Desperately need help studying efficiently

Simplistic · Mar 23, 2017

Wow. It sounds like your teacher did a horrible job of preparing you for your exams. I can say for sure that nursing is going to be time consuming ( I currently spend 4-5 hours a day studying for that class), but its much easier concept wise, than anatomy.

Roasted.Peanuts · Mar 23, 2017

During all of my science prerequisites, I did not have to study as hard as you did. I took them all accelerated in an 8-week and 5-week course. I think that helped me a lot because I was focusing on one course in that time period. What worked for me was studying with a dedicated study partner every morning before class and reviewing our notes together and testing each other. What I really learned taking my prereqs is that if you are able to explain the topic to another student in your own words, that means you have mastered that material and have a high understanding of it. This method can be applied to all the prereqs. I hope this helps.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Mar 23, 2017

You need to realize that a student with the optimal study habits (whatever that is) can not compensate for an instructor's poor teaching and exam creation. This is not an issue of poor study habits, but a tough/poor instructor. Hopefully, you will have better quality instructors in your other classes and be able to hone your study skills before nursing school.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · Mar 23, 2017

Hi Accordiantoyou,

Thank you for sharing your story. You seem to have a lot of perseverance and discipline. Stay eager to learn and motivated :) Here are some helpful tips that will not only be helpful for you at this time but also in nursing school. Give yourself enough time to prepare 5-7 days before an exam. Learn some great time management, reading strategies and active learning tips.

I wish you all the best!!!

AnnPerkins · Mar 23, 2017

Sometimes you needs to switch learning styles. Look up A&P lectures on YouTube (I like AnatomyGMC) Read the PowerPoints and rewrite them in your own words. You said that you're good on lab, but not lecture. To me, lecture is less memorization and more global thinking. Visualize how the part of the body is actually functioning. Draw pictures if you have to.

Good luck to you!

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Mar 23, 2017

Of all the things you study, how much of it is actually on the test? Is there a discernible pattern to the information you're presented and the information you're tested on?

Wiggly Litchi · Mar 24, 2017

Flashcards help, but 2100 seems a bit overkill - my current A&P professor doesn't give a study guide; we are able to be tested on any of the information from the chapter for each exam, that and draw each body system and label it from memory as part of the exam.

I think flashcards are great, but they don't often help to nail down critical thinking questions; you've really got to understand the concepts in order to answer those. That being said, I still use flashcards - quizlet has been an absolute lifesaver for helping me remember minutiae, and I probably have around 100~160 per chapter.

Here's what I do to study for A&P -

At the end of each chapter there's a brief summary of each concept in that chapter; in my textbook chapter 7 is bones, so I'll take all the subheadings from that page and write a note of it

Ex:

Bone development

Intramembranous
Endochondral
@ Epiphyseal plate

This way I narrow my search for juicy information and know to pick out the fluff (You can do this with lecture notes/powerpoints too). Read your book/notes until you're able to tackle a few concepts at a time - don't try to read the whole chapter at once and then regurgitate it all because it just won't happen (unless you're super super smaht/weird/combo of the two... I'm jealous).

Fluff out your bullet points with only what is needed!

Ex: Intramembranous bones: some flat bones of the skull are intramembranous, they form/develop from layers of connective tissue and osteoblasts in these layers form bone tissue. The primitive connective tissue eventually becomes the periosteum. --That's like half a page of information in 2 sentences; granted it's not alllllll the juicy info, but you get the idea.

Draw diagrams if you need to - I thought my A&P professor was cruel at first by making us draw the diagrams and label them from memory, but it really helped to nail down certain concepts. Spending time focusing, busting out the crayolas, and going ham for a few minutes was all I needed to cement some information.

Try to teach someone, or even something. Not to boast, but I have the smartest plushie carrot ever;I lecture to it and try to explain things simply (Works in the same way that 'Rubber Duck Debugging' does - wiki it for giggles) - Einstein said that if you can't explain something simply, you don't know it well enough, so learn as if you're going to teach. Record yourself doing this if you can - if you play it back and it's correct and makes sense to you, then you can even use that material on the go~

As others have said - there's video lectures on youtube etc, it's really about finding a study method that works for you

Sorry for all the ramblings! I tend to get carried away~

FutureNurseInfo · Mar 24, 2017

I guess what you are doing is working, but all I can say the education nowadays sucks, because it seems like all we do is to study for the test.

