[Future Peds Nurse]

Is anyone able to give me any test taking advice\strategies? Our tests are on the computer NCLEX style and we are not able to go back and change the answers. I would really like to know how to break the question apart and understand what it is truly asking.

[Valerie Salva]

Pay close attention to words like "first, priority, best, last, most" and similar words in tests. For example, there can be questions like "in such and such situation, which would you do first?" Maybe all of the answers are right, but one can be "more right" than the others.

Also, some questions are questions of exception- like "In such and such case, which of the following would you not do?"

Or- "in this situation, you would do all except...."

[Daytonite]

The basic strategy for answering critical thinking (application type) questions is as follows, you must:

• know and consider the normal anatomy and physiology
• know and consider abnormal anatomy for the disease in question
• know and consider the resulting signs and symptoms when the disease occurs and how they proceed from mild to fatal - each sign and symptom can be related back to the pathophysiology of the disease
• know and consider how the doctor diagnoses and treats the disease in question
• know nursing interventions for the signs and symptoms you are being asked about
• know the steps of the nursing process and what goes on in each of the steps and consider how they are affecting the question you are being asked
• know and consider the principles behind the actions being done - there are many kinds of principles: principles of nursing, principles of biology, principles of chemistry, principles of physics, etc.
• read the stem of the question carefully and answer that because the test makers try to trip you up by distracting you with conflicting information they give you in the answer choices that sounds good but has no relationship to what the question is asking for
• ask yourself "why" a patient is experiencing some sign or symptoms to get at the underlying problem. Nursing like other disciplines treats the problem/signs and symptoms.

There is more information on this sticky thread:

• http://allnurses.com/forums/f50/looking-test-taking-stratagies-224581.html - Looking for test taking strategies (on the Nursing Student Discussion Forum)

[Annie09]

Because we bubble in answers on an computer generated answer sheet, we are allowed to marked up our test. I circle the important data, to help streamline and focus my thinking, and sometimes I even cross out the fluff (it's distracting). Request if you can be permitted to have a piece of paper to write down key pieces of information that will better help you critically think through a question. Offer to hand in the paper after the test, so information doesn't leave the room. In addition to this, Daytonite's advice, as always, rocks!