Desperate!!!!Need help ASAP- FUNDAMENTALS final coming up

lilo2010 · Jan 2, 2009

First of all calm down & take a deep breath! Either you know it or you don't! I took fundamentals final a few wks ago, but we use Potter & Perry! Ours was just a lot of critical thinking. But that is how all of our tests were. I just reviewed over my old notes & stuff I had highlighted stuff in my book. Good Luck to you!!! You can do it!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2009

i strongly recommend you read over the information on test taking strategies that are posted on this thread:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/looking-test-taking-stratagies-224581.html - looking for test taking strategies (in the nursing student discussion forum)

Dianacabana · Jan 3, 2009

First of all...don't panic. It makes studying that much harder. I took my final in Dec. and while we used a different text (Taylor), I found these tips helpful with my multiple choice exams, because there is a lot of information (but you knew that already).

1. Look at what your instructor told you to focus on. Is your exam mostly on the material from the last part of the term? Then study that first. Look at what notes you took from the lecture and look where your prof. spent a significant portion of time to gain an idea on what she/he might focus.

2. Review your old exams if possible. Study the areas you did worst in next. Find additional review questions online, or from a study guide (I like ATI and Fundamentals for Success or any other fundamentals text from your library). Personally, I find those review questions most helpful because they isolate where I'm really weak. I also learn from reading the rationales.

3. Look at what areas you did well in/feel confident in, and study those last. Do the review questions from your text and see what areas you miss consistently in. Review those carefully.

4. Choosing the best answer: we were taught to assess using ABC first (airway, breathing, circulation) then use Maslow to decide which answer contains the priority intervention.

I'm never one to change tactics before a test (ESPECIALLY a final exam)...but one instructor who teaches a test-taking strategy class told us to use a blank notecard to cover the answers while reading the question so that you focus on the question and think of the answer first in your mind. I can't tell you how helpful it was (for me at least...if change freaks you out then definitely DON'T do it).

Eat well for a couple of days before the test. No crap, no sugar, lots of protein. Don't skip meals. Chew a piece of mint gum during the test (hey, I paid the folks at Kaplan a lot of $$ for that tip, so I'm telling it to everyone). Something about it helping your focus, and mint helps perk you up.

GOOD LUCK!! :yeah:

mRpeNa · Jan 4, 2009

you can do it!:wink2: like my friends told me, you know this stuff! one thing i will tell you that helped me. (i took the final in december and will be starting the 2nd semester jan 12.) when i took the final i used earplugs.that helped out so much because it blocked out the background noise and i was able to hear myself read and think! and do not second guess your self. i had this problem in the beginning. i would change 10-15 answers that were originally right to wrong. then i read the test for success and it said the only time you change an answer is if you misread the question!:smackingfduh!!!!! you didn't mentioned that you had this problem but i know in the final you might second guess yourself so i thought i would throw that in!

good luck!

i will keep you in my prayers!

mRpeNa · Jan 6, 2009

so how did it go?:wink2: