How I take a test and get an A

[TessaMae]

ok so this is how i prepare/take a test and have gotten a's so far. this is something i have done for the past 2 years and it seems to work for me, maybe it will help someone form their own "skills for success" or whatever!

[color=#a0522d]-our professors hand out or post powerpoint presentations about lectures each day. i go to our school lab and print out a copy (it is free there)

[color=#a0522d]-during class i take notes directly on the printouts - some are about the material, some are page numbers in the text, some are just notes to myself to look up a word or a topic for more information

[color=#a0522d]-the next day or that night if i have time ( i show up to class 2 hours early when possible because i have kids and can't always do work at home) i print out color copies of the presentation at home(or take an extra from class) then i read/skim the chapters covered in lecture yesterday and rewrite my notes from class neatly and organized adding information from the chapters that i think will help me understand the material.

[color=#a0522d]_also is there something i just don't get? i then talk to classmates or a professor and get an explaination asap so all the "i don't knows don't keep adding up"

[color=#a0522d]-for me it is the painstaking task of writing all of this down that helps me remember

[color=#a0522d]- the week before an exam i begin my review (again either in the hours before class, between classes, or at night) i go throught the chapters that will be covered on the exam and write notes on the information that will be covered, even if i already have it written, rewriting it helps me remember. i save say 3 pages in the begining for terms that i am not familiar with that i define, then a page for math conversions, then a section for acronyms that i find helpful (adpie for assessment, diagnosis, plan, implement, evaluate and a short blurb about what each means to me) etc. again for me the writing of the material helps me retain the information and i avoid memorizing and try to focus on understanding the information and how to apply it. i write down anything that seems important and that i am unsure of as well as anything that is multi-step because during a test you can forget the order

[color=#a0522d]-then i do the study guides and cd activities that came with our book. i do not spend more than 2 hours in any given day on studying nor weekends-thats family time

[color=#a0522d]-the night before the exam i go to bed early without studying and just relax.

[color=#a0522d]- i arrive to the school at least an hour before the exam so if there is traffic or whatever i am not rushing

[color=#a0522d]- sometimes i look over my notes briefly one last time but always relax and try to have a laugh before the exam begins

[color=#a0522d]-now here is where people really think i am crazy. i never leave an exam before the time is up but i have a deal with myself regarding answer changing. as i go through the exam i read each question carefully and underline the verbs and important terms in the question, which helps me focus on what the question is asking. i read all answers even if the first one sounds correct - sometimes there might be 2 correct answers but 1 is better. if i am unsure i circle the question number. i see how many of the choices i can eliminate (sometimes 1 sometimes none) if i am still unsure i circle my first guess and move on.

[color=#a0522d]-once i finish all of the questions i do one of two things, if i have plenty of time i look over the entire exam again from the first question to the last to be sure that i filled in all of the answers on the bubble sheet correctly, if i don't have a ton of time i first focus on the questions that i circled, these are the only questions that i can change my answers on. this is the most important part of the test for me, i do not focus on the questions i am unsure on until i have answered all of the questions i do know. this helps me because for a few reasons, 1 i usually do not feel rushed because i spent 10 minutes on question 10 when there are 100 questions and now i worry i wont finish so i don't spend enough time on the rest of the exam, 2 worrying and stressing about the answer can distract you and get your brain sidetracked 3. sometimes other questions will stir your memory and help you to remember or realize what the answer is.

[color=#a0522d]-ok so then i look at the question i don't know and try to pick it apart here are some strategies professor have given me and that i have picked up along the way. 1. identify key words or phases (like i said i underline them) which options are focused on that key word and which one doesn't answer the question at all. sometimes you can knock at least one response out that doesn't even answer the question. are any of the choices not correct statements or leave out steps that you know are involved? 2. prioritize - try to relate the question to a real life situation or if the question is a real life situation prioritize what action is most important (abc -airway then breathing then circulation) or use maslow's hierarchy of needs. 3. eliminate any answer that is an absolute like never or always - usually those are not correct. 4. eliminate answers with medical rather than nursing interventions. 5. try to rationalize each option as an answer and compare and contrast each option related to the information in the question being asked. 6. is there a word in the question that you don't know th edefinition for? look at the answers are any of them similar, say about the heart, is there a part of the word(prefix, suffix, root, etc) that you know from a different word.

[color=#a0522d]-most question that i have gotten so far in nursing are analysis or apply your knowledge questions and if you recall something similar from class you can sometimes relate the question at hand to something similar from class and pick out the answer like that.

[color=#a0522d]-so once i go through the questions i circled i re-read each question on the exam until the time is up just to be sure that i filled out the correct bubble or didn't completely mis-read the question. if i did not circle it i do not second guess myself and change answers. i simply stay until the time is up because i can not tell myself if i only i re-read the exam i would have realized i mistakenly circled the answer on the wrong line or column.

[color=#a0522d]-after the exam, anything i felt unsure of i have kept a mental picture of in my head and i look up to see if i was right/wrong with my reasoning. then the stress is gone i have a good idea of how i did and where i went wrong so i can relax until the grades are posted. because i save the questions i am unsure of until the end they are usually fresh in my mind so it is easy for me to remember what i want to look up plus then i actually look it up and learn what i missed.

[color=#a0522d]usually i know within one or two questions how i did on an exam, the past exam i felt unsure about 3 questions out of 80 and i looked them up so i didn't need to agonize about it.

