NCLEX or MCAT harder?

[Joe the Plumber]

I've heard from quite a few nursing students that that the NCLEX is "way harder" than the MCAT. (I've also heard that a nursing major is way harder than pre-med, and that nursing school is harder than medical school. People say a lot of things.) Anyway, this apparently includes not only the science material covered, but also the amount of logic and reasoning needed to do well. Obviously the MCAT is an entrance exam (ish) and the NCLEX is a licensing exam, so we're talking about red apples and green apples here. I'd especially like to hear from those who have taken both.

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[gmcguitar4]

The licensing exam will probably cover more material, but with that aside I would say the MCAT is probably harder. It is more about the critical thinking aspect that makes it difficult..anyone can learn material.

 

[kpcrew]

why

 

[Joe the Plumber]

why

Omg! I'm so sorry that you're not interested in this topic. Maybe next time, go troll elsewhere.

 

[coyotelime]

why

Agreed. You shouldn't let the difficulty of an exam determine what you want to do in life - that's just plain silly. Do what you like, and if you have the passion for it you will succeed (most of the time).

 

[mcloaf]

Why are they comparing to the MCAT and not USMLE?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I don't think many people can really chime in on this topic, not many premeds/medical school students were nurses or nursing students.

 

[Joe the Plumber]

Agreed. You shouldn't let the difficulty of an exam determine what you want to do in life - that's just plain silly. Do what you like, and if you have the passion for it you will succeed (most of the time).

Who said anything about me basing my career choices on the difficulty of the respective exams? I'm just curious if one is harder than the other. Or, I guess the easy cop-out would be that they're so different and therefore cannot be compared.

And, it would be interesting to compare the NCLEX and the USMLE.

 

[asims17]

😀NCLEX= Shih Tzu puppy MCAT= 150 lb. rabid pissed off starved pitbull. Night and day difference (i've taken both) Agree that this site is really not the most ideal forum for NCLEX discussion. Would be much more beneficial to compare MCAT and USMLE.

 

[N2Medicine]

😀NCLEX= Shih Tzu puppy MCAT= 150 lb. rabid pissed off starved pitbull. Night and day difference (i've taken both) Agree that this site is really not the most ideal forum for NCLEX discussion. Would be much more beneficial to compare MCAT and USMLE.

I haven't laughed this hard in a while.

 

[Donald Juan]

why

 

[ADominGu3z]

that being said if nursing school was harder than med school, why would anyone in their right mind work so hard to clean up ****?

 

[alerk323]

While it'd make more sense to compare USMLE with NCLEX, I'd assume that considerably more people have taken both the MCAT and NCLEX than the USMLE and NCLEX

 

[Gigantron]

why

or more importantly


who cares

 

[alerk323]

why

or more importantly


who cares

 

[el poblano]

or more importantly


who cares

Silly question. OP cares, as well as other posters.
Don't be a douche.


Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

 

[TheMightySmiter]

The NCLEX is difficult because of the sheer amount of material covered. The MCAT is difficult because of the knowledge and analytical skills you need. There's no way the NCLEX could compare in difficulty to the USMLE, nor is nursing school nearly as difficult as med school.

 

[hmainn]

My brother took the NCLEX, and it's just a different animal.
86% pass the first go around.
I can't say 86% of MCAT takers pass with a good enough score... but then again, there are a lot of people who don't go into it seriously

 

[listentoadvice]

Just to expand on this. I've been hanging out with friends who are 2nd years prepping for Step 1 and one of them used this analogy to compare Step 1 to the MCAT.

Step 1 will show you an x-ray of forearm and ask you which one bone is fractured.

The MCAT will show you the same question and ask you how would you treat a bone analogous to the unfractured bone which is located in the leg of a frog. The answer's in the passage but you have to find it but no where in the passage does it ever say anything directly.

Obviously this isn't meant literally since there's no questions like that on the MCAT. Step 1, which I'm assuming is similar to the NCLEX, is not a harder test. It tests harder material and a lot more of it. The MCAT is a test that will suck your soul out of your nose. The material's easier to understand but that does you no good since you have to figure out what the question is asking in order to answer it.

