Welcome! This blog is Retired. However, you may still enjoy some of the finer pages of vintage online ramblings out there! Inspired by the certainty of my headaches, "The Headache Diaries" may include my headache log, people, places, and things that I don't like, as well as people, places, and things that I do like. Blog officially retired 02.14.2021
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Today I am going to attempt to give in my application. I will have to get there before they open so I can be first, or one of the first on line since it is a "walk-in" day. Hopefully, there will not be a bunch of other ambitious women there doing the same exact thing. I am usually first, and I have noticed the only other "group" of people that directly challenge my early rising ability are Asians and Russians (which I guess, are technically Asians). And since I live in Arizona, the number of those groups is not as high as in Brooklyn. It's also good that it is kind of the middle of the semester. That way, there aren't going to be a whole bunch of people fighting to get their applications in because they finally finished the prerequisites. However, I am prepared to stay there all day if I have to. I must have the stamp! Then I can finally move on and relax. Or at least, do my taxes. I have been putting that off because of all of this.
So that is my day! Hopefully not all of my day, but I am ready if that is going to happen. I will bring some bars with me in case I am waiting and waiting but don't want to give up my spot to get food. HA HA!
So I went and took that HESI A2 yesterday and I did well!
Well, of course! Were you expecting any different? I just wish I scored like this on the MCAT!
Overall, I scored 96%. Percentage-wise, I did better on this exam than the PAX-RN I took in 2003. Of course, I didn't know I was supposed to take that exam either. Anyways, percentile-wise, I think I did better on the PAX-RN, scoring 99%-ile overall. The HESI doesn't give a percentile, but it seemed easier. Anyway, this school doesn't require the science portions, so I can't really compare the tests.
As far as the review books are concerned, the Elsevier book is the best way to go. The vocabulary words are good, as they test quite a few of those, but not all. But as I thought, almost ALL of the vocabulary is medically related somehow. So you don't have to know words like "concupiscence," but rather words along the "corpuscle" and "empathetic" lines. The math portion is spot-on, although I didn't get any Roman numerals or temperature conversions. I did get a LOT of ratios and convert this fraction to either lowest terms or decimals. Some math questions had errors, so perhaps that is why I scored a 98%. The reading part is good too, but the book talks about summarizing, when the test says "conclusions." I dunno what that is, but I did not do well on "conclusions"! I thought the questions in the reading were stupid, and some had errors or were just not a good question. There was one question with a GRAMMAR ERROR in it! HA! Anyways, I think the book is good for that too. The grammar in the book is good, but if you want to get in the 90s, you will need that "Nitty Gritty" book. I couldn't have done it without it! AND I suggest you also go over the grammar and vocab sections of the MOMETRIX review. I know there is ONE copy at Gateway library, so good luck finding it; it took me prob 30 minutes to find it. I don't even know where it was because that library is not a DEWEY library. I do know it was in one of the back rows of books on a top shelf. When I found it, it was out of place. It's a skinny white book, very easy to miss, as there is no writing on the spine. The MOMETRIX review is a lot harder than the HESI, but the grammar review is great. Also, the GRAMMAR GIRL book with the misused words is kinda helpful, but see if you can take that out of a library instead of buying it.
So now I am free! All I have to do now is fill out my application and get that "stamp." I will do that next week, Monday probably. I am signed up for my last class, and I hope I can get into the concurrent program quick with my scores. If not, oh well. I tried! Anyways, Today I have to return all my books for the next poor soul who is studying for this dumb test. Good luck to you!
Other than that, I am going to see if the Coach store has some "baby bags" that don't look like crap.
So I finished the two books and I failed the grammar quiz with an 82.5%. However, when the other English scores are averaged, the total is a 93%, so I pass. My math score was a 92.5%, also a pass.
