Before beginning this semester, I was not a great test taker. I struggled with rushing, changing answers, and test taking anxiety. I was able to use the individual performance profile from the ATI assessments to notice when I was making these mistakes and improve the issues that I had. I noticed that I started to go slower with my questions, which helped me to read the questions fully and not make any unnecessary mistakes. I also stopped changing my answers and second guessing myself.
Through doing the ATI assessments, I was able to figure out which content areas I was having difficulties with. By doing the remediations, I was able to focus on the areas that I was not doing well in. This also helped me realized which topics I did well in and that I do not need to focus on too much for the NCLEX.
I have been focusing more on my mental health since the end of last year. I knew it was time for me to have intervention when it started to affect my test taking. I struggle with extreme test taking anxiety, and I always felt my results never showed how much knowledge I had on the topics. I started to find a combination of mental health strategies to help decrease my testing anxiety and improve my grades. As I transition into practice, I will continue to incorporate these self-care practices to be able to be my best self and provide the best care possible.
I believe that this semester has helped me prepare for practice more than my previous semester. The thing that has helped me the most is doing all of the practice tests and remediations. I felt more prepared for the NCLEX after each exam, and after the comp exams, I am feeling much more confident about how I will perform on it. I also started to become more confident in my skill through my clinical rotations. I will be able to use these skills that I learned through my clinical rotations to help me in my future nursing practices.