 

[RedSox10]

I have a coworker who recently took the NCLEX. Sure she had to study and certainly complained. On the other hand, she went to an average nursing school and still 90% of the people passed. Not to mention that all she had to do was PASS.

You can do better than 75% of the people who take the MCAT (i.e. get a 29) and you're still not guaranteed a spot in medical school.

 

[Chrome19]

I have a coworker who recently took the NCLEX. Sure she had to study and certainly complained. On the other hand, she went to an average nursing school and still 90% of the people passed. Not to mention that all she had to do was PASS.

You can do better than 75% of the people who take the MCAT (i.e. get a 29) and you're still not guaranteed a spot in medical school.

You assume MCAT examinees are smarter

 

[FrkyBgStok]

I've heard from quite a few nursing students that that the NCLEX is "way harder" than the MCAT. (I've also heard that a nursing major is way harder than pre-med, and that nursing school is harder than medical school. People say a lot of things.) Anyway, this apparently includes not only the science material covered, but also the amount of logic and reasoning needed to do well. Obviously the MCAT is an entrance exam (ish) and the NCLEX is a licensing exam, so we're talking about red apples and green apples here. I'd especially like to hear from those who have taken both.

no, you are talking apples and oranges. the way to compare in a way you said is to ask if the NCLEX is harder for nursing students than the MCAT is for pre-meds. And that has no answer as there is no way to gauge it. The MCAT is way harder for nursing students while the NCLEX is way harder for premeds.

In addition, as you said yourself, it is a licensing exam. That is like asking if a post test is hard than a pretest. And nursing and medicine are different fields. Why not compare the X-Ray tech licensing exam and the mcat, or the hospital admistrator certification and the NCLEX. It is impossible to determine.

 

[mmmcdowe]

NCLEX
1. If a male client experienced a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) that damaged the hypothalamus, the nurse would anticipate that the client has problems with:

a. body temperature control.
b. balance and equilibrium.
c. visual acuity.
d. thinking and reasoning.

MCAT
In the peripheral nervous system, which cell myelinates and in turn increases the action potential across a nerve axon?

A[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Microglial cell.
B[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oligodendrocyte
. C[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Astrocyte.
D[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Schwann cel.



USMLE



A 34-year-old woman presents to the emergency department complaining of a "pins-and-needles" sensation
in her feet and legs, which began yesterday. Initially, this sensation involved only her feet, but it
has gradually moved up to involve her ankles, calves, and thighs. She has had difficulty walking for the
past few hours. She recalls a recent episode of bloody diarrhea, but otherwise she has been in good
health. On examination, there is weakness of the foot and leg muscles in a symmetrical distribution.
Deep tendon reflexes are absent at the knees and ankles. Plantar reflex is flexor. Fasciculations are not
seen. Inconsistent results are obtained on sensory exam. Cranial nerves are intact. The rest of the physical
exam is normal. CSF examination is normal except for an elevated protein level.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?
❑ A. Botulism
❑ B. Motor neuron disease
❑ C. GBS
❑ D. Poliomyelitis
❑ E. Acute HIV infection

 

[MT Headed]

It's well documented that experienced DNP nurses completely bomb the USMLE tests, but I've never seen a reverse study.

Do you think an MD could pass the NCLEX? I looked at an NCLEX review book in the bookstore once and I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. Of course I've never taken a nursing class beyond nurse's chem and nurse's A&P.

EDIT: oh, and "sorry for the thread hijack" 🙂

 

[mmmcdowe]

It's well documented that experienced DNP nurses completely bomb the USMLE tests, but I've never seen a reverse study.

Do you think an MD could pass the NCLEX? I looked at an NCLEX review book in the bookstore once and I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. Of course I've never taken a nursing class beyond nurse's chem and nurse's A&P.

