I need advice.
*Brace yourself, this is a long one.*
Today I took the Nursing Apptitude Exam for FCCJ's nursing program (my application is due by Feb. 1). It was my third time taking the exam; my first time was in June, then in September and now today. I've always been told you can take the exam as many times as you'd like, you just have to let 90+ days pass in between the time you take the exam.
So today I tutored in the Chemistry lab from 8:30-2:00, rushed to the bank to deposit some checks, then ran back to campus and checked in at 3:00 to take the exam. I paid my $35 testing fee and started filling out a bunch of forms. One of the forms had several questions and I had to initial them stating that I agreed to the question. Are you a resident of Duval County? Do you have a valid form of identification? Has more than 90 days passed since you last took this exam? Have you already taken this exam twice in the last 12 consecutive months? I initialed all the questions, but left the last one blank, since this would be my third time taking the exam. I took my form up to the test proctor, pointed to line I left blank and said "This will be my third time taking this exam. Is that a problem?" She asked "Has more than 90 days past since you last took it?" "Yes" I replied. And she said "It's not a problem, just as long as 90 days has past."No problem right? So I went into the testing room and took the exam. THREE AND A HALF HOURS later I emerged, got my test scores and freaked out when I saw how awesome I did on it. My scores were incredible, a good 23+ points higher than last time. The proctor who had printed out my scores even congratulated me at how high my scores were. I should have just taken my freaking scores and walked out, but I asked the proctor if she would look and see how much better I had done then last time, because I don't know, I guess I'm competitive.
**side note: When you submit your nursing application to FCCJ you attach your Nursing Apptitude Exam score paper with your application. It's a complicated looking print off that would be nearly impossible to forge with watermarks and graphs. There are 6 sections to the exam, but FCCJ only looks at the scores from 3 sections. Say I scored higher in 1 section when I took it in September, then I did when I took it today, then I could include both my scores from today, and from September, and they will look at both and pick and choose the higher scores. Oh, and when you get your scores printed out you ONLY get TWO copies. Period. **
So there I was waiting for the proctor to look at my scores from my last exam in September when she said "oh...oh dear." She printed off a copy of my score and asked for one (of the two) copies in my hand. I handed it to her and she disappeared into a back office. A few seconds later she called me into the back office. She and a manager explained that a rule had been inadvertantly broken. Students are only allowed to take the nursing apptitude exam twice in 12 months. This was my third time. I started stammering and explained how I hadn't initialed that question on my form and how I confirmed that it was not a problem with the proctor before I took the exam. They explained that the proctor who had told me it wasn't a problem was new, and didn't understand the rules. And as a result, my test scores would be voided. VOIDED. I started crying. Long story short the manager held onto the two copies of my scores, apologized, said they would speak to the new proctor, refunded my $35 and escorted me out. I walked to the car sobbing the whole way, got in the seat, opened up my folder and there it was. An extra copy of my scores from today.
Now as I said before, when you apply to the FCCJ you attach your test scores to the application and that is what they look at to verify your scores. As far as I'm aware they do not verify scores with the testing center, since the score copies are impossible to forge and they ask you to submit copies of whatever scores you want them to consider (see my note).
I drove directly home, sat at my kitchen and totalled up my points for my nursing applicaiton. FCCJ goes entirely on points: pre-requisite grades + nursing apptitude exam score = X amount of points. Those points are placed next to your social security number and they take the top 93 students with the highest point total. 200 points is a competive number, but would not guarantee you a spot in the program. When I totalled my points with my exam grade from September my points are 203.36. My points totalled with my exam taken today are 213.46. I could pretty much go ahead and buy my nursing textbooks today if I applied with 213.46. I would probably be close to the top of the application pool with 213.46. With 203.36 I could very well not get in, or be wait listed.
So my questions:
Do I submit my application with the test scores from today? I did not cheat for those scores, I made them with my own intelligence. If I hadn't of made that proctor double check the computer I would be sitting here gloating in my awesome test scores and brilliance. Was the fact that I somehow still had a copy of my test score in my folder when I walked out a second chance gift from the universe?
Or do I submit my test scores from September? I've never cheated in any of my pre-requisites and some of the bitches that cheated their way through Anatomy are now in the freaking nursing program. So how far does honesty really get you? Am I even being dishonest? The proctor just took my score copy away from me. They didn't blacklist me in the computer program, they just literally took my paper away from me.
Or do I submit both my scores from today and from September and let FCCJ decide which scores they want to look at? If for some strange reason they do verify exam scores in the computer they will see that my scores from today are voided (i'm assuming?) and they would take my September grades. Or maybe they don't verify grades and will take my scores from today. Either way, it's up to them and I was honest - giving them both scores.
Halp me please.
1 comment:
I say let it go for the night, see what happens when you wake up tomorrow.
SA
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