This past week, we took our ATI Critical Thinking Assessment Exit Exam. This exam was taken to see if our critical thinking skills improved during our time in nursing school. Personally, my results or critical thinking improved from the entrance exam to the exit exam. My interpretation, inference, evaluation, and self-regulation components all improved from the first exam. However, my analysis and explanation scores got worse. I received a higher score overall on the exit exam and the individual component scores were in a similar range compared to the entrance exam where they varied greatly. I think the next steps I need to take to further develop my critical thinking skills as I transition from a nursing student to a professional nurse would be to think more in depth about certain situations, think about why they are happening, and think about how to explain them to patients or their families. I will practice analyzing all situations from different angles to see what the outcomes will be and I will go over example situations to practice all of my skills so they are ready when I transition into a professional nurse.