Good study method or too OCD?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in ED.

Okay, I know there has been numerous threads on studying but I need opinions.

I usually do well my reading the chapters and make my own notes (this takes a while but it helps me retain the info). The teacher says to outline by the topics she has listed, the homework, and the powerpoints. So far it seems that it equals to everything in the chapter.

So this is what I think i'm going to do: read the chapters and make notes throughout with things that I think are important, then look at the homework and powerpoints to see what I left out, add anything missing, and then make notecards summarizing the most important things to study from. I have HUGE ones, and I plan to place them on a ring of some kind, divided up into exams. I also have my binder divided up by the exam topics. Does this seem like too much or too OCD, or does it seem like a good study method? I am a little OCD, I like to be organized and neat. I just don't want to waste any valuable time. I have 5 classes and 2 little ones, with very little study time. I'm wanting to make the most of it.

Thanks for any help/advice! & and taking the time to read and/or respond. :)

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I used to outline everything when I studied too. My entire undergrad I did it and I got really behind.

This second time around I tried something a little different.

I took detailed notes in class.

I highlighted important sentences in the text and put asteriks around figures I was responsible for knowing.

I jotted down things in the textbook as opposed to a notebook I wanted to read. That way when it was time to study, I went to each section, read the highlighted parts and any notes I made. I also did any practice questions that came up.

It saved me a notebook and helped me get done faster.

This may or may not work for you, but I thought I'd offer it.

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Specializes in ED.

I was thinking that maybe as we got deeper into the semester, maybe I wouldn't have to do this. Right now, it's all about communication, history taking, the interview and so on. A lot of it seems like common sense to me, but some of it has been steps to it that I HAVE to know, Kwim? It gets tiring and it's very time consuming to do it how I have been doing. I hope I can move on from that and just start writing down only things that I need to memorize/know, etc.

Thanks for your response :)

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I hear ya. I'm at the brain exploding phase right before classes start.

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That sounds like a lot of time spent organizing study material instead of studying. You may get behind if you want to do that for every chapter. Not only that, but you may try to overload on info and forget some stuff or get it confused. What class is this for? I would look at the power points and see what topics are covered. Then, if you dont understand something, read further into the subject in the book. I've always used the text book as a reference and gotten A's.

Just try to relax a little and you will do great.

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Specializes in ED.
That sounds like a lot of time spent organizing study material instead of studying. You may get behind if you want to do that for every chapter. Not only that, but you may try to overload on info and forget some stuff or get it confused. What class is this for? I would look at the power points and see what topics are covered. Then, if you dont understand something, read further into the subject in the book. I've always used the text book as a reference and gotten A's.

Just try to relax a little and you will do great.

Health assessment practicum. My book comes

With free resources, and I noticed they have the key points from each chapter that you can print. Do you think that would be helpful? Thanks for the response :)

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I'm like Jennie.K. I stopped reading the textbook after my very first nursing school exam and I've gotten all A's. I don't retain the information from these long-winded textbooks. I learn everything in lecture and clinical and use my books as a reference to clear up any fuzzy info. The only books I read are my supplemental ones like the Reviews and Rationales series. They're concise, hit the important points, and aren't so long-winded that I want to shoot myself. I spend less time studying now than in pre-reqs because I've learned how to study smart.

Try spending more time studying, pick a topic you don't quite understand and reference your textbook, put it in your own words, and move on. Getting organized may feel like studying but you can get behind really easily that way.

Good luck!

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Specializes in N/A.
I'm like Jennie.K. I stopped reading the textbook after my very first nursing school exam and I've gotten all A's. I don't retain the information from these long-winded textbooks. I learn everything in lecture and clinical and use my books as a reference to clear up any fuzzy info. The only books I read are my supplemental ones like the Reviews and Rationales series. They're concise, hit the important points, and aren't so long-winded that I want to shoot myself. I spend less time studying now than in pre-reqs because I've learned how to study smart.

Try spending more time studying, pick a topic you don't quite understand and reference your textbook, put it in your own words, and move on. Getting organized may feel like studying but you can get behind really easily that way.

Good luck!

I am the same way. The nursing instructors scared the crap out of me in my first semester saying "You must read or you will fail!!!". So, I read for the first exam and boy was it a waste of time. After that exam I just took notes in class and read my supplemental books (saunders nclex review, prentice hall and do tons of nclex questions). By doing this I received a 91% in my first semester and a 92% in the second. If reading and writing works for you then do it. I just think you will fall behind at some point.
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Specializes in Home Care.

I'd got to class with a print of the power point and text. I'd jot important notes on the PP and highlight specifics in the text during lecture. Then I'd review and write my notes and a few cards. I'd study using the questions from Saunders NCLEX.

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Notecards were my best friend!! I also read every chapter too and highlighted throughout the chapter!! Not OCD in the least :)

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I always download the key points from the book's internet resource and add more detailed information to it from the textbook. When I'm done with that I print it and only use that to study so I don't have to open and read the book again. After studying the "key points" I review the power points and then start doing NCLEX questions from either the textbook (there're always questions at the end of the chapter), internet resources (quizzes), NCLEX books (such as Med Surg Success), and Kaplan.

So far this method has worked for me and I'll keep doing it this way. I have my Med Surg I final this Monday and so far I've got high Bs and As in all my tests :)... I hope I do well in the final too!

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I'm so jealous of those who dont have to read the textbooks. Our instructor doesn't cover everything in the chapters and a lot of what she doesn't cover is on the test. It is an absolute necessity to read the textbooks as at least half of the material covered on the test we didn't discuss or if she did only one sentence about it.

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