How many hours do you study a day?

krisiepoo · Oct 24, 2013

It's not the amount of time, it's the quality of the time you're investing. however, on average I generally study 2-3 hours/credit

Have you been able to review your exams and find out how you're answering the questions incorrectly? Talk to an instructor. You're not the first nor will you be the last to struggle in the beginning. Is their a tutor avilable? our school provides one for free. Have you thought about a study group?

Have you gone through a saunders NCLEX review book? Practicing taking the questions has helped me immensely

What kind of learner are you? Try to figure that out and apply it to your current situation.

You've found out that nursing is like no other class, I sailed through by bachelors degree and my nursing pre-reqs but struggled in the beginning as well.

Good luck!

losilva95 · Oct 24, 2013

Each test I try different study methods because obviously the previous ones aren't working. This last time I studied by listening to my lectures and writing my own notes from the lecture and book. I also did a few templates for meds and procedures. I missed the easiest questions. Seemed like I had trouble with goals and interventions. I got all my drug and actual critical thinking skill questions correct. I read my chapters and do a review after. I do as many NCLEX questions as I can find relating the topic. I've met with my professor when I failed my first test. I'm meeting with her again next week because I want her input. Anything you can see that I'm missing or that maybe I should try? I think I'm a visual learner because I can usually remember something if I remember it written down. Definitely not an auditory learner! I've always felt confident in school until now. And I hate to whine but I'm frustrated at this point.

smoup · Oct 24, 2013

I maybe put in 3-4 hours per class per week.

Before the class, I preview the material by going through the powerpoints. Depending on how wordy and how many slides there are, this can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

During class, I take notes on anything that ISN'T in the powerpoint.

When I get home, I type out the powerpoint and whatever notes I took in an order that makes sense to me. That's not necessarily the order that the powerpoint was in. This usually takes less than an hour, except for 1 class which has ~200 power point slides per week.

A couple days after the class, or on the weekend, I add stuff from the textbook to my notes. Depending on how in-depth the powerpoint and notes from class were, this could mean I don't touch the book or I spend over an hour going through the covered chapters. After I do this, I read through ALL my notes for that class for the upcoming exam. If it's the first lecture, it's only a few pages. If its the last lecture before a test, it could be up to 60+ pages of notes. But by the time I get there, I will have read stuff from the beginning multiple times and won't need to spend a lot of time on it.

Before tests, I will read over my notes again and again. The day before I will put into another document everything I still don't quite remember and study that the morning of the test.

losilva95 · Oct 25, 2013

Thank you so much for the input! I will try the study method and also figure out what I need to be focusing on. I hope I can pull through

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Oct 25, 2013

In my perfect world, I preview the chapters we will be discussing in class BEFORE the lecture. I don't always take notes from that, but I do underline/highlight so I can find things that stuck out to me later. I also have a fancy little table I made up where I do take notes on any medications that are mentioned.

In lecture, I use that time to ask questions and make careful notes about what our instructors emphasize as important. I take notes directly on the powerpoints and make sure to include whatever I may need to go back and re-read in the textbook.

Sometime in the day or so after the lecture, I go back over that information and answer any lingering questions I have about the material. This may involve a study group, going to office hours, or simply just re-reading and quizzing myself.

I go back over everything for the exam starting about a week before we are tested. I just read everything I took notes on, talking to myself about it, and go through all of the subject matter. In the day or two before the exam, I practice NCLEX-style questions on our textbooks website and from the little quizlets our instructor posts online.

Then I SLEEP WELL and eat a healthy breakfast before the exam. This has always earned me A's and B's on exams so far. :)

priorities2 · Oct 25, 2013

I study about 2 hours per day, though I'm taking a couple of co-reqs at the same time as nursing school, and am also in the honor's program, so it may be slightly busier for me. They is to be as consistent as possible and find ways to stay focused while you study.

hawksrn2014 · Oct 25, 2013

Join a study group with like learners. Re-listen to lectures, re-write notes, go over them many times, do what reading is recommended, take notes from that. Teach others.

katie92 · Oct 26, 2013

You know what, I can tell you right now this honestly varies from person to person.

I study maybe 5 hours a week for both my classes. I generally low A - high B in my one class, and low B - high C in the other class. (my schools scale runs a little odd though; 100-93 is A, 92-84 is B, 83-78 is C).

However, there's people in my class who study triple what I do and fail. I'm not trying to sound cocky or anything, but it really honestly depends on the person.

Might I also add, you have to study smart. You can spend 8 hours mindlessly reading and not get as much out of it as 1 hour of smart, quality studying.

manusko · Oct 26, 2013

You know what, I can tell you right now this honestly varies from person to person.
I study maybe 5 hours a week for both my classes. I generally low A - high B in my one class, and low B - high C in the other class. (my schools scale runs a little odd though; 100-93 is A, 92-84 is B, 83-78 is C).
However, there's people in my class who study triple what I do and fail. I'm not trying to sound cocky or anything, but it really honestly depends on the person.
Might I also add, you have to study smart. You can spend 8 hours mindlessly reading and not get as much out of it as 1 hour of smart, quality studying.

I know this grading scale is weird to people because we as a country dumbed ourselves down. I really liked the 90,80,70 scale in high school but it didn't do me any favors later when nursing school had a similar scoring as yours does and then my anesthesia school except in anesthesia school below a 83 was failing.