So here are the differences between the 2nd and 3rd editions:
The math section has new review for algebra. The questions in the back of the chapter reflect this. Some questions are "fill in the blank" and I assume the HESI also will have fill in the blank style questions. Each section in the math chapter has questions, and almost all of these are exactly the same. So basically, the math section is the same. Just add algebra. In both editions, they ask how to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, and both editions DO NOT give the conversion formula. HELLO! So here it is: F = 1.8(C)+32. Sheesh. The 2nd edition does not list the conversion for kilograms to pounds in the tables at the end of the chapter, so here it is 1kg = 2.2lbs. I would say that the most important things to know are Fahrenheit to Celsius, kilograms to pounds, inches to centimeters, ounces to milliliters, and those crazy roman numerals. Also, that 4 quarts is a gallon. And if you can't remember the temperature conversion, AT LEAST remember that body temp in Celsius is 37 degrees. The 3rd edition goes into better detail about temperatures in the chemistry section, but still seems to ask the conversion questions in the MATH section. It also doesn't give the conversion formula. I am annoyed by this because there is a question on the quiz that specifically asks to convert the temperature... And its fill in the blank style so you can't even guess! STUUUPID! I will say that a previous Ukrainian friend of mine told me how to approximate: double the Celsius temperature and add 30. Personally, I prefer to add 25, especially when working with larger numbers. So maybe remember that if anything. However, if it is fill in the blank, you're still screwed. Also, for those fill in the blank questions, some say to round if necessary. Well, watch what they want you to round it to. Is it tenths? Hundredths? Whole number? Also if they ask about money, round it to the cents. There is a question that asks what will his pay be and I just out down what I calculated. Wrong! According to the book, they want it rounded to the cents. So just be careful.
Reading comprehension is the same. The questions are the same.
Vocabulary in 3rd edition is updated! The Vocabulary section in the 2nd edition asked question for word and abbreviations not covered in the book. The 3rd edition has 24 new words, which were basically the words in the 2nd edition on the quiz that was asked but not covered. Both editions still asked stuff not covered like "tertiary healthcare" and "Q.I.D" and one of the editions wants you to know the difference between "breach" and "breech" but doesn't go over it. "Breech" means "behind," such as a "breech baby" who will come out butt (behind) first if delivered normally. "Breach" means to break or violate something like an agreement. or some abbreviations, check out this link or this one if you are really ambitious.
The grammar section is the same, but the questions in the 3rd edition are now separated from the vocabulary test. The questions in the 3rd edition are much harder, although there are fewer questions on the review test. I think the book by itself does a below average job explaining what you need to know in detail. This section is where you will definitely need extra books or just study the grammar book by itself. The book I suggested, "Nitty Gritty," is a good book to study with because it gives some colorful examples of the rules and parts of speech and sentences.
Biology is pretty much the same. The new edition has color pictures with good detail on DNA and reproduction of cells. There are more questions in the new edition. There is also a separate biology test at the end of the book
The chemistry section is updated in the new edition, but still doesn't give the temperature conversion. It does go into scientific notation and more about the metric system and temperatures. It also adds a little bit of biochemistry, getting into the basics of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. There is a separate chemistry test at the end of the book.
The anatomy and physiology are pretty much the same. The new edition has more pictures of the systems,and they are in color. However, the older edition has a page full of anatomy terminology that I think is helpful. The 3rd edition does not have this and the words on this list are not in the updated vocabulary section. I think they should have kept this list. Oh well. There is also a separate anatomy and physiology test in the new edition.
Physics is the same except the 3rd edition adds a couple paragraphs on magnetism and a nice picture on generating electricity using electromagnetic fields. I guess they add this for people who are going into x-ray tech school or something, or just to know how x-rays work. Both editions do not have a separate quiz, but they offer sample questions for each topic and a separate test at the end of the book. The long test is pretty much the same.
The new edition also has a glossary at the end of the book, the 2nd edition does not. However, this glossary does not include the bonus vocabulary in the anatomy section. I think the glossary is useful.
So those are the two books! I say get hem from the library if you can because they are expensive. However, if I had to pick one, get the new edition. I won't rate the books until I take the test tomorrow, so that way I can tell if they actually helped me.
Right now, I am going to go over the last of my questions from a different book that I found in the Gateway library. I copied the questions for vocabulary and grammar review and I can do them before noon probably. Then, hopefully, TJ will be home and we can go shopping!!
