Mature Student Midwifery Nursing Psychometric Test 2014 HELP

User1982

Hi All, I have applied through CAO for a place as a mature student in Midwifery. I sat the psychometric test in 2010 and only got mid marks which didn't secure me a place in college. I am trying again this year and believe the test will be in Feb some time. I want to practise now so that I can do the very best I can and achieve high results this time.

Can anyone offer advice? Maybe have copies of the past papers I can read over?

And also, what are they looking for in the personality and job simulation tests? I know these can be manipulated a little

paperclip2

Some of the Nursing applicants in 2013 found this website useful for the numerical and verbal psychometric parts of the test: http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/psychotests.htm

I've attached a brief descriptor on the aptitude tests also.

You might also find some info on this thread: http://http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=76682321

User1982

thanks paperclip. I looked at the tests on the Kent website and its made me aware that I need to start reading a dictionary! Synonyms and Antonyms are not easy when you get to 'big' words that I have never even used in my writing or conversational English! Has anyone any idea where I might get a list of common Synonyms and Antonyms that are used in psychometric testing? Im also going to go back over my times tables!!

paperclip2

You might find some info online but a good psychometric test preparation book is ‘The Ultimate Psychometric Test Book’ by Mike Byron.

Mamaof1

Hi I'm new and I'm not really sure if I should be posting here or a different thread so bare with me
I completed my pre-nursing FETAC course in May with very good exam results and I also sat the Aptitude exam in April for mature students. I received a 516 score but still didn't get an offer can any please tell me what books papers quizzes etc I could buy to revise for this years exam as It's obvious I need to get higher than 516 ( I thought this was a high mark) I'm determined not to give up trying.
Any information would be really appreciated

WildRosie

I sat the test this year and got 622 and am now doing children's and general nursing in UCD (and LOVING it!). The test changed this year. The maths and verbal are now different, the verbal now involves reading a passage and answering a series of true/false/cannot say questions. The maths is no longer sequencing, but much more practical arithmetic.

I would highly recommend doing career service's prep day. This was my second year doing the test and found the prep day immensely helpful. Practice your mental arithmetic, percentages, adding, subtracting, division etc. You can bring a calculator with you into the exam now. I didn't have major difficulties with the maths as I would be quite strong here, but I know others did and it would seem that time management is key, i.e. If you are struggling with a question, move on.

I suppose, the best advice I can give, is to do the prep day. I felt much more confident this year after doing it and their additional preparation material is excellent. It's expensive, €150 I think, but if you really want nursing/midwifery it's a small price to pay in my view.

Mamaof1

Thank you so much for replying. I've heard about that prep day and was highly recommended so ill def enrol for that. Wow 622 go you! I got 516 excelled in all areas but lost marks on the last section job stimulation I think it was called? Congrats on your place in UCD it must be an amazing feeling!!

Healy Boy

Hi

I will also be doing the test this year, for applying on publicjobs am i correct saying it will be in febuary to apply for the written test?. At the same time i will be applying to colleges in the UK if any one knows any information on this it would be great. Also would any one know what a level 2 maths and english is in the Irish education system because i e-mailed a few Uk colleges and they have said this???

Thanks

WildRosie

After the CAO closing date, you'll get an email inviting you to apply on publicjobs.ie for the test. I got mine on 7 February and registration closed on 5 March.

Don't have any info on applying to colleges in the UK, but I think Level 2 is equivalent to GCSE at A-C grades and Junior Cert is equilvalent to GCSE. See Qualifax.

I've heard that if you go to study nursing/midwifery in NI you may be entitled to some sort of NHS bursary (for ROI students it only applies to NI), but I don't know the details.

Healy Boy

thanks,

must look into it more, i suppose you would not know level 2 for LCA mathamatics?

WildRosie

I don't know anything about the Leaving Cert Applied but a quick google gave me this It's from a college in NI and I don't know if it applies elsewhere but have a read of page 6. It says:

Students who successfully complete the program are awarded a Leaving Certificate.
The certificate is awarded at three levels:
• Pass 60 – 69% Merit 70 - 84% Distinction 85 – 100%
• A Pass in the Leaving Certificate Applied is the equivalent of 6 Grade Ds ( level unspecified) at Ordinary Level Leaving Certificate
• A Merit or Distinction grade pass is accepted for progression to L3 study programmes.
• The ILCA is not perceived as an entry qualification to HE study programmes

I don't know if the bold part applies everywhere or if it will effect you. Do you have English and Maths in your Junior Cert?

