monday morning

The TEAS, which stands for Test of Essential Academic Skills, is the fifth and final hurdle (it's also a four-hour exam) I must clear to apply for the Ivy Tech registered-nursing program. The previous hurdles consisted of me getting A's in four prerequisite classes (English Comp, Psych 101, and Anatomy & Physiology 101 and 102). An A in each of those classes is worth 30 points, a B 20 and C's are worth 10, so it's essential to score A's in those four classes. Most, if not all, potential applicants have gotten A's in the prereq classes; that fact makes the TEAS score crucial – it separates the nursing students from the nursing applicants.

I'm allowed to take the TEAS three times; however, thirty days must expire before taking the exam again. I took the TEAS for the first time Monday morning, so I'll have two more opportunities to take the exam again before the April application deadline. Scores from multiple exams are not compiled into a single score, but the highest individual score will be the one submitted with my application.

Back to Monday morning: I took the TEAS and finished in the 95^th percentile. I'm pretty excited about that, but I probably shouldn't be too enthused. The past year saw a nation-wide spike in nursing school enrollment, so the competition will be intense for the program's allotted 40 slots. I plan on taking the exam again next month and, depending on that score, may take it one final time in March.

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