Failed a Nurse Battery Exam

So 200 plus applications later as a new grad, I finally get a call from HR about a position. The conversation is great... Then I receive the battery exam to identify my "talent" or apparent lack thereof. And... I fail. It is unfortunate because I need a job, have kids to feed, and did EVERYTHING possible in nursing school to turn the odds in my favor of landing employment afterwards.

I cannot for the life of me figure out how these exams have any validity. Anyway, I am just venting because this job seemed like a great opportunity, and I feel that if given a chance to answer open-ended questions, as in an interview, I would not fail.

Anyone who passed battery exams have any advice? I can retake it in 6 months (although I doubt I will). It just seems so robotic, and impersonal. I can't wait till the market turns around, and I wonder how long these companies that invent these exams will last.
http://allnurses.com/nursing-career-...ry-332451.htmlThere is a thread about the same topic. Even nurses with many years of experience have failed. I have yet to be exposed to a test like that... But I will be very careful with my answers if I ever have to take one! Sorry to hear about your situation and I do wish you the best of luck in your career path.

Am I right in assuming that this was one of those assessments that is intended to measure personality characteristics? If so, they are probably using a standardized tool that has sufficient reliability & validity - otherwise, they are opening themselves up to liability from discrimination claims. I think the problem is - these assessment instruments are not intended to be any sort of a Pass/Fail - they are meant to indicate where you fall on a continuum. The major issue is how organizations are tying a particular "score" to a job characteristic. So - an applicant who sores 80% on the "compassion index" is OK, but one who scores 79% is not acceptable? how did they establish the cut scores?Another issue - people lie. Seriously, there's research on this. The higher the stakes, the more likely people are to lie. Especially on measures of 'honesty'. And trying to decide whether you get hired - that's pretty high stakes. Finally, using any sort of standardized measure to decide who to hire will eventually decrease the overall diversity of a work group. This is usually not a good thing because it dampens creativity and increases tendency toward group-think.WOOT! 26 hours of I & O psych coursework in my doctoral program..... nothing is ever wasted, right?

I agree with HouTx but would add, then you get the nurse who overthinks the answers and screws up the test that way.LOL I know I am guilty of that when it comes to tests. I have taken one in the past and think they really need to be done away with for the same reasons listed by HouTx.

I've had to take a battery test for every major employer that I have applied to & I chalk it up to being a nurse. What I mean is as a nurse, things are constantly changing so we must always stay educated. I don't mind test taking cause it keeps me on top of my game & I have yet to fail or do poorly on one of these tests. I actually just took a long test for a HH position, that was worse then the hospitals I've applied at. What I do when I take a test is, I do remediation on each question. You always see 2 that are completely incorrect & I cross those off immediately then I review the remaining 2. In the past I'd take a test so fast & way too confident then I'd fail, so this method works best for me. Don't be too hard on yourself & find a test taking solution that suits you best.

I'm really sorry about your experience. I'm a recently graduated/licensed RN trying to land an interview and job. I desperately need a job as well. What is a battery exam? I've never heard of this. I have taken a basic competency exam before being asked for an interview, if you passed you got an interview, if not you were sent home. This was for a PCA position while I was in nursing school. Not sure if a battery exam is similar.Good luck in your job search!

What in flaming blazes is a battery test? I swear, the thought of my employer trying to pull the kind of garbage I see mentioned on this site is enough to give me palpitations.OP, that sucks... Maybe it is a blessing in disguise? I find in life that if someone wants me to jump through some ridiculous hoop in order to join with them I am often better off steering clear!

Thank you for the encouragement. It was very discouraging. The thing is... I do excellent on tests. My NLN was in the top 1%, and I was among the top percentile in every exam in nursing school. And... I have life experience, as well as a background in Psych and Soc... Anyone that knows me could tell you where I fall on a "compassion index," and I'm sorry but a test is not going to measure personality characteristics as such. And yes, people lie. Furthermore, even our standard IQ test is not necessarily reliable or valid in measuring intelligence, since there are multiple forms of intelligence. And... there are many different types of battery tests, which tells me that companies are creating more and more of them to weed out perfectly competent nurses. But, oh well, I guess I am an old school face-to-face person that would rather show you how I work, rather then answer a multiple choice question about it. Unfortunately that is the reality for new grads today!