HELP I don’t know what I’m doing

Published

hey everyone I could use some advice/help. This is my first semester of nursing school and I’m feeling lost. We’re almost done with the semester with one test and our final left to go and I have a 78.5% in the class (need an 80 to pass). My first exam I got an 80,second 76 and this last one for today I got a 72. This is crazy to me cause I studied for this last more than the others. I read my notes countless times, read my chapters, did the study guides for my chapters, did nclex style questions, did the ati modules and tests. I feel like I’m trying so hard and just keep doing worse I don’t know what to do and while everyone around me is progressing I feel like I’m behind and it’s super discourageing and is giving me a heartache:( can anyone tell me what to do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey, not sure if this will help, but have you tried talking to your professor/asking them for help? Sometimes they can give tips/tricks when it comes to an exam. Also, if you're not doing well on exams, it can be helpful to try to find a tutor. See if theres a resource at your school for a tutor for the class you are struggling in. Nursing school is hard because you have to use critical thinking/apply what you know to answer questions. You cannot memorize your way into passing.

It may also be a good idea to ask your friends how they are studying. They may have some tips that will be helpful for you.

Don't give up and don't be discouraged! Nursing school is HARD, be proud of yourself for making it this far. & Don't be afraid to ask for help!

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mental Health.

Did you meet with your instructor to go over the test yet?

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Whatever you are doing, it isn't working. This means you need to do something differently. If you have been doing all those things, maybe cut down to just one or two of them. If you have been studying alone, join a group. If you are struggling to identify what is really important, get with your instructor for some tips. If you are spending hours and hours and hours studying drop to three or so. If you are studying late at night or getting up super early, get sleep instead.

Putting in a ton of time on a ton of study modalities is usually not the smart way to study.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Study groups. This will give you multiple viewpoints on what to study and multiple ways of looking at information.

Also--when you do NCLEX style questions, be sure to look at why you got the answer wrong instead of just looking at the right answer. Explore the rationale and prioritization of how the NCLEX guide decided the "best" answer.

There are you tube tutorials about "how to answer NCLEX" even when you don't know the content of what is being tested. They will explain tips like "don't go for the distractor" (the obvious answer that they want you to go for...instead of the correct answer if you thought through each answer.

Schedule time with the instructor to find out where you went wrong: if there is a pattern to the answers you got wrong. Your instructor won't give out the answers to upcoming tests but they can help you figure out the things that went wrong in the past so you can make correction on your own

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

Have you analyzed which questions you are getting wrong on exams? Is it basic knowledge or is it the NCLEX-type questions? That info will direct your study strategy.

Do you know what kind of learner you are? Visual, audio, kinesthetic, etc.? If not, then determine how you learn best and adapt your studying appropriately. Here are a couple of links to figure this out:

https://www.how-to-study.com/learning-style-assessment/

https://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-and-learning/discover-your-learning-style

If you are having trouble with NCLEX-style questions, you're not alone! They are a pain. What I would advise is to buy some NCLEX review books. To save money, you can buy used books/older editions on Ebay or Amazon. Saunders is the most comprehensive and Kaplan does a great job of explaining strategy for taking this test - that will be helpful in figuring out how to answer these questions. As you study, pick questions from Saunders and Kaplan that correspond to your study area to practice NCLEX questions.

Also, talk to your instructor. They might have some good tips for you.

Do you feel you know the material? Do you just get nervous during the exams? If it is nerves, please talk to your academic advisor about getting counseling.

Study groups can be very helpful to some people.

You could also look into getting a tutor.

Good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg.
On 11/6/2019 at 1:06 PM, chocoholic999 said:

Study groups. This will give you multiple viewpoints on what to study and multiple ways of looking at information.

This. I'm a very introverted person and do things mostly alone. The first semester and most of second I studied solo 100% of the time, and while it kinda worked, I felt I got more out of it when I also supplemented it with studying in a small group (there were usually 3-4 of us, anything more than that would turn more into social hour than studying). We'd cover 1-2 topics each session and quiz eachother using different sources (UWorld, Saunders book, etc). I feel my grades improved once I added groups into it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion