Advice for exams?

audie88 · Oct 8, 2013

Hi,

Im also a second year nursing student. I also didnt do to well on my first test this semester. I work but I have no kids. So what I decided to do was to first talk to my professor to see what it was I was doing wrong and come to find out I was missing just one word out of the questions therefore it changed my entire answer. Next I decided to go sew a tutor which helped tremendously. I also recommend meet up with a classmate or two to get input, bc what you have trouble with im sure someone else does and two heads are better then one. Also you have to read the chapter. Professors know that students don't read and a lot of material comes from the reading. We get podcast over our lessons which is also helpful. I hope this helps you, if not maybe I can go over some questions with you to see how you answer them.

hodgieRN · Oct 9, 2013

Well, it sounds like you are definitely studying enough. Sounds to me that you are interpreting the test questions wrong. Most people have a a hard switching to the critical thinking questions. Maybe you are having issues with the NCLEX style questions. It sounds like you are learning enough material. In nursing school, the material is only half way. You have to apply the material in a scenario or use it to weed out other answers.

Above all else, make sure you are reading and understanding what the question is asking. The scenario in a question might make you feel like you have to pick an answer that's best for a pt overall, but the the answer is the answer to the question, despite whatever the scenario is. For example, a question might say " A pt has a blood pressure of 91/52 and a HR of 61. Has history of cardiomyopathy. What med do you give to alleviate cardiomyopathy? A) ace inhibitor or B, C, D, etc. The answer is A. That's one of the treatments. Now, you might say...That's a trick question...you don't give an ace inhibitor because it's blood pressure medication, and if you give that, the blood pressure will drop and the pt will die. The 91/52 has absolutely nothing to do with the question. Nothing. It's irrelevant. The question is what med do you give to alleviate cardiomyopathy. Just answer the question. Nothing more, nothing less....unless it question asks for it. They will throw in irrelevant information, curveballs, etc. Now, if it mentions that the pt is unresponsive, cold, clammy, and the question is asking the priority, than the answer is different.

Take a step back and look at the question from a different angle. Ask yourself, is this a question about assessment, maybe intervention, maybe evaluation? Is this a question about safety? If it is an assessment question, then the evaluation answer is wrong....even if the evaluation would, in fact, be the right choice if you were evaluating it...but it's not an evaluation question.

Think of exams like trick questions. Let me give you an example that is way over the top.

You have 4 items...a car, a cell phone, a computer, and a chair. One of these items is the smallest of the 4. How many fingers are on your hand? See what I mean???? Is this a question about the smallest item or a question about fingers on your hand? Now, a cell phone is absolutely the smallest item, but that is not what the question is asking. The good thing is, that one answer that seems really weird or out of place, might be a clue to the right choice. If you saw the choices it would be a) car, b) cell phone, c) computer, d) 5. 5 doesn't fit the other, but maybe there's a reason it's there. If you go back and read the question, then it makes sense.

You can learn all the material you want, but you have to learn how strategically take exams and dissect the question. Hope this helps.

loriangel14, RN · Oct 9, 2013

Hello, I am in my second year of Nursing school. The first year took a little bit of getting used to because of the critical thinking questions. I barely passed the first semester but did pretty well my second semester. The thing is, before every test I am fully confident I know the material and even when I am walking away from the test. After my first test this semester I walked out thinking I got at least a hight 80, but more than likely a A. I was shocked and saddened to find out I got a D! I have studied all month for this test, literally every day. I do not have to work and do not have kids so there is no excuse on my part. I absolutely know the facts of what I am supposed to learn, but I never know why I do not do well on the test. As of now my study method is this:
Follow the module objectives by reading the books/power points. I will take down words/phrases/abbreviations that i do not know and plug them into my Tabers Medical Dictionary Online subscription which pulls the definition up right up, I then write it down in my notes. I also take down important facts I do not know. I do this multiple times until the notes get less and less and I know it all. This sounds tedious, and it is, but it worked for me last year. But after this recent grade, and for the amount of time I put into studying for this test, I feel like i need to change things up. When I say i study every day, I study every single day, and usually all day. I study too much too be getting bad grades and I am stressing out pretty bad. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You keep saying you "know the facts". You need to more than that. You need to know how apply what you know to answer the question. it's not just a matter of memorizing facts.

Stephalump · Oct 9, 2013

You keep saying you "know the facts". You need to more than that. You need to know how apply what you know to answer the question. it's not just a matter of memorizing facts.

I agree with this. I don't know how people successfully study by going over notecards over and over again - the facts I can put on a notecard are only the basic framework necessary to get to the higher level thinking our tests are looking forward.

Answer NCLEX questions! 1.5 million of them.

Sconnie_Nurse · Oct 9, 2013

I completely agree with Stephalump... practice answering NCLEX style questions. This will help with applying what you are learning to different scenarios. Saunders NCLEX examination book gives you a lot of practice questions both in the book and online. I also agree with not just 'memorizing', you need to be able to apply it. Study groups are also a way to learn and teach others if you learn best in study groups.