EDIT: oh, and "sorry for the thread hijack" 🙂

I can't credit the actual test beyond some random example questions available online, but yeah I'm pretty confident that I could pass it if they are reasonable facsimiles.

I'm basing that judgement on these two sites:

http://www.testtrade.com/nclex1.pdf

http://www.rnpedia.com/home/exams/nclex-exam/nclex-practice-test-for-neurologic-system-1

 

[dd128]

NCLEX
1. If a male client experienced a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) that damaged the hypothalamus, the nurse would anticipate that the client has problems with:

a. body temperature control.
b. balance and equilibrium.
c. visual acuity.
d. thinking and reasoning.

MCAT
In the peripheral nervous system, which cell myelinates and in turn increases the action potential across a nerve axon?

A[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Microglial cell.
B[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oligodendrocyte
. C[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Astrocyte.
D[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Schwann cel.



USMLE



A 34-year-old woman presents to the emergency department complaining of a “pins-and-needles” sensation
in her feet and legs, which began yesterday. Initially, this sensation involved only her feet, but it
has gradually moved up to involve her ankles, calves, and thighs. She has had difficulty walking for the
past few hours. She recalls a recent episode of bloody diarrhea, but otherwise she has been in good
health. On examination, there is weakness of the foot and leg muscles in a symmetrical distribution.
Deep tendon reflexes are absent at the knees and ankles. Plantar reflex is flexor. Fasciculations are not
seen. Inconsistent results are obtained on sensory exam. Cranial nerves are intact. The rest of the physical
exam is normal. CSF examination is normal except for an elevated protein level.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?
❑ A. Botulism
❑ B. Motor neuron disease
❑ C. GBS
❑ D. Poliomyelitis
❑ E. Acute HIV infection

Is that a real NCLEX type question???

 

[SpecterGT260]

"Hard" is a relative concept....

I used weight lifting in another thread so why not just go there again....

Which is "harder"?
For a person with a max weight of 100lbs to attempt to lift 99 lbs?
or
for a person with a max weight of 400 lbs to attempt to lift 150 lbs?

Nursing is not as complex, broad, or detailed as medicine... but is being a nurse going through nursing school harder? well... see the above argument and apply appropriately based on the definition of "harder" you are comfortable with.


Same thing for when people try to say it is "harder" to get into dental, nursing, PA, PT, or other schools..... There are no programs I am aware of that select for higher average GPA and standardized testing scores than medical school. So while the average *whoever* may have a comparatively harder time in whatever program compared to the average medical student in medical school (or whatever pre-med activities are required), this same average med student would be expected to not feel the same stressors if he or she were to switch...

 

[flatearth22]

Nurses just mad that doctors be stylin on them inside the hospital and out.

 

[SpecterGT260]

You assume MCAT examinees are smarter

it is not an assumption... at least not as long as we are talking about averages and then again the average among the subset of students that are competitive for each field. To delve into a common argument I have made on these boards.... Averages doesnt mean that every individual in 1 group is better/smarter/higher/whatever than every individual in the other group. It just means that the average (and in this case I mean median) value is higher so more likely/more of the time/more often they are. There are technicalities like a bajillion MD hopefulls that potentially take the MCAT with no hope.... which is why I restricted the comparison to those deemed competitive for each field.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Is that a real NCLEX type question???

It's a practice question, but yeah they are all pretty much the same that I have read. Some of them would be a little more tricky, for example one asks which would be the major nursing priority for someone with xyz.

 

[MT Headed]

6. A nurse is covering a pediatric unit and is responsible for a 15 year-old male
patient on the floor. The mother of the child states, “I think my son is sexually
interested in girls.” The most appropriate course of action of the nurse is to
respond by stating:
A: “I will talk to the doctor about it.”
B: “Has this been going on for a while?”
C: “How do you know this?”
D: “Teenagers often exhibit signs of sexual interest in females.

Can anybody come up with an E: ?

