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How the HESI A2 Entrance Exam Works
The HESI A2 Entrance Exam is a computerized exam that is meant to test your knowledge based on pre-requisite classes you should have taken. Did you learn everything you needed to know for the exam in class? Probably not. But that is why you must take it upon yourself to study apart from your classes specifically for this exam.
The exam is split up into sections by subject, and every school has different subject requirements. For GCU, you will take 5 tests: reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, math, and anatomy and physiology. Some colleges require physics and chemistry, but it is important to check with the school. You can take as long as you need on each section, and can take a break at any time, but the test as a whole is timed at 5 hours. So if you take too long on one section, you could risk not finishing another section. However, I took my sweet time and still finished with 2-3 hours to spare.
Most colleges do not require an overall score, but certain scores for each subject. GCU's minimum requirements for entrance scores per section are 80% in reading, grammar, vocabulary, and math; anatomy and physiology is a 75% (GCU, 2018).
Depending on your college's requirements, there is a maximum number of attempts for the exam. For GCU, you may only take it twice per application period and a total of four times in two application periods. Meaning, you can only test and apply for the program twice before being forced to choose a different major or school. I am not sure if all colleges do this, but GCU takes your best overall attempt for the application if you were to take the exam twice. So if you failed a section, or you just feel like you can get a better score, taking the test a second time is an option!
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| The most current HESI Admission exam review guide. I used the edition 3 when studying. Image retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Admission-Assessment-Exam-Review-4e/dp/0323353789/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529100817&sr=8-1&keywords=elsevier+hesi+entrance |
Invest in a Study Guide & Textbook!
Think of it this way: by the time you get to the HESI Entrance exam, you would have spent thousands of dollars on your education thus far. What is a couple extra bucks to make sure you pass? I know it's not fun to buy books that are not required, but SERIOUSLY. Investing in a good study guide is a must for this exam, especially if you are like me and have not taken a math or english class since high school!
Above is a photo of the most recent HESI Admissions Assessment Review Guide. I used this brand in the edition 3 when I took my exam and it worked WONDERS. Elsevier is the company that creates the HESI exams, so obviously they are probably the best bet in terms of review guides. The math, english, vocabulary, and grammar portions of the edition 3 study guide were phenomenal! So much so, that everything that was on the test was in this guide. The only downside is that the anatomy and physiology section, although a good overview, was not nearly detailed enough to help me pass (more on that later).
For the anatomy and physiology section, I strongly suggest going through a textbook cover-to-cover to make notes and illustrations, if time permits. If you don't have enough time to read through the entire textbook, just read the chapter summaries and answer the review questions. I know, I know! You are probably like, "But Jenna, I just took anatomy and physiology. Why do I need to read through an entire boring textbook of what I already learned?" Just trust me. It doesn't hurt to read the textbook again if your future is depending on it. If you still have your anatomy and physiology textbook from your pre-requisite class, then use that. Otherwise, just head over to Goodwill and buy the most recent edition possible for a couple of bucks. Don't worry if it is a bit outdated! The information taught in A&P has hardly changed over the years. An outdated textbook may have some newer findings missing, but the information it does contain should all still be correct. The textbook I got from Goodwill was from 1996 (that is older than me), and it still worked like a charm.
For Anatomy and Physiology, I went through major topics, such as the cranial nerves, and drew illustrations (see below). You do not have to be an artist to draw yourself diagrams! Drawing things out, at least for me, helps solidify the concept that I am learning. When I take an exam, I visualize my drawing in my head and it helps to narrow things down.
Regardless, you do you! What works for me may not work for you, because everyone has a different learning style. Let me know in the comments what worked best for you!
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| This was my family's dining room table the day before my second attempt at the HESI exam. |
"Failure" Does Not Equal Failure!
Okay, if you haven't noticed a pattern in my articles yet, nursing school is chock FULL of "failure"!!! I have "failed" SO many times, but you know what? I am still a damn good nurse! I used to not be able to say that, but one must look at "failure" more as a need for improvement than as a reason to quit. "Failing" an exam does not mean that you are a failure. It just shows you where your weak spots are. If you evaluate yourself and your study methods after receiving a bad grade, you can improve and come back stronger than before!
Anyway, my point is that you may "fail" your HESI Entrance exam, and that is perfectly okay. Believe it or not, I "failed" it my first time as well, and I was destroyed. I got 90s and up on all of the sections... except A&P. The study guide I used seemed so easy for that section, that I thought for sure the questions would be simple. I can't discuss what the questions consisted of, but I can say that they were WAY more detailed than I thought they would be! I got a 62%!
The reason that I am writing this for you now, as a Level 4 nursing student, is because I did end up passing. Once I walked out of that exam, I was really upset. But like I said before, GCU gives you a second chance per application period. I knew that I had to kick it into gear, so I signed up for the next exam and forced myself to spend the next week solely devoted to studying for A&P. My family's dining room table was FULL of illustrations, textbooks, and study guides for the whole week.
One thing that I strongly suggest you do after the exam, is log on to your Elsevier account and look at your results. It will actually show you exactly what sections you got wrong and, get this, provide you a detailed study guide for those sections. The study guide is extremely helpful, because you will most likely get similar questions the second time around to test your improvement.
What to do Before the Exam
This may have been drilled through your head time and time again, but there is no hurt in saying it again. The day before the exam, make sure to do something relaxing for a few hours and get a good night's rest (at least nine hours). I call bullcrap on the whole "don't study the day before the exam" thing. I like to study the day before, but I do not study for as long as the days before that.
It is, however, very important that you don't overload your brain the day of. I still to this day struggle with fighting the urge to pull out my notes and study up until the test starts. If you absolutely have to out of nervousness, pull out something simple to memorize, like vocabulary or metric conversions. Do not try to learn a physiology concept before the exam, because it will not stick in your short-term memory.
If you have not taken nutrition or you do not quite understand it, eating is very important to your exam performance! The day before the exam, it is especially important to eat a balanced diet. The day of, make sure to eat a healthy breakfast full of foods good for your brain. My go-to exam food is overnight oats or a yogurt parfait. Never ever drink coffee or anything else caffeinated before an exam, no matter how tired you may be. It may help you get that boost of alertness at first, but you will be extra nervous during the exam and may even crash during it. Instead, go for an apple or orange with cold water to get you alert.
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I hope that this information was helpful to you in preparing for the HESI Entrance exam. Let me know in the comments what worked for you when you took the HESI Entrance exam! I would love to hear from you. Hit the like button if this was helpful and subscribe to my blog for notifications on future posts. 💜
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References
Grand Canyon University. (2018). College of nursing and health care professions. Retrieved from https://students.gcu.edu/academics/college-of-nursing-and-health-care-professions.php
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