Healy Boy

Ya i do do they accept junior cert also?

WildRosie

Healy Boy wrote: »

Ya i do do they accept junior cert also?

Check the qualifax link in my first post. But as I said you'll need to confirm that level 2 is GCSE, but I'm fairly certain it is.

Healy Boy

http://hiberniacollege.com/application-docs/gcse_equivalents.pdf

WildRosie

And this and Qualifax say differently. The only categorical answer you'll get is from the institution(s) you're applying to, and their's is the only one that counts

If you don't meet the educational requirements, you could look into completing a pre-nursing course. I understand that it's quite popular with the UK universities. I don't know if you would still have to satisfy the English and Maths requirements though. If you do, you may need to look at repeating English and Maths in the Leaving Cert Established, or investigating if there is a FETAC equivalency that would be acceptable. Having said all that, it may just be easier to stay in the Irish system where there are no minimum education standards at all.

User1982

Wow that's interesting to know that they don't do the sequences anymore! What about word relationships in the verbal? Are they any diagrams in the maths? I'm going to enroll for the prep day.... I NEED a place for 2014! I will be 32 then and really don't want to be starting any older.... Any one have a copy of the 2013 exam paper to review?

Greenmachine

Some Interesting links

Kerry25x

Healy Boy wrote: »

Hi

I will also be doing the test this year, for applying on publicjobs am i correct saying it will be in febuary to apply for the written test?. At the same time i will be applying to colleges in the UK if any one knows any information on this it would be great. Also would any one know what a level 2 maths and english is in the Irish education system because i e-mailed a few Uk colleges and they have said this???

Thanks

Hello! I can help because I'm going through this process currently also. I'm hoping to do Adult Nursing in the UK.

The most similar thing that we have to Level 2 Maths and English in the Ireland is probably taking Maths and English modules through FETAC. They're designed for people who didn't pass their GCSE Maths and English to get an equivalent qualification.

If you have above a C in your Irish Leaving Cert Pass Maths and English or a D in Honors Maths and English then you don't need the Level 2. Personally, I got a D in Pass Maths in my Leaving Cert so I went over to London a few weeks ago to sit the Level 2 Maths exam there, some centres will let you just sit the exam without having to do the course and its very straight forward, much easier than the Leaving Cert, I think it was 60 pounds to sit the test. There's a sample test here - http://media.cityandguilds.com/gola/num-l2/ .

Just be aware that if you do go this route that not all universities will accept the level 2 maths in lieu of leaving certificate or gcse maths but plenty do. I phoned around 20 universities to inquire before I submitted my application so I can give you a list of the ones that do and don't if you need it.

Good luck!

Healy Boy

thanks Kerry25x

ya can you please give me that list , and how to go about going for the test in maths and english. Do you know anything about they accepting LCA results into colleges, i contacted a few but they never heard of it so , that is doutfull, how are you doing filling out the UCAS application. any other info would be great.

Thanks

Kerry25x

I sent off my UCAS application just over 2 weeks ago now and I've been invited to interview by 2 of my choices and I'm waiting to hear back from the other 3 so it's going good. I'm beginning to feel cautiously hopeful! I'm applying with my FETAC Pre-Nursing course. I'll be applying in Ireland through the CAO too but somewhere in England would be my first choice, I much prefer the look of the course over there!

I'm sorry I don't know anything about LCA. What's your academic situation? Did you do your leaving cert? If you don't have the leaving cert results needed to get in then the best advice I can give you is to consider doing a Pre-Nursing course for a year first and use those results to get you in, I'm really enjoying my course and it really prepares you for university. Its a shame they don't seem to make any major allowances for mature students in England.

As for the Level 2 Maths and English, you can find the list of centres at this link: http://www.learndirect.com/centresearch/centre/search/ just make sure you tick the box marked 'Testing Centre' before you search and then just phone around until you find some place that will let you skip the course and just sit the test. I did mine at the one in Islington. It takes a couple weeks to get the results back so its best to do it as soon as possible. Its a bit annoying that they won't send you out your certificate after you pass though - you have to go back over to the UK and pick it up in person. My first interview is in London so I'm just flying over a day early so I can call in for it then but its still hassle!