So today, even though I would like to go shopping, I will do my last test in the HESI Books for grammar. I went over and made notes for the rules I need to remember. I used a few books to help, since the HESI book doesn't describe or give examples for everything (also see the Goodreads side bar):
Tomorrow, when I am done with these two HESI books, I will post the differences in the two editions. There isn't much difference, so prepare to be underwhelmed. After I take the exam (and get a score) I will post my ratings of the books. At this point, I don't know how effective they are as study tools so we shall see. I will take the test Wednesday so wish me luck!
In sad news, my ol' TI-82 has cleared its memory for some reason! It turns 18 this year, and I was changing out the batteries and when I turned it on, poof! the dreaded "MEM CLEARED" appeared on the screen! I have had those old programs on that thing since 1996. Sigh. Oh well. I guess I never really used the math programs, but I had made my own programs for chemistry in 1999. Those are gone too. I guess I won't need those either since I finally got my A in chemistry. Well, I guess that now that my calculator is an adult, it should be able to do what it wants to. Maybe it will register to vote.
Anyways, the fetus is beating me up so it must be hungry. I will eat breakfast then get to that last test. I have more review materials, but I want to finish these two books since the writers are the test makers. If I am not in too much pain (my legs hurt), I will think about going to buy some shoes for work or shirts.
Oh yeah, I already registered for the "pathophysiology" class. This will be my first class, online or not, with a baby. Luckily, I will start and end when I am on leave so I hope it goes well. I am excited to take it because it sounds interesting. However, I am suspicious of anything "nursing" so I am keen on that drop date. I don't want to drop it this summer because I want to be able to apply to that concurrent program, but I guess that doesn't matter if the class sucks ass. Hopefully it won'r suck ass!
Well I got up with TJ as usual, and I was looking at my stuff as usual, when this urge to sleep befell me. I just could not keep my head up, so I went to the bed to nap and well, I am not even sure if it has been two, three, or four hours! Well, That is okay I guess since I don't have weekends anymore, I can't catch up on my sleep. I have to sleep when I feel I need it. And I guess I needed it now.
Yesterday, I didn't do much in the way of the English grammar review; it took much longer than I thought to buy some groceries. Then I decided to make a lasagna so I could use up some of my spinach. It turned out pretty yummy, and I used my new pan! Anyways, today I have all day to go over the stuff so I will do that. I still plan on taking the test next week.
The baby is doing okay so far. It's been kicking here and there and moving around still. Not much to report other than it feels like its been trying to scratch its way out.
Well what do you know? The credits transferred! My biology became biology, my English 17 became English II, and my microbiology became microbiology! Whoo hoo! I have been having fantastic luck at this school so I hope it keeps going. Now the only thing left to do is take that test and I can do my application. I will take that test next week, maybe Wednesday. Today and tomorrow I will go over the grammar stuff, and then continue it on Monday and Tuesday. I should be good for Wednesday. Luckily, you can take the test on a walk-in basis, so I can just take it when I am ready. I would assume I am ready now, but I want to score as high as possible so I can have a better chance at getting in that concurrent program faster.
Speaking of which, there is one more class I have to take before I can apply for the concurrent program: pathophysiology. I wanted to take it THIS semester, and I even enrolled in it, but the ding-dong at the enrollment desk didn't tell me that the bill was due that day. HELLO! I thought I had a couple weeks to pay and the next thing I know, I am dropped! Now I have to take the class in the summer, which I would rather not do because I don't want to cram that knowledge in half the time. But I will take it because I will have a slight chance to get it done before the deadline to the concurrent program for the fall. Plus I will be on FMLA pretty much the whole time, so at least I won't have to juggle work, school, and a BABY. Just school and a baby. Thank God I have TJ! He is my rock. And he's cute to boot!