Wiggly Litchi · Mar 24, 2017

I guess what you are doing is working, but all I can say the education nowadays sucks, because it seems like all we do is to study for the test.

Oh my gosh, yes!

I had such a culture shock starting college in America because they drill you with 3 chapters so quickly that all you can really do is memorize, and then fill in the blanks another time.

Gangsteroids · Mar 24, 2017

The most efficient way for me to study A&P was:

1) Diagrams (seriously, the most important one by far)

Print out blank diagrams of the parts you're currently studying. Bones, muscles, digestive system, arteries, nerves... anything. Put the pages in a pocket page protector and get a couple different colors of dry erase markers. Label the diagrams as many times as you can stand to OR as many times as it takes for you to get at least 90% of the things labeled without looking at notes. Do it for speed too. This was my main practice technique. You can get diagrams by photocopying images from your text and using white out to cover the labels. I also drew my own a lot of the time because that's good practice as well.

2) Re-write your study terms

Flashcards only do so much for me... actually they're my least effective way to memorize anything, especially in A&P. But writing my notes out again at least once was a great way to do some review. I color coordinated sections of the lecture by categorizing the anatomy, physiological terms, hormones affecting the organ or system, etc. I would also typically put these categories on separate pages so I could pull them out of my notes binder and do review on the specific categories that I knew we were testing on.

3) Only use the text as a back-up

Typically anything that was on the test in my A&P courses were things that were in the lecture. Every now and then there would be an odd term that was barely touched on and would be expanded in the book. If I felt that I needed more information than was in my notes I would check the book. I barely ever read the text for any other purpose. One of the most valuable things that I ended up getting as a supplement to A&P courses was a text that was meant to be used for a stand-alone physiology course. If there were any holes in my notes regarding physiology I would refer to that. I think I got it used for like $45. Super helpful especially for metabolic processes and the cardiovascular system.

4) Make practice tests

We received study guides for every part of the course. I used these to make practice tests so I knew that I could at least fill in 90% of what was on the study guide. You can use a detailed syllabus if you don't have study guides. If you don't have that either, pull about 50 terms from your notes and the main diagrams that you need to study for the test.

It sounds like your class is really big and therefore it's not personalized at all. Please make sure to utilize the prof's office hours for anything that seems like it's not covered well enough or at all, take any TA help that is offered, and try to form a study group with classmates even if it's just to swap practice tests you've made for yourselves. If you have the ability to do so, make a note of what you got wrong on the tests and regroup for the next one, doubling down on the concepts you know you needed to study more. If I've learned one thing through all of this, it's that you often can't have half of the knowledge necessary for one system for the test and expect to be able to keep afloat for the rest of the course without re-reviewing post test.

Also, remember that the body works together as a system. One thing goes wrong and something else either helps to mitigate the issue or it can cause a cascade of issues. If you have any training in lean six or any other process improvement systems it makes a lot of sense when thinking about it in those terms. I highly suggest that everyone take a course or even just look at the fundamentals for process improvement and management because it really made a lot more sense to me after I learned about that. (Also great if you're really interested in efficiency, that all ties into it)

littleboyboo · Mar 24, 2017

I'll say it over and over! Sometimes, it isn't the student's fault they're not doing so well . . . it's the professors for being either too lousy or toooo hard! I have a chemistry professor and she's way too hard on students. I believe she likes failing people, because if she didn't, she would lower the bar on her ridiculous tests. Out of 20 students, only a hand full are passing her chemistry course. It's her own fault though for being too hard!

Like you, I find it difficult to prepare for tests or know exactly how to study. I have learned not to cram! Let your mind relax with all the information you absorb. Whenever I cram, sure enough -- I fail the test! My problem isn't with A&P. My problem is with chemistry, and I, too dedicate allot of time studying this one subject!

Hang in there and keep up the hard work. I don't know why professors want to be severely hard on their students. Maybe they should've been a sergeant instead of a professor! What gets me, they set and wonder why so many students have to retake their class or fail. Well, lol, duh! When you make it so hard, it's ridiculous... what do you expect.

Anyway, I'm venting at the same time I'm trying to give you advice.

Good luck to you!