Am I dumb or what?

Moogie · Nov 18, 2010

You are NOT dumb! I think you might be having a bit of test anxiety. You're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do well and your anxiety might be getting in the way of your success in exams. It could also be that the test questions are poorly written and confusing. There's an art to writing test questions and many otherwise excellent educators have difficulty writing coherent test questions.

I'm glad you have talked to your instructor about this. If your school has a learning center or a counseling center, I urge you to speak with someone about handling the test anxiety.

And please, stop the negative self-talk. Just because you're having difficulty with exams in one subject does not mean that you can't become a nurse. You have defined a problem that you need to solve and I have every confidence in you that you will succeed. But you can't succeed if you put yourself down.

I wish you the best. Please feel free to PM me if you need a shoulder.

SamAcct · Nov 18, 2010

You are NOT dumb! I think you might be having a bit of test anxiety. You're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do well and your anxiety might be getting in the way of your success in exams. It could also be that the test questions are poorly written and confusing. There's an art to writing test questions and many otherwise excellent educators have difficulty writing coherent test questions.
I'm glad you have talked to your instructor about this. If your school has a learning center or a counseling center, I urge you to speak with someone about handling the test anxiety.
And please, stop the negative self-talk. Just because you're having difficulty with exams in one subject does not mean that you can't become a nurse. You have defined a problem that you need to solve and I have every confidence in you that you will succeed. But you can't succeed if you put yourself down.
I wish you the best. Please feel free to PM me if you need a shoulder.

Thanks, I really do appreciate the advice. :)

thinkertdm · Nov 18, 2010

Test anxiety can be a killer. There might be some sort of assessment center at the college where you can perhaps take some tests to look for a hidden learning disorder.

Also, there is definitely a learning skills center that can help you study, and prepare for the tests.

Also, from my own experience: get a good nights sleep before the test. Stop studying an hour before, and spend it relaxing- thinking about anything except the test. Listen to some music, take a walk, read something non school related.

Some people claim study groups help (I haven't found that, but you might). At the very least, getting together and asking each other questions may help you work on bringing the answers to your head. Be careful with study groups, though- they can easily turn to a gab session, which equals waste of time.

Do your instructors give a list of objectives? Use them to phrase your questions.

Oh, yeah- the best and quickest way to fail is to make yourself believe that the reason is you- being dumb, or stupid, or really not cut out for it. Stop it. The only difference between people who succeed and people who don't is not talent, but raw perserverence.

johnnyDoGood · Nov 18, 2010

I turned to Nursing after deciding 4 yrs of Accounting wasn't for me despite the good money. I love the personable nature of doing your best to help an ailing person recover and that at the end of the day you actually do something noble regardless of the "bad" days rather than shuffling money around a spreadsheet. Volunteering at hospitals also helped in my decision.
Problem? I feel like I'm really dumb! I'm taking A&P 1 & 2. I love the classes which does a great job of piquing my interest about the human body but when it gets to exams I FREEZE! My professor doesn't understand as I seem to be the one volunteering most of the right answers in lectures and lab and explaining concepts to my study mates.
Right now I'm on pace to getting 'C's which is not going to cut it in applying to Nursing school so I'm repeating them again next semester, it will affect my chances but I really, really do not want to continue in Accounting. I have an exam today and I'm already miserable. I know it's not the same but I sort of breezed through Accounting and never had this kind of problem.
Have any of you experience this kind of problem and how did you deal with it? Thank you in advance for your advice and God bless you! :)

no, but u have already guessed it, you won't be able to breeze with C's. though it is a waste of time retaking courses. i got lucky; my instructor had study notes on the computer and her tests would always consist of just what was on the study guide. i always passed all her lecture exams with minimal studying. another thing that helped a huge huge deal is getting an online cd. some come with books, they are usually called A&P study discs. you will learn a great deal more that way than reading the books. look on ebay for some a/p study cd's that you can put in your computer and look at the graphics. not only interesting but you will pick up the information easier that way. it usually takes me 4 or 5 complete reads of full chapters to pass exams with just book study alone.

also, i need to add. if it becomes too much and you still aren't passing with better grades you may need to weigh your options better. you would either have to cut down on your work hours or look into something else. it is not going to benefit you to keep retaking classes only to get in the field and get a wake up call and realize it wasn't what you thought it was because then you will be disappointed. the health field is not for everyone. i'm finding that out the hard way myself despite having done well in health courses.