So today's agenda is buying some Tofurky and "cheese" for TJ, liver for me (eeew, but I need the b12!), ice (we are desparately out), and, I think that's it for now. Then I will get cracking with the grammar and laundry. I think I will make a huge pot of rice to last today and tomorrow, hopefully. TJ is like me and eats quite a bit of rice when available. I think I will make some sort of bean dish for dinner. I am trying to go through all my food before I go on a shopping event. I have plenty of beans and other proteins to make up before I go out and restock my cupboards and freezer. My freezer is almost bare! Hooray! I have a bunch of spinach I need to do something with. I was thinking some kind of croissants stuffed with cream cheese spinach stuff. Or not. I dunno yet. But I better get going!
Okay so here are the results: 100% in reading comprehension, 96.7% in vocabulary, and 92.5% in math. I am annoyed about the math because I made dumb mistakes, as usual. I must not be careless when lining things up and such. I did not finish the grammar because I need to look over the rules. Once I do that, I will take the last practice test. When I finish that, I will write about the differences of the two book, which is not much.
Yesterday I called the school to see if my credits were evaluated. They were! Bad news was that not everything was transferred correctly. So now I have to go to the office and show them course descriptions so I can get the appropriate credits. The ones they screwed up were: Eng 2 (they said it s a repeat of English 1), biology (they gave me blanket credit and I am not sure that will count, but I am not sure I need it either), and microbiology (they gave me blanket credit for that as well, but it should be counted as microbiology). I had spent all morning looking up old course bulletins, and I found most of them. I have a feeling I will be met with resistance, but I am hoping that it goes well today and they change my credits to the right ones.
I will be having one busy morning! Not looking forward to it, but if I can get the credits, I am good to go. If I don't, I will have to conjure up a new scheme of plans. I am not looking forward to that even more!
Well, I know I said I'd be back in a few hours... I am back but just a few more hours past than I said I would probably be back. In any case, I took the practice tests in the back of the book and got 90 in the sections. That's pretty bad considering. So I was determined to NOT fall asleep during the math section and get faster at the problems. My reading comprehension is fine, but I must work on the grammar stuff. I got a new book (3rd edition) and it seems that the practice problems in the chapters are the same as the old book (2nd edition), however, I haven't looked at the practice exams because I am saving those for when I finish these problems. I started working on the math stuff a few days ago, but then I had to go to work. So now I have time off again, I will pick up where I left off and finish up the sections. Then I will take the (hopefully) new practice exams and see how that goes. I am aiming for 95+ in all categories.
In other news, the baby is moving around, as usual. Not much to report than the kicking is getting stronger and it likes to swim. It likes corn too. But so do I, so not sure who is benefiting more from eating corn.
I am also hungry but I don't know what to eat. I know, my life is rough.
Well I can't say I am feeling super! All day this fetus has been beating the crap out of me. Twisting, turning, kicking, and who knows what else. It's very uncomfortable, especially when it leans against my belly. The skin from my navel is exposed now (although I don't have an "outie") and it is very sensitive when I touch it or even look at it. But when it gets rubbed from inside, it feels so weird and uncomfortable. It's annoying enough that I kind of don't want to study anything or go anywhere, but I am trying my hardest to get through some grammar.
So Instead of typing up a word list, some nice person already did all the work! Here, you will find the words already in flashcard form. There are minimal errors, such as rationale spelled rational, but otherwise, it seems close enough.
Anyways, I am going to do all the questions in this HESI book and see how I do. Apparently, you get a pop up calculator to use on the math part of the exam, so I will use that to check my work. I have four hours to do the TWO sections, but I will just do all the questions and see how I do. I am sure it's a bit easier than the MCAT!
Other than that, check out my new visitor map on the sidebar. I get "visitors" from countries like Hungary, so I thought I would put the globe up to see if the Blog stats are accurate or the stats are just some spam robot. I think it's a spam robot, but I am a pessimist when it comes to location stats.
So I figured that before I go to work, I will finish going through the last two chapters in that HESI book I need for the exam. Today's topics are Vocabulary and Grammar.
