A new ruling from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has mandated that nursing programs receiving grant funds from the state will be required to have prospective nursing students pass a pre-admission test prior to being admitted to their program. Palomar College has received several grants from the state and the funds have been utilized to expand our nursing program and our enrollments.  We plan on continuing to apply for these grants therefore we are modifying our entrance requirements in order to qualify for additional grant funds. 

The Chancellor’s Office has recommended that the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) be utilized as the pre-admission test, with a required cumulative passing score of 67%.The TEAS provides a basic diagnostic assessment of a person’s knowledge of Math, English, Reading, and Science.  Palomar College began implementing the mandated TEAS requirement in Fall ’08 .  It is felt that the implementation of this exam will promote student success in the program.  Resources for the exam can be found on the ATI online store link. All students must set up an account with ATI testing prior to taking the TEAS exam.

All students on the waitlist must successfully pass the TEAS exam prior to entering the Nursing Program. Tests must be scheduled and passed no later than May for Fall entrance and November for Spring entrance.  Effective May 1, 2009, we will no longer be able to accept a passing TEAS score beyond 2 attempts.  As a student, this change in policy means if you have taken the TEAS more than two times with a failing score (less than 67%), you are ineligible for the Nursing Program at Palomar College.  Students scores received after May 1, 2009 that indicate more than 2 attempts, will be notified of their ineligibility.

Students that do not meet the required minimum cumulative pass rate of 67%  on the first attempt, will be allowed to repeat the test after completing a required developmental remediation plan. Students that do not complete this requirement within a prearranged one year  timeline will be removed from the waitlist.

Students that have already taken the TEAS and have successfully passed should contact ATI testing and request that an electronic transcript be sent to Palomar College. Please do not have your scores transmitted until you are officially on the wait list.

 

TEAS EXAM SCHEDULE AT PALOMAR COLLEGE-available for students on the Palomar College Nursing Education Wait List
 

Test dates:

Friday, November 6, 2009-last test date for entrance in Spring 10	December 7, 2009	January, 2010 - no test
February 1, 2010	March 1, 2010	April 5, 2010
May 3, 2010 - last test date for entrance in Fall 10

 

FUTURE TEST DATES WILL BE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE IN EARLY SPRING 2010

 

The Teas exam will be offered in Room SU-1 (San Marcos Campus) and will begin promptly at 1:00 pm. Late admissions will not be allowed. Please allow ample time to find a parking space. The test takes a maximum of 3 ½ hours to complete and is divided into four timed sections. To schedule an appointment, please email Cathy Hawkins at chawkins@palomar.edu.  Be sure to include your student ID number in your email.  There are limited spaces available on each test date. A confirmation will be emailed to you that must be brought  to the test site.  Only students on the Palomar College Nursing Education wait list will be eligible to take the test at Palomar College. It is requested that students not schedule their exam until they have been on the wait list at least 6 months in order to accommodate students that are anticipating acceptance in the program the following semester.

 

Appointments must be set up prior to the test date. In order to take the test you must have a Palomar College student ID number.  Please log on to www.palomar.edu and access the “Apply for Admission” link.  There is no cost for applying and no cost to take the exam at Palomar College.  No student will be admitted to the exam without a scheduled appointment from the Nursing Education Department.  All test takers will also be required to bring a picture ID on the day of your test. There will be no exceptions!

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TEAS