 

[StoicJosher]

My brother took the NCLEX, and it's just a different animal.
86% pass the first go around.
I can't say 86% of MCAT takers pass with a good enough score... but then again, there are a lot of people who don't go into it seriously

I have a coworker who recently took the NCLEX. Sure she had to study and certainly complained. On the other hand, she went to an average nursing school and still 90% of the people passed. Not to mention that all she had to do was PASS.

You can do better than 75% of the people who take the MCAT (i.e. get a 29) and you're still not guaranteed a spot in medical school.

92% of US MD students passed USMLE Step 1. Does that make it even easier than the NCLEX?

 

[mmmcdowe]

"Hard" is a relative concept....

I used weight lifting in another thread so why not just go there again....

Which is "harder"?
For a person with a max weight of 100lbs to attempt to lift 99 lbs?
or
for a person with a max weight of 400 lbs to attempt to lift 150 lbs?

Nursing is not as complex, broad, or detailed as medicine... but is being a nurse going through nursing school harder? well... see the above argument and apply appropriately based on the definition of "harder" you are comfortable with.


Same thing for when people try to say it is "harder" to get into dental, nursing, PA, PT, or other schools..... There are no programs I am aware of that select for higher average GPA and standardized testing scores than medical school. So while the average *whoever* may have a comparatively harder time in whatever program compared to the average medical student in medical school (or whatever pre-med activities are required), this same average med student would be expected to not feel the same stressors if he or she were to switch...

Hard is a relative concept between individuals, but this isn't as true when considering "harder". Lifting 150 pounds is harder than lifting 99 regardless if you are the worlds strongest or weakest man. In the same way, one would expect that most people find either the MCAT or NCLEX to be harder than the other exam after the appropriate preparation.

 

[CodeBlu]

NCLEX
1. If a male client experienced a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) that damaged the hypothalamus, the nurse would anticipate that the client has problems with:

a. body temperature control.
b. balance and equilibrium.
c. visual acuity.
d. thinking and reasoning.

MCAT
In the peripheral nervous system, which cell myelinates and in turn increases the action potential across a nerve axon?

A[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Microglial cell.
B[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oligodendrocyte
. C[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Astrocyte.
D[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Schwann cel.



USMLE



A 34-year-old woman presents to the emergency department complaining of a “pins-and-needles” sensation
in her feet and legs, which began yesterday. Initially, this sensation involved only her feet, but it
has gradually moved up to involve her ankles, calves, and thighs. She has had difficulty walking for the
past few hours. She recalls a recent episode of bloody diarrhea, but otherwise she has been in good
health. On examination, there is weakness of the foot and leg muscles in a symmetrical distribution.
Deep tendon reflexes are absent at the knees and ankles. Plantar reflex is flexor. Fasciculations are not
seen. Inconsistent results are obtained on sensory exam. Cranial nerves are intact. The rest of the physical
exam is normal. CSF examination is normal except for an elevated protein level.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?
❑ A. Botulism
❑ B. Motor neuron disease
❑ C. GBS
❑ D. Poliomyelitis
❑ E. Acute HIV infection

The answers are bolded. 🙂

 

[weezynation]

NCLEX
1. If a male client experienced a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) that damaged the hypothalamus, the nurse would anticipate that the client has problems with:

a. body temperature control.
b. balance and equilibrium.
c. visual acuity.
d. thinking and reasoning.

MCAT
In the peripheral nervous system, which cell myelinates and in turn increases the action potential across a nerve axon?

A[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Microglial cell.
B[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oligodendrocyte
. C[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Astrocyte.
D[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Schwann cel.