There isn't much to the vocab section; it's basically "memorize these words for the exam." The words on the list are basically nurse words such as abstain, bilateral, contour, defecate, exogenous, flushed, gender, hygiene, insidious, labile, manifestation, nutrient, oral, paroxysmal, rationale (ha ha), symptom, untoward, and void. The list isn't even that much longer than what I wrote here. I think I can type up the list and post it on the sidebar if anyone wants it. If you look up each word on your own, you will have the idea of the word. Most of these I know already and a few I confused with something else. This book gives an example of each word in a sentence as well. I guess that is good for people who can't understand what the dictionary means when they say noun or verb.
Which leads to the next section: Grammar. Here is the section I need to work through slowly. I DO NOT KNOW parts of speech. I just know English well. I scored perfect on my GMAT writing, so that is enough proof there. Apparently, I know how words work and where they go, but don't ask me to NAME the types of words or the slots they go into. HA!
Okay so the grammar section has:
The eight parts of speech (you got me there): Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
Nine terms of grammar that I don't know: a clause, a direct object, and indirect object, a phrase, a predicate, a predicate adjective (huh?), a predicate nominative (what?), a sentence (okay I recognize that one), and a subject.
The top ten grammatical mistakes: subject-verb agreement (I think I've seen this once or twice on MS Word grammar check), comma usage in a compound sentence (very popular mistake on internet forums), run-on sentences (also very popular on the internet), pronoun case, comma use in a series, "unclear or vague pronoun reference" (check out the practice here), sentence fragment, misplaced modifier (definitely seen that many times on MS Word), pronouns that indicate possession (I, my, mine; We, our, ours; It, its, its), and ending a sentence with a preposition (this is pretty much how everyone talks).
Four suggestions for success (how to not be annoying: no cliches, euphemisms, sexist language, profanity, and insensitive language, the last one meaning try to be politically correct.)
Fifteen troublesome word pairs (such as effect vs. affect; good vs. well, farther vs. further, fewer vs. less, who vs. whom, etc)
I can see that I will be spending most of my time in the grammar section! Lucky me, I had already studied most of the "troublesome word pairs" for the GMAT, so I think I can handle that one. This chapter has boxes containing words to know, such as "commonly used prepositions" and "possessive personal pronouns." I may have to make flash cards, as I am clueless for all this. Now the sample questions don't ask specifically "what is the interjection of the following sentence?" so I am not sure how much to study these terms. However, since I have time before they finish evaluating my transcripts, it may be worth it to go over these terms and know them well anyways. Here is a nice set of questions, but I don't know if the answers are provided. After I complete the sample questions and the practice exam in the book, I will do that test.
I would also like to take the practice exam for the biology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and physics sections, just to see how I do. I'm curious to see what I remember. When I took the pre-NLN, I remember thinking "why do they ask these questions when we are not even required to study it?" I was talking about the physics section mostly. The test asked questions on circuits and voltage, and for KCC, you don't have to take physics to get in. All you have to take is "Science 25" which is some watered down version of physics and chemistry put together. I used to just put my headphones in one ear and cover it with my hair so the teacher wouldn't see. I never listened to the lecture. Why? I already took advanced physics and general chemistry so this class was just something I had to do. I don't think I scored less than a 98 on all of my tests in that class. It was a similar case for "statistics" class. I think my lowest mark in that class was a 98. But I had to take it since all my other math classes didn't count because they were not statistics. In that class, we were allowed to write the formulas on a sheet, so why anyone failed is beyond me.
Anyways, I am going write down my words and take the sample test. Then I can gauge how much I "need to study" grammar. I also need to eat breakfast! I am very hungry. I will do that and get back to this blog in a bit.
No, I did not spend all day on HESI stuff. What I did do was use up all my perishable goods in the fridge to make salsa, sambar, and cookies. I also sliced the pickles finally. I also threw away some old crap that I totally am not going to eat now. It feels good to get through some stuff so you don't have to throw it out.
Anyways, I am working on the English section now: Reading. In this section, you read some boring paragraphs and they ask you questions about the boring paragraphs you just read. They ask:
What is the main idea, stated in the boring paragraph and implied.
Identify the supporting details (a description, background, or examples).
What is the meaning of this word in this context.
