3 hours of studying per class hour???

blur411 · May 18, 2008

I'm taking 12 credit hours (full time) and I'm in class for about 25 hours a week with clinicals, and I spend atleast 2 hours on a normal night studying after class, and the weekend I'd say about 4-5 hours per day studying and doing projects. I'm getting mostly A's and an occasional B+

Trauma Columnist · May 18, 2008

Personally, I did nursing school both LPN and RN, worked full-time and had a family and never ever studied that much. That said, the few hours that I did study! No distractions.

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · May 18, 2008

It's difficult to say with any accuracy exactly how much additional study one student might need. I've heard the "three hours of study for every hour of lecture". I've also heard "EIGHT hours of study..." etc. No one can tell YOU exactly how much study YOU are going to need. Your best teacher here will be experience. Some things will come to you easily, others will not. For example, OB nursing will NEVER be clear in my mind. But I love Fluids and Electrolytes. My BFF in school is just the opposite. I guess the bottom line is that you'll do what you need to do to get what you need. It'll just take that first test to make it all clear for you as to how much time you need to be putting in.

Wishing you much luck!

TangoLima · May 19, 2008

It's difficult to say with any accuracy exactly how much additional study one student might need. I've heard the "three hours of study for every hour of lecture". I've also heard "EIGHT hours of study..." etc. No one can tell YOU exactly how much study YOU are going to need. Your best teacher here will be experience. Some things will come to you easily, others will not. For example, OB nursing will NEVER be clear in my mind. But I love Fluids and Electrolytes. My BFF in school is just the opposite. I guess the bottom line is that you'll do what you need to do to get what you need. It'll just take that first test to make it all clear for you as to how much time you need to be putting in.
Wishing you much luck!

Don* said this perfectly. You will have to determine how much time you have to study. Personally, I did spend a lot of time studying, but probably not 3 hours per hour of lecture. I'm the kind of student that doesn't have to study very much to do well. But, my BF in NS had to study a lot more, so I ended up studying with her and helping explain things to her. I probably wouldn't have studied as much if it wasn't for her.

With that said, studying in NS is more than just being able to pass the test. You have to study until you UNDERSTAND the material and can APPLY it to different situations. You can't just memorize facts, you must understand how everything works together. Your future patient's lives depend on you making the most of NS, not just getting by.

Good luck.

Jules A, MSN · May 19, 2008

I mostly studied one to two hours a day depending on what unit we were doing. As for whether or not you can work that depends on how dedicated you are. Many of us did and were very successful.

elkpark · May 19, 2008

The "three hours for every hour of class" is a standard, generic, traditional "rule of thumb" for all college study (I remember getting told the same thing in my liberal arts classes 30 years ago). However, the reality of how much study is necessary varies greatly from individual to individual, depending on how hard a particular course is, how effective your study habits are, how easily you absorb/retain new information, how high a grade you want to get in the course, etc., etc., etc.

I've had lots of students who worked part-time while they were in school. Some of them did just fine, some of them really struggled. I, personally, have not had any students who were attempting to work full-time (although I know those students are out there -- I can't imagine how they manage :uhoh21:). It's safe to say that the less you can work while you're in nursing school, the better; and any job that you do have will need to be very flexible about scheduling. Your school schedule will likely vary significantly from one semester to the next, and there will always be extra, unexpected school obligations that aren't in the "official" schedule.

Esther2007 · May 19, 2008

It is difficult to say how much studying you need. This semester, I was studying a lot more because I had a horrible instructor who was only reading back the powerpoints. She was using other sources besided the book. Her powerpoints information did not go along with the book. She got sick also couple times during the semester. We were behind.

I had to spent so much times on my own trying to understand the materials. For the final, I probably studied 85 hours or more. I studied for 20 hours in two days. There were so much information, many days, I did not know where to start. I managed to passed by the grace of God. It is depends on the instructor.

onehusbandsevenkids · May 20, 2008

I don't know anyone that studied that much, or even close to that to be honest with you.

Like the other posters have said, though, it's specific to the individual and circumstances.

Good luck!

NoviceRN10 · May 22, 2008

i just finished my first semester and I didn't study every day. I would study 1-2 hours a day the 4 or so days before an exam, and then maybe 2-3 hours a day a couple days before an exam (which happened to always fall on the weekend, lecture classes were on Mondays). I could study while watching tv, though :). This is a regular 4 semester ADN program. I would imagine that people in accelerated programs have to study more often.

machita · May 23, 2008

I agree with those who have replied that it depends on the kind of person you are, the professor you have, and how you do on the 1st exam.

I have worked a full time job since prerequisites. This past semester was my last and it was the hardest. After the midterm I decided that I had to cut hours at work to pull my grades up so I could pass because I wasn't doing well. I worked 2 hrs a week and would study the other days. Before an exam I would study a couple hrs the week before, but for the 3 days before I would go to Barnes & Noble or the school library and be there for 8+ hours. That was just me. I am able to sit somewhere and study all day. But one of my friends in class couldn't study for more than 4 hours at a time. I wish you the best of luck. The programs are hard, but the feeling of graduating at the end is the best feeling in the world! I graduate next week :)

woknblues · May 23, 2008

Incoming 4th year BSN here. I haven't studied 1/3 of that amount of time, per credit hour, per day. MS/ptho/pharma are the only ones I ever crack the books open for, aside from clinic skill checklists and whatnot.. I get low A's and high B's on average for my nursing subjects, and did exceptionally well with the general/human sciences, but I loved the faculty in that department, so it was easy. I do a self review NCLEX too, about a half hour a day. Figure all in, about 90 minutes a day average. I do pay attention in class and take notes that only seem to make sense to me. And I love to read journal articles r/t nursing.... I guess it is purely up to the person.... It helps if you are real interested in what is going on, rather than just "taking the class", like a few of my classmates.