How many hours did you honesty spend studying in nursing school?

Nursing2019BSN, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2017

I'm a junior in nursing school, and it really depends on the class. I studied A LOT for science-based classes (pharm, patho, A&P) because it took me longer to understand it. I would recommend recording lectures, reviewing notes before and after class, and practicing NCLEX questions for exams. My school pulls NCLEX questions for all of our exams so practicing them really helps me. Everyone's school is different though! You will learn how to study throughout the program.

RNfaster · Nov 12, 2017

I don't remember how many hours per day I studied. It would fluctuate depending on if I was working or having to attend lectures, etc. Study as much as you can. Read the required texts. Study NCLEX questions starting with your first semester. The knowledge you accrue will pay off over time. It will entrench it in your mind. Study to pass your exams and NCLEX, and to help your future nursing practice.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Nov 12, 2017

I studied a lot in RN school. We had to make detailed care plans, which took several hours to complete. I also had to study for exams, which took several hours on multiple days.

Each school is differebt, I think, with regard to how difficult exams would be.

LibertarianNurse · Nov 15, 2017

I agree with many of you who say that it really depends on a person's study style and past experiences that drive how much studying gets done in nursing school. I would like to caution others that scoff at some one who studies very little to none, to not be too judgmental one way or the other. How many of us have seen the fellow students who claim they studied "for at least x amount of hours" prior to an exam and yet when you speak to them afterwards, they barely passed or even failed? Quantity of studying does not always equal quality or ease of retention of the material. When I went to nursing school, I had 3 young children, my son (who's almost 9 now) was a baby still being breastfed, and due to our life circumstances, I had to work 20hrs/wk while attending school as well. I simply did not have the time to study like some of my classmates. Many of them expressed amazement at how I juggled all of that. But the difference was this: many of them were entirely new to science and the nursing world. I, on the other hand, had 5 years of CNA experience and 4 years of surgical tech experience as well as a previous BS degree in biology. To me, nursing school was not difficult at all. I was always the first or second one done with exams and never attended any of the study group sessions that people had, due to my lack of time. My method for getting through was simple: I took notes during class, reviewed them in my head each day as I drove to work from there and made good grades (A's and B's). I passed the NCLEX at the minimum number of questions the first time. If some one were to ask me how much I studied during nursing school, the short answer is that I really didn't do much studying at all, but the long answer includes my background, which is not immediately apparent to everyone. If however, your first college experience is with nursing pre-requisites and nursing school, then you might have to study more. And of course, some people can learn and remember information better than others, but neither style necessarily makes some one a better nurse. We are all unique and bring something to the nursing world, and most definitely to our patients, so I guess my long-winded bottomline is that how much studying does or does not take place in nursing school is not a reliable predictor for NCLEX passing or how skilled of a nurse some one has the capacity to be. That's all up to them.

Warchild · Nov 15, 2017

thanks for your response! My issue is that I don't know a lot of information because I mainly read night before and did practice questions... im totally at a loss for figuring out things like medications and neurotransmitters, pre req courses, etc... now that I know for a fact how negatively this affected me, the question is that is it too late to catch up while already in the program?

I'm in the same boat. So mad and disappointed at myself. Been studying the day before, and been able to pass but this week it finally bit me in the axx. Bombed two exams in a row. During post-conferences and group discussions I don't even want to talk because I know I have nothing to contribute.

I quit my full time job for this, so I have no backup plan other than going back to the thirdworld hell hole my family came from and rot away as a sweatshop factory worker or something.

I have a full week to think to continue or end it all. I have nobody to blame but myself.

Tacomaboy3 · Nov 15, 2017

Hello,
I've been wanting to ask those who graduated nursing school, how many hours did you honestly spend studying? I heard people studying for about 5-6 hours a day which to me sounds like too much. But then I also heard people studying about 1-2 hours a day which sounds fair. And also, when clinicals start, do you study less or more than you did in the beginning of nursing school?
Thanks

I'm in an ADN program and put in about 10-20 hours/week for school work. This includes studying and assignments. I've had clinicals the whole duration of the program. If I know I have a big midterm coming up, I'll put in more time (especially for cramming the few days before). I also work 16-24 hours/week and am satisfied with my social life outside of school/work.

LunarpaddlerBS · Nov 18, 2017

If including prep work (making flow charts, organizing material, rewriting powerpoints etc) into "studying" [...]

In my world, creating flowcharts (and diagrams, tables, etc.) and rewriting notes/powerpoints are two extremely effective methods of learning the material.

Especially creating flowcharts, diagrams, and tables...you are not only processing the info as you go, but you're also learning to see how different processes relate to each other.