USMLE



A 34-year-old woman presents to the emergency department complaining of a “pins-and-needles” sensation
in her feet and legs, which began yesterday. Initially, this sensation involved only her feet, but it
has gradually moved up to involve her ankles, calves, and thighs. She has had difficulty walking for the
past few hours. She recalls a recent episode of bloody diarrhea, but otherwise she has been in good
health. On examination, there is weakness of the foot and leg muscles in a symmetrical distribution.
Deep tendon reflexes are absent at the knees and ankles. Plantar reflex is flexor. Fasciculations are not
seen. Inconsistent results are obtained on sensory exam. Cranial nerves are intact. The rest of the physical
exam is normal. CSF examination is normal except for an elevated protein level.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?
❑ A. Botulism
❑ B. Motor neuron disease
❑ C. GBS
❑ D. Poliomyelitis
❑ E. Acute HIV infection

I'm guessing you havent taken the MCAT in awhile because that question about the peripheral nervous system is representative of approximately 10 discreet biological science questions. The MCAT as a whole is far harder and much less straight forward than that. If that question was representative of the MCAT as a whole, I would've been in medical school years ago.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I'm guessing you havent taken the MCAT in awhile because that question about the peripheral nervous system is representative of approximately 10 discreet biological science questions. The MCAT as a whole is far harder and much less straight forward than that. If that question was representative of the MCAT as a whole, I would've been in medical school years ago.

On the contrary, I was simply trying to provide a neurological example found in each. One question is in no way descriptive of the whole exam, but I would hate to be accused of picking a hard MCAT question against what is apparently an easy NCLEX one.

 

[mmmcdowe]

The answers are bolded. 🙂

Here, have a cookie

 

[killinsound]

Just to expand on this. I've been hanging out with friends who are 2nd years prepping for Step 1 and one of them used this analogy to compare Step 1 to the MCAT.

Step 1 will show you an x-ray of forearm and ask you which one bone is fractured.

The MCAT will show you the same question and ask you how would you treat a bone analogous to the unfractured bone which is located in the leg of a frog. The answer's in the passage but you have to find it but no where in the passage does it ever say anything directly.

Obviously this isn't meant literally since there's no questions like that on the MCAT. Step 1, which I'm assuming is similar to the NCLEX, is not a harder test. It tests harder material and a lot more of it. The MCAT is a test that will suck your soul out of your nose. The material's easier to understand but that does you no good since you have to figure out what the question is asking in order to answer it.

If you don't think Step 1 will suck the soul out of your nose you are in for a shocker come summer of 2nd year.

Step 1 is by far a harder test to prepare for than MCAT.

Who cares about how hard a nursing exam is.

 

[The right Path]

The NCLEX and MCAT aren't very comparable in terms of difficulty because they are completely different tests for completely different purposes. First of all there is no "passing" score for the MCAT. The competition of so many applicants for relatively few med school seats is the force that drives what is considered a "good" score. It is a test for prospective medical students to establish adequacy in their general sciences knowledge as well as critical thinking abilities.

The NCLEX is for those that have successfully passed through a nursing education/training program in order to establish adequate knowledge that is specific to nursing at an entry level. An individual that passes this exam can be presumed to safely practice as a novice nurse and is therefore given license to practice in that particular state. The NCLEX is not scored. It is pass or fail. It is a computer adaptive test similar to the GRE, but with a variable number of questions (with a minimum/maximum). It has been almost 8 years since I've taken the NCLEX, so things may be somewhat different now, but the basics are the same. Taking the exam is stressful because your ability to work as an RN depends on it, however, it is not difficult for the well prepared nursing student to pass it.

NCLEX
1. If a male client experienced a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) that damaged the hypothalamus, the nurse would anticipate that the client has problems with:

a. body temperature control.
b. balance and equilibrium.
c. visual acuity.
d. thinking and reasoning.

MCAT
In the peripheral nervous system, which cell myelinates and in turn increases the action potential across a nerve axon?

A[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Microglial cell.
B[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oligodendrocyte.
C[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Astrocyte.
D[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Schwann cel.



