If you are interested in NCLEX as well, then you should know that the Internet contains a wealth of information on this subject. Articles, fact sheets and booklets are filled with overviews, test practices and frequently asked questions, all intended to help applicants pass the NCLEX-RN examination with success. By introducing this examination, the NCSBN managed to ensure the proper testing of future licensed nurses, regarding entry-level nursing abilities. The NCLEX-RN has been organized by professionals in the field and the test exam is reviewed every three years, being improved if necessary.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects about NCLEX is the way the test is taken, meaning through computerized adaptive testing (CAT). This means that the examination is given on the computer, with applicants being instructed on proper usage and answer recording in a previous tutorial. Online, you can see for yourself study guides and practice tests for NCLEX-RN, getting a better idea on the concept of CAT and its advantages. You can also read about the existent regulations for NCLEX and inform yourself on candidate requirements. In order for any candidate to be property identified, one needs the following: US driverâ??s license (DMV issued), US state ID and passport, the last one being request especially if you decide to take NCLEX-RN at an international location.

There are several components of the NCLEX with which you are probably already familiar. We are talking about the initial tutorial, where candidates are instructed on how to use the computer and take the NCLEX-RN test. Then, the second part is represented by the exam itself and last, there is a special survey as a final state of the NCLEX. The entire examination lasts for 6 hours and candidates are noticed if they either passed or failed. It takes a period of 45 days before the candidates are allowed to retake the NCLEX-RN.

Nursing is a very important sector of the medical field and it is only natural that only the best should be employed. NCLEX is a milestone for those who want to demonstrate their abilities and skills when it comes to nursing. An important volume of knowledge must be acquired for anyone to pass the NCLEX-RN successfully, all the information accumulated being essential for entry-level nursing. It is important to understand that the NCLEX assesses ones abilities to provide both safe and effective nursing.

The test presented as NCLEX-RN contains both multiple choice items (four option) and also alternate items. The questions are made considering all the important aspects of nursing, including various scenarios and critical situations. If this is the first time you are considering to take NCLEX, then it might be for the best that you take some of the practice tests presented online. They will give you a better understanding of how the basic principles of nursing are introduced and presented in NCLEX-RN examination. Online, you can also find the subjects covered by NCLEX, such as safe effective care environment and health promotion (among many others).

As a general conclusion, NCLEX-RN is a test designed to determine oneâ??s knowledge and critical thinking regarding various aspects related to nursing. It represents an important test in oneâ??s nursing career, being mostly based on critical care nursing judgment. A tough examination, it requires adequate preparation and a lot of reading in the spare time. The Internet is perfect to prepare for NCLEX, offering one the opportunity to learn in the comfort of his/her home and at a personally set pace.

The problem is that many people study the wrong things. They memorize rules and learn by rote. The good news is that you don’t need to do boring memorization. Itís actually easier to learn thinking skills and learn to understand ideas about math and language, instead of just learning facts or memorizing information.

The GED is primarily a test of thinking skills. There are five subject area tests in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies, but the emphasis of these tests is not generally on remembering facts or knowing specific pieces of information. Instead, the tests focus on test-takers’ thinking skills, such as the ability to solve problems, interpret information, and evaluate explanations.

The GED asks you to understand cause and effect, to come to conclusions about information, to understand different points of view, and to see the difference between facts and opinions. That sounds like a lot, but it’s easier to learn different ways of thinking about information than it is to memorize dates from history.

The GED Academy focuses on these critical thinking skills, which are really the skills the GED test is designed to measure. GED students need to learn critical thinking skills in every discipline. In other words, students need to learn to think things through. It’s a lot easier than people imagine… it’s even fun.

Even if people are honest, advertising itself is a form of manipulation that slants our perspective. Scams are everywhere. Perhaps the secret we need most is a way to uncover what is a scam and what is a genuine opportunity. Using critical thinking skills will enable you to evaluate an opportunity and lower your risk of being scammed.

First, let me define what I consider a ‘genuine opportunity.’ I believe that what you get out of life, you must first put in. From experience, nothing comes from doing nothing. You must put in time, planning, strategy and effort and even money if you expect to succeed in your business, whatever it is. So I define a ‘genuine opportunity’ as that which gives you a basic business idea (maybe a product or service) which you can take and apply your time, planning, strategy, effort and money to make money. How much money you make depends on how much time, planning, strategy, effort and money you contribute. It also depends on the value of the product or service offered. If you have a bad product or service that nobody wants or needs, nobody will buy it.

The many scams that are circling the Internet take into account that you want something for nothing, so they advertise their opportunity as such. Many of these business opportunities are simply selling you on false promises. Some do not even have a product or service that you can promote. They lack that essential basic business idea.

Another sign of a scam is what resources and supports that are given or not given. Some of these opportunities offer training on how to use their ‘system.’ The scam opportunity, or source, will provide resources that they are affiliated with and promote them to you so that you can earn the source affiliate revenue. Actually, the honest programs do this as well. However, the difference is the value of the resource. Can these resources actually help you? Are there better ones available that were not offered because the source is not affiliated with them? Does the source offer a broad informative education for you to learn from, or is it simply targeted advertising in disguise?

