2nd Pharm test... need suggestions

nessa1982 · Jun 23, 2003

Did your book come with a study guide? Or is a study guide available to use with your book. I find that study guides can be very helpful for pain in the behind classes :)

MomNRN, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2003

Using Google or other search engines, look for the publisher of your text. I often found that publishing companies would often post practice tests for their textbooks.

I also found some other study materials by just surfing the net. Many other schools will put lectures, quizzes, and notes online. It takes a little time, but may pay off.

Good luck!

Mithrah · Jun 24, 2003

The first test is always the worst! You don't know what to expect. The best advise I can give you is to now determine where he or she gets her test questions from. Were they from class notes, textbook, or both?

Then get in a small study group (2-3 people) and just ask each other questions about the drugs. This is what I did for my last pharm test and some of the questions I asked my study partner were actually on the test.

Good luck!

Jennerizer, ASN, RN · Jun 24, 2003

What are the test questions like? I'm curious because in my ADN program....we don't separate the subjects. Everything is all mixed into the lectures.

PJMommy · Jun 24, 2003

Hi Sara,

I feel your pain. I just had pharm test #2 yesterday. I studied ALL weekend...I have no life. Grades range widely in our class. I think 10% of the class failed the first test.

Ask your prof if he/she focuses more on the book or more on notes from lecture. Usually, they like to focus on their own notes and then you can just use the book for supplement on stuff you don't quite understand. A lot of people in my class got burned when they focused on the book last time.

Another prof/nurse gave me a trick that is invaluable. Don't memorize every single drug in a class - just remember the "prototype" drug and the suffix. For example, for ACE inhibitors, I studied how they worked, and what the side effects were....and the prototype of captopril - and knew that if others ended in -PRIL, they were ACE inhibitors. This usually works...although some drug classes are all over the place in names (i.e. Ca++ channel blockers).

Do you make notecards? I'm a notecard freak. I have stacks of them!! My commute is about 30-45 minutes so I make them up a few days before a test and carry them everywhere -- and study out loud in the car on my drive.

Finally, understand the patho on why a drug works like it does. If you know how a beta-blocker effects various organs of the body, then it is pretty easy to remember things like side effects, method of action, etc.

Good luck!!

TKD momma · Jun 26, 2003

I agree with PJMommy, notecards were essential for my pharm class. I carried my notecards everywhere with me. I also made a CD of my notecards and listened to them along with reading the cards. The night before a pharm test I would fall asleep listening to the CD and I believe that really helped. The morning of the test we would not discuss anything about the topics on the test due to confusion. Also, remember how the drugs affect the body and what to much or too little of the drug would do to the body and this will help with the side effects, b/c that was the area that always gave me problems. My insructor went strictly by her notes. if the book said something else we still went with the instructors notes. My instructor was always out for us to prove her wrong when we found a conflict between notes and the book so this became fun for me and I understood pharm better and now really enjoy it. Besides, being a mom and student I really know what I am taking and giving my kids now!!! Have fun with it and think of all that you'll learn. Good luck!!