Moogie · Nov 18, 2010

The CDs or DVDs are a GREAT idea! Many students find them more user-friendly than lectures.

JoblessNewGradRN · Nov 18, 2010

Try studying the concepts from other books. Watch YouTube videos lol. Try to research the topics online to get the 'gist' of things BUT return to your books to get more in depth. Anyway, find what works for you. Different people learn in different ways.

What worked for me was taking good notes in lecture, reading a simplified version of the topic, then going back to the book and highlighting, making study cards (sometimes!), memorizing, and cramming til the last minute.

I wish you the best. You need to do your best in all the pre-reqs because nursing school is very competitive.

MOMACOCO · Nov 18, 2010

Make sure you try a different professor next time as well. If its not too late, drop the class before you end up with the C...will a higher grade replace this one? I think it will still affect your GPA even if they take the higher grade.. May need to try a different school. My daughter is trying to get scheduled to take A&P at one school and can"t get in as classes fill so quickly...some people have told her to try the next over com college and to take online as the instructor there uses all Power point and covers everything on the exam via power point...btw...I made a C in my first A&P but B's in the second one and in all my nursing classes made an A or B...so don't decide that nursing is all how ya do in A&P...keep trying...you only live once!

Lucky0220 · Nov 18, 2010

Try studying the concepts from other books. Watch YouTube videos lol. Try to research the topics online to get the 'gist' of things BUT return to your books to get more in depth. Anyway, find what works for you. Different people learn in different ways.
What worked for me was taking good notes in lecture, reading a simplified version of the topic, then going back to the book and highlighting, making study cards (sometimes!), memorizing, and cramming til the last minute.
I wish you the best. You need to do your best in all the pre-reqs because nursing school is very competitive.

That is exactly what I did in school, when I didn't quite understand what the textbook said. It helped so much and when I would go back and read it again, it was easier to understand. GREAT ADVICE! :up:

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2010

I took my A&P instructors advice on test taking and used it all throughout school and did very well. He told us to NOT study the day before the test and go out and have fun. It worked for me. I would also try not to look at my notes the day of testing as well because it just caused anxiety. However, I studied many hours a day, I didn't have to work so that helped. I had a teacher that once said to study in 30 minute intervals then take a short break then continue to study.

Good luck.

johnnyDoGood · Nov 18, 2010

Make sure you try a different professor next time as well. If its not too late, drop the class before you end up with the C...will a higher grade replace this one? I think it will still affect your GPA even if they take the higher grade.. May need to try a different school. My daughter is trying to get scheduled to take A&P at one school and can"t get in as classes fill so quickly...some people have told her to try the next over com college and to take online as the instructor there uses all Power point and covers everything on the exam via power point...btw...I made a C in my first A&P but B's in the second one and in all my nursing classes made an A or B...so don't decide that nursing is all how ya do in A&P...keep trying...you only live once!

dropping courses can be just as bad as getting low grades. they do look at that stuff you know. she does not want to get in the habit of dropping courses. it is very habit forming. you can't quit just because you got off on a bad foot, gotta keep on going. because if she is more than half way thru and failing, this is bad news for her going into the health field already. you can't always count on getting good teachers.

SamAcct · Nov 18, 2010

Thank you all for your advice, I'll surely take it to heart and pray that I do better using the various techniques you guys have recommended.

It's not that I don't understand the materials. I do, put in a lot of hours studying and learn by making it practical, it's the anxiety that is tripping me up. I'll try the relaxing before exam route.

You guys ROCK! Thank you all!