USMLE



A 34-year-old woman presents to the emergency department complaining of a "pins-and-needles" sensation
in her feet and legs, which began yesterday. Initially, this sensation involved only her feet, but it
has gradually moved up to involve her ankles, calves, and thighs. She has had difficulty walking for the
past few hours. She recalls a recent episode of bloody diarrhea, but otherwise she has been in good
health. On examination, there is weakness of the foot and leg muscles in a symmetrical distribution.
Deep tendon reflexes are absent at the knees and ankles. Plantar reflex is flexor. Fasciculations are not
seen. Inconsistent results are obtained on sensory exam. Cranial nerves are intact. The rest of the physical
exam is normal. CSF examination is normal except for an elevated protein level.
Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?
❑ A. Botulism
❑ B. Motor neuron disease
❑ C. GBS
❑ D. Poliomyelitis
❑ E. Acute HIV infection

Lolz, I know someone already answered the questions. A nursing student should be able to answer the first two questions easily and could very well answer the third. And I agree with a previous poster that the sample MCAT question above isn't a very good representation (from what I've seen of sample MCAT questions). I would expect that most ED and ICU nurses would be able to answer the third, as well. A lot of nursing school content that isn't relevant to your area of practice gets forgotten, so if you asked me a question about L/S ratios and proper dosages of betamethasone (if they even still use that), then I would be stumped. However, I'll never forget the type of question as given below, lol. The correct answer is D because that statement reinforces/reassures that the patient is exhibiting normal behavior for his developmental level. Now if you want to go even deeper into the nursing therapeutic communication stuff, you assess whether this parent is making this statement because they have questions/concerns, etc., regarding the patient's sexual development. And then there are the limitations of the real world. Anywayz....

6. A nurse is covering a pediatric unit and is responsible for a 15 year-old male
patient on the floor. The mother of the child states, "I think my son is sexually
interested in girls." The most appropriate course of action of the nurse is to
respond by stating:
A: "I will talk to the doctor about it."
B: "Has this been going on for a while?"
C: "How do you know this?"
D: "Teenagers often exhibit signs of sexual interest in females.

Can anybody come up with an E: ?

Oh, and I wouldn't put much faith in the ability of individuals (including/particularly nursing students) to compare the difficulty of exams that they've never taken nor studied for. Myself included, since I will be taking the MCAT a year from now. And even then, the tests are so fundamentally different, it's a worthless comparison.

 

[Joe the Plumber]

Lolz, I know someone already answered the questions. A nursing student should be able to answer the first two questions easily and could very well answer the third. And I agree with a previous poster that the sample MCAT question above isn't a very good representation (from what I've seen of sample MCAT questions). I would expect that most ED and ICU nurses would be able to answer the third, as well. A lot of nursing school content that isn't relevant to your area of practice gets forgotten, so if you asked me a question about L/S ratios and proper dosages of betamethasone (if they even still use that), then I would be stumped. However, I'll never forget the type of question as given below, lol. The correct answer is D because that statement reinforces/reassures that the patient is exhibiting normal behavior for his developmental level. Now if you want to go even deeper into the nursing therapeutic communication stuff, you assess whether this parent is making this statement because they have questions/concerns, etc., regarding the patient's sexual development. And then there are the limitations of the real world. Anywayz....

Forgive my ignorance, but do you really think most nursing students would be able to answer the second question?

 

[SpecterGT260]

Hard is a relative concept between individuals, but this isn't as true when considering "harder". Lifting 150 pounds is harder than lifting 99 regardless if you are the worlds strongest or weakest man. In the same way, one would expect that most people find either the MCAT or NCLEX to be harder than the other exam after the appropriate preparation.

No... difficulty is relative to the individual. Is tying your shoes easy? Well then is it also easy for a quadriplegic? "Hard" is a measure of how close to impossible the task is for the individual. By your logic it is also easy for an ant to lift 99 lbs because 99 lbs is always easy. This is why people say "easy for her" or "hard for him". I can more easily lift 100 lbs than my gf can lift 80. That is exactly what I said earlier....

 

[SpecterGT260]

Your point actually reinforces mine. 99 is still easier than 150 for 1 individual. So someone who has a hard time w 99.... The guy who can lift much more will find 99 easy compared to what he normally does. I said exactly this in the post you quoted.

 

[The right Path]

Forgive my ignorance, but do you really think most nursing students would be able to answer the second question?