What is the writer's purpose and what is the writer's tone (informative, entertainment, persuasion).
Know the difference between fact and fiction (Opinion = cannot be proven; uses words that are subjective like "He is cute" or "That was great").
Make a logical inference (Check this out for some practice).
Summarize the boring paragraphs. (The book says that this takes the most time because you actually have to read through each answer to find the correct one. The correct answer will have the main idea, be in the correct order, and not have any information not presented in the paragraphs. It says that if you follow these rules, you will eliminate wrong answers.)
Well that is all great to know! Now it's snack time.
Well, I reordered a transcript from St. John's and just put the simplified address. Lo and behold, it arrives today! Well, the adviser said it would take 4-6 weeks to evaluate my transcripts... I hope not! Well, I guess if it does, what can I do? I called the "enrollment office" and they have already "evaluated" my two Zonie transcripts, so that's a good start! I just hope they get the steppin' on the rest.
So today I was getting beat up by my own fetus, as usual. I wonder if her legs have straightened out yet, or actually, folded up. I feel this child gets heavier by the day, sometimes by the minute. I am approaching 29 weeks, so she better be gaining weight. I have a bad leg cramp today, probably from all that crazy walking I did this weekend at my job. Today I have off, so it is nice to relax. I am very glad I am not dish washing right now, as this new job is almost my limit with 20 hours a week. I hope I can make it to the FMLA date! That will be in late April. I am seriously considering just staying here to have the baby. I am just not sure I can handle that journey to NY.
I went over some of the HESI stuff, but just a skim. I spent most of the day eating and playing games on Facebook. I think I will be okay with the math portion. Here is the math rundown according to the book I have:
Basic addition and subtraction with and without regrouping (365+236 or 123-56)
Basic multiplication and division of whole numbers (45x12 and 65/4)
Addition and subtraction of decimals (123.56+0.254 or 51.26-12.36)
Multiplication and division of decimals (3.75x1.56 or 41.2/2.22)
Everything with fractions:
reducing fractions to lowest form (6/12 -> 1/2); finding the lowest common denominator (LCD)(LCD of 1/3 and 3/5 is 15); Changing improper fractions to a mixed number (27/5 ->5 and 2/5) and vice versa (5 and 2/5 -> 27/5); Addition and subtraction of fractions with common and different denominators (2/9+3/9 and 1/4+2/3 or 5/8 - 1/8 and 3/5-1/2); Adding and subtracting mixed numbers (1 1/2 + 2 2/3 or 4 3/5 - 1 4/9); Multiplication and division of fractions (1/5x2/3 or 3/5 / 5/9); Changing fractions to decimals (3/4 -> 0.75) and vice versa (0.75 -> 3/4)
Ratio and proportion:
Change decimal to a ratio (0.050 -> 50/1000 -> 1/20 -> 1:20); Change fraction to a ratio (3/25 -> 3:25); Solve the proportion (3:x::10:60 so x=?)
Percentages
Change decimal to a percent (0.20 -> 20%); Change percent to decimal (22% -> 0.22); Change fraction to a percent (2/5 -> 0.4 -> 40%); Finding the percent as a word problem ("What is 2 out of 5 expressed as a percent?" or "What is 22% of 123?" or "15 is 20% of what number?")
Converting civilian time to military time (6:33 am -> 0633) and vice versa (2114 -> 9:14pm)
Temperature conversion (0 degrees Celcius = 32 degrees Farenheit; 100 Celcius is 212 Farenheit)
Length conversion metric and Imperial (1km = 1000m or 1 mile = 5280 feet)
Volume conversion metric and Imperial (1L = 1000mL or 1 cup = 8 ounces and especially 1 oz = 30mL)
Weight and mass conversion metric and Imperial (1kg = 1000g or 1 pound = 16 ounces)
And that is the math portion of the HESI!
Not much to go over for me, but I guess some people will find this part hard. If you can't find a HESI book for the math, you can also take out a GRE or GMAT book, it covers the same basic math. I'll go over the English part tomorrow, then do all the review questions in the book and see how I do.