Creating visual aids can increase comprehension by integrating different methods of learning (in this case, visual and kinesthetic). It can be time consuming to create your own visual aids, but it can also be really helpful when trying to "wrap your head around" complex ideas.

I consider this to be a great example of active learning. If that doesn't count as "studying", I don't know what does. :)

LunarpaddlerBS · Nov 19, 2017

[...]My issue is that I don't know a lot of information because I mainly read night before and did practice questions... im totally at a loss for figuring out things like medications and neurotransmitters, pre req courses, etc... now that I know for a fact how negatively this affected me, the question is that is it too late to catch up while already in the program?

Hi Augustris.

You probably know more than you realize. You could work on improving your comprehension during the upcoming holiday breaks. (Thanksgiving is not too soon to start.) I have two ideas on how you could approach this:

If you have decent class notes or powerpoints, review them. Start from the beginning of the semester. Look up anything you don't understand. Rewrite the notes in your own words.
Get a good NCLEX comprehensive review book (like Saunders/Lippincott/etc.), then learn and master one chapter at a time. Start with the sections you feel least confident about, or start with the basics (e.g. F&E). Master each chapter before you move on. You should avoid the end-of-chapter questions until you have learned the material, then use them to test your knowledge.

When I say "master", I mean if you don't understand it, then research it. Go to your Med/Surg book, or reliable online sources. (I like the Mayo Clinic for disease processes, CDC for infection control, and Crash Course for physiology. Wikipedia is actually pretty good for A&P.)

Once you have mastered a chapter or section of notes, you should be able to do one of the following: (a) teach it to someone you know, OR (b) write a summary OR © create a flowchart/table/diagram of the processes involved.

I apologize if I sound condescending. I'm personally familiar with the consequences of cramming for exams, and I have paid for it. I do think that with a proper plan and self-discipline you may be able to catch up on your knowledge deficit.

LunarpaddlerBS · Nov 19, 2017

I'm in the same boat. So mad and disappointed at myself. Been studying the day before, and been able to pass but this week it finally bit me in the axx. Bombed two exams in a row. During post-conferences and group discussions I don't even want to talk because I know I have nothing to contribute.
I quit my full time job for this, so I have no backup plan other than going back to the thirdworld hell hole my family came from and rot away as a sweatshop factory worker or something.
I have a full week to think to continue or end it all. I have nobody to blame but myself.

Hi Warchild,

I realize that you didn't ask for advice.

Is it still possible to salvage this semester?

If so, would you be able to use your holiday breaks to catch up?

Perhaps these are things you could think about before you give up.

al3x117, RN, EMT-B · Nov 19, 2017

In my world, creating flowcharts (and diagrams, tables, etc.) and rewriting notes/powerpoints are two extremely effective methods of learning the material.
Especially creating flowcharts, diagrams, and tables...you are not only processing the info as you go, but you're also learning to see how different processes relate to each other.
Creating visual aids can increase comprehension by integrating different methods of learning (in this case, visual and kinesthetic). It can be time consuming to create your own visual aids, but it can also be really helpful when trying to "wrap your head around" complex ideas.
I consider this to be a great example of active learning. If that doesn't count as "studying", I don't know what does. :)

I do the same thing!

Warchild · Mar 2, 2020

On 11/18/2017 at 9:00 PM, LunarpaddlerBS said:
Hi Warchild,
I realize that you didn't ask for advice.
Is it still possible to salvage this semester?
If so, would you be able to use your holiday breaks to catch up?
Perhaps these are things you could think about before you give up.

I ended up continuing and graduating from my ABSN program after being held back a year.

Now I'm in a hurdle, and that is passing the NCLEX. I failed a few days ago after 145 questions, half of my questions were on Maternity/Newborn, so I already failed as I walked out the center because that section was the only section I had under 50% on ATI.

I didn't give up on nursing school, won't give up on the NCLEX either.

Nolasko · Mar 4, 2020

I'm in an accelerated program. I haven't kept track on how many hours I study this semester, but I do study every weekend with a study group and we probably get in a good twenty hours over the weekends alone.

I've tried a variety of different studying techniques. From making flashcards, to reading the book and taking notes. I've found what works best for me is making pathophysiology statements based off of the powerpoints from my lecture classes. Anything that's information not pertaining to a patho statement gets written below it as notes. For instance with a Patho on hip fractures, if there's information on tension that I want to expand on I will write it below the patho statement. This works really well for me with Medsurg material.

I'm also taking psych at the same time and I honestly just read the book for that course after lectures, because the chapters are short and simple to get through in comparison to Medsurg. It's the course I've been making the best grades on, but I've always had an interest in psychology and have read material relating to psych for years, so I had that advantage going into the course. I think that prior knowledge is one reason why there's such a divide in how long people study, and how one class might be simple for someone but a struggle for someone else.