[color=#a0522d]anyway this may or may not prove useful to others but it is what i do and it helps me! good luck!

[Leda]

Outstanding summary of what is necessary for success on nursing exams! Thank you for sharing with others what is necessary for success (self-direction, time management, and study methods adapted to your unique learning style). As a nursing educator that has spent countless hours facilitating student learning; which includes trying to "sell" them on the approach you have taken, I urge every nursing student that reads your post to make the time necessary in their lives to try your methods, they work.

[seriousgirl]

Awesome summary, thanks for sharing!

[tonyal]

I am going to do just this. I never learned how to study. I guess some people say I am lucky since I never really had to it just stuck with me. Now I am freaking out because I don't know how and I know I will have to in my nursing classes.

[RhodyGirl, RN]

Wow. I think we are twins :)

I study almost the exact same way. I would like to emphasize the part about getting a good rest and relaxing the night before exams....it REALLY helps. I do not second guess myself either. I know that these methods that you've explained really do work because I actually got a 98% on an exam I took this week.

Fellow nursing students.......follow this method.....you will succeed!

[TOBYDOG]

I totally agree with your methods. Most nights I study 2-3 hrs including writing any papers/careplans etc. I skim the Text readings and reread sections specifically brought up in lectures. I too never study on weekends. I work day shift and then spend time with my wife. Your methods definitely work AEB my 97.75% ave in class this semester. Try it it can't hurt I promise.

[bioniclewoman]

great study method!! Can't use your test taking method though, my school does computer testing and you can't go back after you anwser a Q. They say they want us to get used to it cuz the NCLEX is the same way.

[sewnew]

Thanks, this is a great synopsis of some very useful study tips.

Just want to add a couple of things...

I have found that using fashcards is a very effective way to "memorize" many key terms and definitions. You can use 3 x 5 inch index cards to create the flashcards. I agree with you and feel that if I write these things down, then I am sort of "writing on my brain" so to speak.

Also, I read somewhere (sorry, don't remember where) that if you review that material right before you go to sleep for the night, then the information gets processed by your brain as you sleep. I know this sounds a little strange, but I've tried this and it really works. You'll be surprised that when you wake up in the morning that you recall most of the information from the night before.

Just my two cents...

[RNnTrainin']

Just wanted to add something of my own. I have found for me, I will go through the chapters assigned, I don't really spend too much time, just read to get a general idea. In class, I write like there is no tomorrow. If the instructor says something about it, mentions it at all, I write it down. Then, I come home and make sense of the garbled mess from class, and with that information, I make myself a list of questions. I make the questions fairly hard, well, not really "hard", but instead of saying "What is the name for a drug or biologic that is intended for use in a rare disease or condition?" (Orphan Drug), My question would be "Explain what a Orphan drug is. This forces me to really "know" the material, and if I have a basic concept of everything, I usually do very well on my tests. My first test I made a 90, and my second test I made a 95. I also do not study the day before the test. I may spend a hour or so looking over it, unless there is really something I am not comfortable with, then I will spend more time on those areas. I feel like (for me) if I don't know it by then......I'm not gonna remember it tomorrow! LOL That's just my personal experience. I usually end up with about 200-300 questions. Once you get started, it's really easy to write them. I also remember a lot just from writing them down and spending time on the wording of them. I also put all of my answers and questions seperate. That way, there is no room for cheating!!!

[intensity_too]

I study very much the same way with a little variance.

I go to every lecture no matter what! Being in class and hearing the information is a key step in how I learn. I take notes during class, write down any page numbers that the instructor might mention, and make little "me" notes for things that I need to read in the text because I didn't quite get it in lecture.

Next I read ALL the material assigned. I don't just skim it. I read it ALL. It may be 6 chapters of info but it all gets read.

Then I take the learning objectives we get in class and any study guide that may be handed out and answer all the questions using the material from the books. This forces me to reread the important information again, as well as write it out and make sense of it. We are tested over what is taught in lecture as well as the material in the text book. I usually have the power points from lecture, so they are easy enough to study. It's the material from the book I need to get a handle on, so that is why I use only the text book info to answer the learning objectives.

I also make a vocabulary sheet for any definitions I do not know.

If the material requires remember numbers (like say, the normal ranges for sodium in an ABG panel), I make those into flash cards that I can carry around with me anywhere and study.

I usually begin studying for an exam a week before it is due. I never study more than a couple hours per day. Eventually my brain hits overload and I have to stop.

I do study the night before an exam, and right up until the exam is taken.

I never second guess my answers on the test. If I read the question and the answer just jumps out at me, that's what I mark and then I do not over analyze the question. Things I am unsure off get read, skipped, and returned to at a later time. And I also use every bit of time allowed.

So far, it's worked for me. I have two exams tomorrow. We'll see if it keeps on working!!!!!!!!

[kat von b]

Those are a ton of great tips! I'm def going to add some to my study routine! I did well on our first test but I want that A!!!

[funfunfun]

Awesome. Thank you! I pretty much study the same way but I read the chapter the night before we discuss it in class, so I have an idea of what we are talking about. But then I don't reread the chapter while I am rewriting my notes from the pp presentations. Maybe I should?? Since you get A's I value your opinion (or anyones). What do you think is better before or after the lecture to read the Chapter??