Absolutely. Any student that's taken a human anatomy class should know what Schwann cells are and what their function is. So really, a pre-nursing student (that has taken anatomy) should get that question right.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i've taken both, and the mcat is incomparably more difficult

 

[The right Path]

i've taken both, and the mcat is incomparably more difficult

Really? Interesting. Where'd you go to nursing school?

 

[weezynation]

If you don't think Step 1 will suck the soul out of your nose you are in for a shocker come summer of 2nd year.

Step 1 is by far a harder test to prepare for than MCAT.

Who cares about how hard a nursing exam is.

I cannot speak to the difficulty of the Step 1, but I have heard from numerous people in medical school and beyond that the MCAT is harder than Step 1 (if you prepare adequately for both) because Step 1 is more straight-forward and content based whereas the MCAT is not. Would you agree with this? I'm just curious because it's rare I hear someone say Step 1 is harder, although they do say it's a difficult exam nonetheless.

 

[StoicJosher]

The answers are bolded. 🙂

Super gunner status!

 

[mmmcdowe]

No... difficulty is relative to the individual. Is tying your shoes easy? Well then is it also easy for a quadriplegic? "Hard" is a measure of how close to impossible the task is for the individual. By your logic it is also easy for an ant to lift 99 lbs because 99 lbs is always easy. This is why people say "easy for her" or "hard for him". I can more easily lift 100 lbs than my gf can lift 80. That is exactly what I said earlier....

I think you misread what I said. My first sentence is exactly the same statement as your first. I was not arguing with you. I agree hard is relative, but harder is less relative in most cases. You would find eighty pounds even easier than a hundre, no matter if a hundred was easy for you. So, yes, I'm sure some people would dissent from a consensus that one of the tests is the harder. You are focusing on the assessment of two individual opinions for one task or for tasks modified for each, I'm focusing on the relative differences between two tasks that are identical per individual and how their assessment will generally be similar in terms of which is more difficult. Yes, a quadriplegic will find tieing shoes hard where as I would find it easy. However, both of us would agree that twirling and catching a baton is harder than tieing the shoes.

Your reading of my logic is flawed. The conclusion of my statement is that an ant would find lifting 99 pounds easier than lifting more weight, not that an ant would find it easy. I made it very clear that i am separating easy and hard from theconcepts of easier and harder. The fact that an ant can do neither makes this a moot point, but technically the lighter weight is still easier for the ant, even if no movement occurs.

 

[SpecterGT260]

I think you misread what I said. My first sentence is exactly the same statement as your first. I agree hard is relative, but harder is less relative in most cases. So, yes, I'm sure some people would dissent from a consensus that one of the tests is the harder. You are focusing on the assessment of two individual opinions for one task or for tasks modified for each, I'm focusing on the relative differences between two tasks that are identical per individual and how their assessment will generally be similar in terms of which is more difficult. Yes, a quadriplegic will find tieing shoes hard where as I would find it easy. However, both of us would agree that twirling and catching a baton is harder than tieing the shoes.

Your reading of my logic is flawed. The conclusion of my statement is that an ant would find lifting 99 pounds easier than lifting more weight, not that an ant would find it easy. I made it very clear that i am separating easy and hard from theconcepts of easier and harder. The fact that an ant can do neither makes this a moot point, but technically the lighter weight is still easier for the ant, even if no movement occurs.

I think we are in violent agreement here. My original post was meant to imply that those who think nursing is harder than medicine are making the mistake you are describing. That relative ease or difficulty is not the same as absolute. This is what I meant when I said a med student would not feel the same difficulty as a nurse if both in nursing school. Based on average performance via admission criteria.

 

[Chrome19]

I cannot speak to the difficulty of the Step 1, but I have heard from numerous people in medical school and beyond that the MCAT is harder than Step 1 (if you prepare adequately for both) because Step 1 is more straight-forward and content based whereas the MCAT is not. Would you agree with this? I'm just curious because it's rare I hear someone say Step 1 is harder, although they do say it's a difficult exam nonetheless.

Same here. Heard the same from many residents.