Another item to check is who is offering the business opportunity. Do a little research on who owns the business. Are they an expert, or a self-proclaimed somebody? If you can find reviews or information on them from another, objective party, then that is a good sign. If all you find is the proclamations of the owner himself on how great his business opportunity is, I would look a little deeper before handing over my money.

When evaluating an opportunity, look at the proof that is offered that shows it is a viable business opportunity and whether that proof is verifiable. Many scams offer rows and rows of ‘testimonials.’ Look closer. Are the testimonials followed by “Mary from Detroit, Michigan” or by “Dick Weaver, www.dickswebsite.com?” Mary from Detroit will never be tracked down. You can easily and quickly go to Dick’s website. If he is legitimate, then you will be able to contact him through email or even a phone call. Given the choice between opportunities, the one that provides verifiable testimonials is the safer choice.

Finally, does the opportunity come with a guarantee and what is the quality of that guarantee? Do you have full access and at least a 30-day unconditional money-back promise? Take the time to check the online Better Business Bureau for more information. Unfortunately, most businesses are not members of the BBB so this is not always a fruitful search. However, if they are listed, you can feel much more confident in doing business with them, provided they have a positive standing. In addition to their guarantee, which I always like to save a copy of for reference, pay using Paypal or a credit card. This just gives you a little more security and can possibly help get your money back in case you need to exercise the money-back guarantee.

When evaluating a new business opportunity, critical thinking skills can help you to evaluate what is presented in more detail. Look for whether the advertising is based on vague and ambiguous claims, or solid, verifiable information. A real opportunity gives you a valuable product or service that you can apply your time, effort and money to promote. How much and how well you promote your business will determine how successful you are.

Researched and Authored by: Michael J. Spindler

Critical thinking is an individual’s ability to adapt and resolve situations by using knowledge and previous experience as tools to develop a solution for problems that have not been previously encountered. In the intellectually stimulating days of industrialization, tasks were outlined to perform a specific step in the manufacturing process, without deviation, to create a product. In the modern age, critical thinking is a requirement in most work places.

The ability to analyze a situation, summarize the problem, develop a plan of action towards resolution, implement the plan of action, observe the results, and verify the solution is a requirement. To experienced employees in the workplace, the processes of critical thinking become second nature, the employee automatically engages in the process of logic thought without even being fully aware of the complexity of the process.

From Doctor Sharon Ferret’s book, “Peak Performance”, she outlines 14 characteristics of a critical thinker, as outlined in a related article on critical thinking, “Developing Critical Thinking through Cooperative Learning”(Klimovien?, Urbonien?, & Barzdžiukien? (2006):

1. Asks pertinent questions.

2. Assesses statements and arguments.

3. Is able to admit a lack of understanding or information.

4. Has a sense of curiosity.

5. Is interested in finding new solutions.

6. Is able to clearly define a set of criteria for analyzing ideas.

7. Is willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions, and weigh them against facts.

8. Listens carefully to others and is able to give feedback.

9. Sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self assessment.

10. Looks for evidence to support assumptions and beliefs.

11. Is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found.

12. Looks for proof.

13. Examines problems closely.

14. Is able to reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant.

(Klimovien?, Urbonien?, & Barzdžiukien?, 2006)

For individuals who already have a similar train of thought as the outline would suggest, the above list of characteristics and the ability to incorporate those processes would come easily. To individuals who may not be inclined towards logical thought; the process of incorporating and applying these traits may come slowly in time. The mere fact that it would take a great deal of patience, time, and understanding, on behalf of an employer would most likely involuntarily commit the individual to lower paying jobs in which the individual is not paid for a level of mental capacity or ability.

The fact of the matter is, in the modern age, employees are paid to solve problems, with minimal supervision or hand holding. The employees’ ability to “dive in” and succeed are qualities that companies will pay for and encourage continued growth. However, this is never a guarantee in the world’s marketplace, through recession, downsizing, and out sourcing. In the following paragraphs, the author will discuss how even experience and documented accomplishments as a result of critical thinking are never enough to remain insulated from the realties of corporate America.

However, as the employee work pattern has changed in America, now a loss of a job is not the end of the world. The ability to find new employment and climb the ranks becomes an easier part of life because of critical thinking. As a computer technician, playing the pin ball game of the Information Technology (IT) field, the author has progressively grown with experience and higher expectations in compensation for services provided with each transition. Had the author’s goal been to stay with one company from the point of entry into the IT field, his knowledge would have been limited to an expertise of the environment garnered through trial and error. His compensation would have been limited to a three percent hike for each year of service, if he were lucky. “Changing employers is traditionally the fastest path to securing a significant hike in pay. Most firms tend to have restrictive rules on the rate of pay increase available to existing employees, even those changing jobs or gaining promotions. (Kolakowski, 2008) But the ability to go into an environment, become very proficient with trouble shooting technologies that he was not previously exposed too, and to incorporate those experiences into his knowledge base makes him a more valuable commodity.

