Hi Ruqayyah,
I'll go through and address the things you want to know one by one.
English Tests
The English tests tend to vary between different universities, although as a general rule, despite the task, markers are looking for: clear handwriting, well organised and concise answers, and good spelling, punctuation and grammar. They usually last about 30 mins, and tasks you are asked to complete may be something simple such as "Describe your journey here" or you may be asked to critique a news article or answer questions based on some pre-reading you have been given. To prepare at home you could practice some descriptive writing by setting yourself a topic to write about. You could also find a news article that reports on a piece of research and think critically of its strengths and weaknesses. (If you need an article to start off with, this is a good one:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32162803). One of my interviewas a comprehension test, so you could also use this article in that way too. This critiquing does seem a little advanced, but I am aware that universities have been setting such tasks, and therefore it is good to be prepared. If you require help on basic critiquing, there is reliable help available online or I can provide pointers.
Maths Test
These also usually last about 30 mins and normally comprise of subtraction, addition, multiplication, division, fractions, conversions, ratios and percentages etc. It's just below GCSE standard. Some universities are also including basic drug calculations, although these shouldn't require a calculator, and with good general maths skills they should be answerable. With the maths tests people often get confused by the nursing terminology used... Try to remove the nursing context where you can and focus on the maths. Brighton and Birmingham City Universities provide sample maths papers on their websites which will give you a good idea of what to expect. The unis you have applied to may provide their own. The NHS website "SNAP" is also a good preparation tool but I am not sure how accessing this works as some people have said you need a certain account to get it. Maybe give it a try.
Personal Statements
- Have a good reason for entering nursing - saying you want to care for people is not enough.
- Make sure you show understanding of what a children's nurse does - we don't play with kids!
- Be concise remove words like "That", "And", "This" or "The" where you don't need them.
- Say what you have learnt, and why that will benefit you. Don't just list what experience you have. Use one sentence to say what you did. Use two or three sentences to say what you learnt etc.
- use a thesaurus to make it more interesting
- Relate your academic subjects back to nursing
- Give a long term goal if you have one (E.g. A&E nurse etc)
Hope that helps
Joel