Colleges I contacted that accept level 2 maths:
London South Bank, Bucks University, Liverpool John Moore, University of West London, Kings College London, Anglia Ruskin University, Bradford University, Kingston , University of Bedfordshire.

Colleges that don't accept it: Brighton, City University London, Canterbury Christchurch, Salford University, Edge Hill University

And I got maybes from: Sheffield, Greenwich, Robert Gordon University

There's loads more universities in the UK, these are just the ones that I've emailed.

Let me know if you have any more questions! I know its so overwhelming when you first start trying to figure everything out and the UCAS system is so different to the CAO but I think it's much better and fairer once you get used to it!

Healy Boy

Thanks alot, very helpfull, I'll leave you know how it is going. Are you already in a FETAC course, do you know if you can get back to school alowance while doing a PLC course in the nursing studies?

They also a course in FAS Help Care Studies i think its called, these are just in case nothing goes my way because you have more of a chance of acceptance with experiance that iv been looking up.

Thanks again

Kerry25x

Yep I'm in a FETAC Pre-Nursing course at the moment, you can get Back to Education Allowance if you've been on social welfare for 3 months before you start the course and I'm fairly certain that you can carry that over to the UK with you the following year if you were to go to university over there - I'm not 100% on that though.

I'm not sure about any links between UK colleges and FAS Help Care Studies, I know that as far as FETAC goes it has to be the Pre-Nursing course, they won't accept the FETAC Health Care one.

Healy Boy

Thnaks again, and best of luck with the interviews, can you let me know what kind of questions etc , they will be asking.

MyNameIsMethos

Hey guys, was poring over the stats for minimum points acceptance for mature student entries to nursing for last year or the year before. I was wondering, could anyone tell me what score is the test actually marked out of? I haven't been able to track that down.

Kerry25x

MyNameIsMethos wrote: »

Hey guys, was poring over the stats for minimum points acceptance for mature student entries to nursing for last year or the year before. I was wondering, could anyone tell me what score is the test actually marked out of? I haven't been able to track that down.

I believe that it is marked out of 650.

MyNameIsMethos

Kerry25x wrote: »

I believe that it is marked out of 650.

Much obliged

Daniimoo

Hey Guys, im new to this and will be applying this year for Mature General/midwifery nursing. I was following a thread from last year where i read that min points scored in the assesment where 176 and highest were 258? roughly but im seeing on here people talking about points in the 600's? Is this something else altogether? confused lol

Kerry25x

Daniimoo wrote: »

Hey Guys, im new to this and will be applying this year for Mature General/midwifery nursing. I was following a thread from last year where i read that min points scored in the assesment where 176 and highest were 258? roughly but im seeing on here people talking about points in the 600's? Is this something else altogether? confused lol

Hi Daniimoo, I think you were probably reading a thread from the previous year, they changed the assessment process and marking for the 2013 applicants.

I found reading through the posts from the people who sat the exam this Spring in this thread really helpful - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056963687. Best of luck!

wuben

Hi all has any1 used or heard good reviews about the prep package you can buy from kilroys college? I was thinking of buying it

Healy Boy

Kerry25x

can you give me any tips about the interviews that you did over in the UK? what kind of questions they ask you etc?

How you getting on with it did you get any feedback from the college over there? any acceptance yet?
I got an interview the end of this month. any help and tips will be great.

Thanks.

Kerry25x

Healy Boy wrote: »

Kerry25x

can you give me any tips about the interviews that you did over in the UK? what kind of questions they ask you etc?

How you getting on with it did you get any feedback from the college over there? any acceptance yet?
I got an interview the end of this month. any help and tips will be great.

Thanks.

Hey, I've had three interviews so far, got rejected from one already and I'm waiting nervously to hear back from the other two! I have another interview coming up in a couple weeks and I haven't been offered an interview from my fifth choice so far.

Its hard to know whats going to come up, I'd advise you just to read as widely as you can on nursing issues. Nursingtimes.net has a lot of good articles. Make sure you know some issues affecting the NHS that are currently in the media - The Francis Report is the big news story at the moment, definitely read up on this. Know your 6 C's (Care, Compassion, Competence, Courage, Communication and Commitment) and be able to talk about why each of them are important qualities in nurses. Other than that I'd say have an answer prepared for the question why you want to be a nurse, research the college that you're going to and brush up on your maths.

Where is your interview? Do you know what format the interview is in? Individual interview or group interview or both? Best of luck, I hope it goes well for you!!