searching the internet for study materials. I found myself reading through countless websites, looking for studying advice and growing a bald spot because of the unnecessary stress I was putting on myself.
Thinking back on it, I’m 1000% positive that I stressed and freaked out more than I needed to. But at the time, how could I not worry? I HAD TO TAKE THE KAPLAN ENTRANCE EXAM!
Have you ever heard of the Kaplan nursing entrance exam?
No?
Me either! I didn’t even know it existed until that day.
The testing information I found was either outdated, vague, or both. After digging deeper, I ended up with 4 useful websites and 2 YouTube videos.
…
And that, my friend, is how this post came into existence. After finishing the test, I MADE SURE to write down my experience and studying tips.
To help prevent another soul from stressing and over-studying, I’ve broken down the test by section and provided a few areas to help focus your studies!
Reading Section
Let’s start with the bad news first.
There’s not much studying you can do for this section.
But wait! Before you roll your eyes and click away, I do have good news. It’s very similar to the SAT and every other standardized test you’ve taken before. You read a passage, answer a question, viola!
To be honest, though, this section was a little more complicated than I expected. English has always been my top subject, but I still struggled through the questions. The questions aren’t complicated. On the contrary, the questions themselves are straightforward. Instead, it’s the answer choices that make you start tugging at your hair. There will be many times, you’ll find yourself reading, re-reading, re-re-reading the answer choices because they all sound correct.
The best way to ace this section is through practice and more practice!
How to Study: Practice using any SAT or ACT study book, The Pre-Nursing Licensure book, or a TEAS study guide
Math Section
Personally, this is my weakest subject, but somehow I got a 93 in this section. This section is extremely straightforward, so I’m going to tell you right now EXACTLY what you need to study:
- Conversion from Fraction – Decimal – Percentage
- Mixed numbers and improper fractions (How to add/subtract/multiply/divide and convert to the opposite)
- Add/Subtract/Multiply/Divide Fractions
- Ratios
- Basic algebra such as [X+5=25]
- Converting to and from the metric system
That’s it.
I’m not even joking.
If you study all that, you will have no problem acing this section. But a piece of advice for you is that while the questions are easy, some word problems require critical thinking. The test phrases the questions in a way that involves complex thinking. Also, some questions are related to nursing, such as drug dosages.
How to study: My most valuable resource for this section was the Pre-RN math section. This book goes into detail and does a great job of breaking down all the topics. There are many practice questions to help quiz you along the way!
Writing Section
This is another section that is hard to truly “study” for. Luckily this section also relies on basic knowledge and grammar. If you survived high school or English 101 then you should have no significant issues. The questions in this section will provide you with a short reading passage, then ask you where to insert/delete a sentence, edit punctuation, or fix grammar mistakes. Sadly, just like the reading section, multiple answers may appear to be correct. Thankfully previous test takers have captured the most commonly tested grammar topics and created quilts for them!
How to Study: Quizlet, quizlet, quizlet! And once again any ACT, SAT, or TEAS review book.
Science Section
This is the one section where I found myself singing Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus take the wheel.” The questions are all biology, chemistry, but primarily, physiology questions. No anatomy. So unless you just finished A&P, you might want to go refresh. Some example questions:
What is the route of blood flow through the heart?
What happens during an asthma attack?
Aging changes which sensations?
What hormones are primarily responsible for fluid balance?
The questions ask about in-depth body processes like which hormone does this, what is the function of a B or T cell? Questions like that.
Since the test has a big pool to draw questions from, I recommend studying all these systems:
- Cardiovascular system
- Electrolytes
- Gastrointestinal system
- Immune system
- Neurology
- Renal system
- Hematological system
- Homeostasis
- Respiratory system
- Sensory system
(Know your common hormones such as LSH, ADH + Know about the SA and AV node)
How to Study: Khan academy and notes from previous A&P classes will serve as the best resources.
Happy studies!