Best Tips for Studying?

I felt the exact same way in LPN school. I was ecstatic when I made it to my second semester. What helped me was highlighting the sections in the book I was studying with different color highlighters! For example, if we were studying about the ear, I would highlight that in blue. If we were studying about ear infections, I would highlight that in pink. Color coding the material helped me the most. I would also study my NCLEX study guide. A lot of our questions seemed to come from our NCLEX study guide. I know every LPN program is different, and all professors teach differently, but that's what helped me. I also went online and would read over subjects we were studying. Reading the material online was a little more fun than strictly reading from the textbook! lol I passed my first semester with a 78/C & second with a 80/C & that was studying 35 hours a week! So glad that's over. I don't think I could do it now... I graduated in '07 & I'm about to turn 34...

I think the main thing is to find your studying style, what makes you retain information better. Unless you "barely" made it through the first semester the way you have study was somewhat effective. In my own experience I used to read all the chapters briefly the first time and highlight the important areas then read it again focusing more, after that I got together with my study buddies and we went over the chapters together. This worked for me but it all depends on how your study style is. Some people like to write everything they study, I found that a waste of time, others like flashcards. I liked to study straight from the book and write notes on the book. Good luck with your new semester!

I'm completing my first quarter of LPN program... half way through I totally messed up and failed 4 different exams/quizzes. I "talked" to myself and come up with a game plan. I wrote everything on bright colored note cards and then studied 30-45 minutes at a time on one particular subject. Then I would take a break and then I would go back and do the same thing again... I also went to every review session/ group study and also bounced ideas off my classmates. It has happened me to bring my overall grades to 3.1 GPA and I would continue into the next quarters.

A huge tip I have is highlighting assessments in one color and interventions in another. Those two things are major pieces of the nclex. Figure out what works for you, is it reading? Watching youtube video (highly recomment micheal linares)? Taking notes? My personal favorite is flash cards.

The biggest thing is carving out time to consistently study.