I was excited to take this adaptive exam because I am passionate about Pediatrics. At the beginning of the semester, I was torn between Maternity and Pediatrics, and now that I am in Pediatrics I’m being swayed to this specialty. I really enjoy practicing pediatric questions because I learn new material during each exam. Some of the content is tricky, a lot of it makes sense though, and I enjoy the content that I learn. I think the best part about these exams is that I am always learning something new or adding something new to what I already know. This is what went well for me this exam, I was confident in the material, and I was excited to take this exam, and really take the time with each question so I could understand what the question was truly asking. I could improve on second guessing myself and changing my answers, because I felt like I was changing a few of my answers on this exam. I was torn between two options for a few problems. I also think an improvement would be to learn more material, and I know that comes with time and practice. I’m still learning content in class, and I can always learn more by doing more practice problems. The great part about this specialty is it’s always changing and there is so much to learn.

For each exam I reflect on my SMART goals. I believe achieving these SMART goals is so important for my success during the exams and in preparation for the NCLEX. The SMART goals that I chose for this exam were focusing specifically on pediatric content and staying focused. My measurable goal was to finish this exam in one sitting and not take too long of a break if I needed one. My attainable goal was to time each question and try and answer the question within a minute and 30 seconds. My relevant goal was to piece in my content that I’m learning in pediatrics and think “what would a nurse do” to help me answer these questions. Lastly, my time bound goal was to spend the right amount of time that I felt was needed for each question. If I knew the answer, I trusted myself and answered quickly, but if I didn’t, I gave myself the time to read the question a few times, process it, think in my head, then try and figure out an answer. I believe that I met my SMART goals and will continue to use them for my future exams. I will carry this experience with me going forward because I will take this positive mindset and eagerness to learn and challenge myself for the next exam I take. I know that confidence can only benefit me, and I need to trust myself and not second guess.