How many hours do you study for?

Wiggly Litchi · Jul 29, 2018

Hello!
I am trying to prepare some type of outline/schedule for myself for my first quarter in nursing school! I would like to get a rough idea on how many hours, on average, will I need to study per day. Also, do you study every day or only during the week? If not, can you include when you typically study?I know everyone is different, but I would love to get some feedback on this! Thank you!

It varies depending on the person - a good rule of thumb is that you need to study at least 3~4 hours in your own time per credit hour for the course. So a 3 credit hour course would mean that you would need to study 9-12 hours per week just for that course. If you need to add more time, do it. I don't often tell people to subtract time from it because the extra time can be used to review older material so you keep it cemented in long-term memory.

Some folks can get away with 2~3 hours a day solid study, and some folks will study 4-5 depending on their work schedules and such. A lot of this stuff is dependent on the student.

Personally, I study daily. I don't get days off sadly, but I do give myself a few hours here and there to decompress. I might go swimming after class, or hit the gym, maybe grab a bite or play some videogames. After my allotted "fun time" though, it's back to the books. I feel like getting a little time here and there saves my sanity because I'm not going ham for 6 days and then being so amped up I can't relax on the 7th day.

FutureNurseInfo · Jul 29, 2018

I agree with the PP. I will also add that you need to think of the quality, not the quantity, of the study time. You need to figure out how to study smart, not hard. You may study for 10 hours, but still not retain much.

LubbDubb77, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2018

Thank you both for responding and the great advice! It really gave me some great insight and sort of how to prepare myself. I am trying to prepare myself mentally for nursing school because I know it isn't easy by any means. I did the VARK assessment and it confirmed what type of learner I thought I was, which is reading and writing things down. I really like to print off the power point presentations with a note taking area off to the side. I read the material, grasp the concept and write down my notes to the right. That seems to work really well for me.

Cindyel, ASN, RN · Jul 30, 2018

Nursing school is an absolute grind. I never really had any weekends off. (I am in my second year) I study every day for the most part. The volume of content will be like nothing you have previously experienced in your pre-requisites. I have a previous BS degree and even that couldn't have prepared me for this beast. Nursing school is it's own animal but totally worth it.

TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN · Jul 30, 2018

Yeah, gonna agree with FutureNurseInfo, it's all about the quality of your study time, not the quantity. If you overdo it, you're going to get burned out. You're going to risk stopping studying completely. You're going to risk failing.

Approach this positively: It's only school. Don't stress yourself over study time. Some people need that 3 hours per credit, others need 20 minutes. It all depends on you, and finding the most effective way for YOU to study, and then sticking with it. And learning how to be prepared for your classes. It's more than just reading, it's identifying what you don't understanding, and using your lecture time to make sure you fix that.

Unfortunately, you'll only have a real idea once you get started. Some people thrive on the application approach that comes with the sciences, and some struggle. The only real answer is that to study enough to pass, it's somewhere between barely opening your book and and a part time job. You're the only one that can answer that question for you.

MiladyMalarkey, ASN, BSN · Jul 31, 2018

My study schedule is strange. I study only 2 days a week because those are the days my young kids are in childcare. I'll study anywhere from 4 hours to 8ish hours on each day, if an exam is upcoming then more the 8 hour day. I take quick breaks during of course. It works for me because it has to but I know others do things differently. In all honesty I couldn't study every single day, I'd go nuts. But what works for one doesn't for another. You gotta figure out what works best for you. Good luck!

travel_murse · Jul 31, 2018

I work full time and go to nursing school full time + clinical rotation and I study only during exam weeks - (Every other week) about 2 hours per night.

I pay attention in lecture, take notes and am lucky enough to retain I guess. There are a lot of students that are doing very poorly who come to class 5 hours before lecture, sit and study.. but like the previous posts state, it's not the quantity of hours but the quality.

TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN · Jul 31, 2018

I work full time and go to nursing school full time + clinical rotation and I study only during exam weeks - (Every other week) about 2 hours per night.
I pay attention in lecture, take notes and am lucky enough to retain I guess. There are a lot of students that are doing very poorly who come to class 5 hours before lecture, sit and study.. but like the previous posts state, it's not the quantity of hours but the quality.

I'm like that too. I only really need a couple hours to study before an upcoming test. But we're not typical. I just retain information unusually well, and learn even more easily when it's something application based. We're the people that our nursing careers should eventually involve a PhD.

rianchis0911 · Aug 1, 2018

Throughout nursing school, I studied a little each day and a lot the day before each test. Once I studied myself for a sufficient amount of time to where I felt like I knew the information, I studied with a group. I did this because there might be some information that you didn't pick up that someone else did. Everyone is different but this definitely helped me. I didn't learn by just reading the textbook.

AnEStar, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2018

I'm in semester 5 of 5 now in my program. For a regular week I'd study about 12-20 hours depending on the material coming up. Without a doubt, the Sunday before classes, I had my head in a book for a good 6 hours or I was watching a video on the current topics. For exams, I'd start studying a week before the exam, 2-3 hours per day for each exam. The weekend of the exam, I'd study all day Saturday, go out Saturday night, and then study all day Sunday. You have to know yourself. What may work for me, may not work for you, but I need a lot of hours mentally visualizing, seeing animations, and practice understanding concepts to retain it on an in depth level.

ripsky4501 · Aug 8, 2018

I just graduated from an accelerated BSN program. I studied maybe on average 2 hours a day. It really depends on lots of factors like how efficient you are with studying, how tough and fast your program is, what GPA you are aiming for, how hard the specific class is, etc. My critical care class was devilishly hard because of the teacher's tricky tests and I studied wayyy more for that class than any other.