Started My RN Leadership Exam Prep Journey
Woke up Monday feeling totally overwhelmed by that online practice course. Saw that ugly “Attempt 1: 62%” mock test score flashing on my screen. Knew I had to fix this fast.
First Attempt Disaster
Crammed for 3 hours straight right after work. Bad idea. My eyeballs glazed over the leadership theory slides. Memorized random terms thinking it would help. Failed attempt #2 even worse than the first try. Felt like banging my head against the wall.
Got Serious About These Tips
Tuesday morning brewed extra coffee and actually read the tips everybody kept talking about:
- Highlighted ONLY case studies instead of all text
- Took pen/paper notes for scenarios like “nurse staffing crisis”
- Made flashcards for 10 ethics dilemmas people mentioned
Changed My Approach
Stopped reading every boring slide. Skipped to practice questions and worked backwards. When I got one wrong:
- Scribbled down WHY my answer sucked
- Looked for patterns in my dumb mistakes
- Redid ONLY sections where score was garbage
Built Real Momentum
Wednesday felt like lightbulb moments. Took 15-minute breaks every hour. Used my kid’s whiteboard to diagram decision trees. Practiced explaining concepts out loud to my confused cat. Started connecting leadership crap to actual shift experiences.
Final Push & Results
Thursday night ran through timed exams until midnight. Chugged energy drinks. Messed up mock test #7 but saw scores climbing steadily. Attempt #8 hit 78% – still garbage but showed improvement. Finally on Friday morning:
- Nailed attempt #12 with 92%
- Screamed “YES!” loud enough to annoy neighbors
- Ate celebratory pizza before passing out cold
Turns out those “quick tips” work if you actually USE them. Still think that course material needs serious rewriting though.