As a person’s knowledge base increases, and the more practiced and diligent the person becomes at using and applying critical thinking skills, the person begins to feel confident and the next problem encountered becomes less daunting. The author has been in the IT field for eight years, a period divided up between companies numbering in the teens. With each job that passed, each new job became easier, no matter how foreign the environment. The ability to become an effective member of each new team was greatly increased as any hand holding gradually became less to none at all in an efficient and timely manner. Of course, an internal support structure within a team will always be present. But a team player’s ability to become a reliable and self reliant team mate is valuable to employers.

In summary, the only real insulation an employee has in the modern world is to become highly effective at resolving problems through the processes of critical thinking. Even from the start; writing a resume, analyzing the results of the resume, and refining the resume to get the desired results. Critical thinking has to be a part of persons psyche before landing the job.

References – Do Not Strip Article References

Klimovien?, Urbonien?, & Barzdžiukien? (2006). Developing Critical Thinking through Cooperative Learning. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=C753B42C-4EAE-4166-83FE-45F01E8C7BE8

Kolakowski, M. (2008). Changing Jobs. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from http://financecareers.about.com/od/changingjobs/a/changejob.htm

Researched and Authored by: Michael J. Spindler

Free to distribute – However- Do not strip Research Article References, remove the HTML if needed, but keep the URL text.

Do Not Remove the Authors name: Michael J. Spindler and keep all hyperlinks pointing to: http://www.localmusichits.com – I use software that compares my “library” and scours the web for postings. When I find my article on your site and you have not followed the above binding agreements, Lawyers will be sending letters. A considerable investment of time is involved with this content.

All too often we fall prey to patterns of thought that are comfortable to us without analyzing their effectiveness. When this happens we may not get the desired results because we haven’t asked the right questions or asked enough of them to arrive at the best response to a problem.

Researchers and management specialists have identified more than 100 different barriers that prevent effective critical thinking, but there are eight roadblocks that all executives should burn into their memory. To help remember these eight, here is an acronym for them – CAT MAGIC.

1. Confirmation bias – bending evidence to fit one’s beliefs. How many times do executives look for information that supports their point of view as opposed to seeking evidence that is individually or group “neutral?” The best way to fight this natural temptation of confirmation bias is to actively seek information that disproves your beliefs.

2. Attribution (or self-serving) bias – the belief that good things happen to us because of internal factors and bad things happen to us because of external factors, while the reverse is true with others. This bias causes us to pigeonhole the actions of others, especially bad behavior, as strictly the fault of the individual and not circumstances.

3. Trusting testimonial evidence – the fallacy of believing information from someone else, even if there is no evidence to support their statements. Studies have consistently shown individuals are more likely to buy something on the recommendation of others than the strength of advertising or some other marketing effort, yet how many of those same people actually know the veracity of those recommendations?

4. Memory lapses – while this barrier seems on the surface to be fairly self-explanatory (everybody has gaps in memory), its danger lies in the common human trait of filling in the memory gaps with information that may or may not be true. In other words, we make things up as we go along, which often prevents us from arriving at more fact-based decisions.

5. Accepting authority without question – a behavior documented by the famous experiments of researcher Stanley Milgram in which many people were willing to administer increasingly more powerful shocks to other people on the orders of an authority figure, even though they weren’t sure it was the right thing to do. This critical thinking failure continues to manifest itself today in the blind acceptance to people with questionable degrees or expertise.

6. Generalizing from too few observations – a common practice in consumer marketing where a small group of people in a focus group determine the direction of multi-million dollar ad campaigns, even though the opinions of those people cannot be projected onto a larger population. The same occurrence happens when a small group of executives or board members discuss an issue. We must constantly resist the temptation to take these informational shortcuts. For example, one way to counter the built-in bias of small groups is to seek out the unvarnished input from employees lower on the organizational chart.

7. Ignorance and the failure to admit it – a trait that leads to fabricated information and wild speculation. Nobody wants to look foolish, so instead of admitting his or her lack of knowledge a person may fake it and then explain the fakery in a way that makes it seem true. Beware of those who are quick with answers or slow to admit they don’t know something.

8. Coincidence (or the Law of Truly Large Numbers) – the mistaken belief that pieces of information have causality when, in fact, they are the result of a pure coincidence or the law of large numbers. Any large block of data will show connections, but those connections most likely have no other meaning. For example, some hospital CEOs will likely have red hair, but no other link can be made between being a CEO and red hair. Yet, we often attach causal links to events or date where no links exist.

Like any other behavior in life worth doing, good critical thinking is all about turning ideas into habitual behavior. You first have to recognize that your critical thinking skills might not be up to par and then you must go about improving them. Only when you start applying those news skills again and again to a variety of circumstances will the skills stick and generate results. Critical thinking must become a force of habit for top leaders, much like their breathing. It must become part of your leadership core.