How often do you study per day or per week?

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2013

Good day:

When I was interviewing for the school to which I applied, they gave a base line recommendation of "]The average is that for ever 3 credit course you want to allow for 12 to 15 hours per week as study time."

I took that as a break down based on credit hours... so...

]1 credit course - 4 to 5 hours per week

]2 credit course - 8 to 10 hours per week

]3 credit course - 12 to 15 hours per week

]4 credit course - 16 to 20 hours per week

]5 credit course - 20 to 25 hours per week

]7 credit course - 28 to 35 hours per week

]

Thank you.

Tinker88 · Feb 20, 2013

I study nightly but don't keep up with time. I think if you know it...you know it, and if you don't...well you keep on studying! LOL!

Let's just say you had 5 courses (each 3 credits); that would be a total of 15 credits. 5 courses x 12 hours studying=60 hours per week :/

60 hours/ 7 days per week =8.5 hours per day studying.

Check me if I'm wrong (i'm tired). But "IF" I calculated this correctly that just seems UNREALISTIC to me.

I also heard that professors suggest 2 hours of study per class time. Ex: 1 hour of A&P lab each week = 2 hours of studying a week for that class. If you have A&P lecture class for 3 hours each week, then you should study 6 hours a week for the lecture. In all (lab + lecture) would be a total of 8 hours a week.

So 15 credits x 2= 30 hours a week and 30/7=4.2 hours a day (about 50 min. per class nightly).

The second suggestion makes more sense to me and is probably what I do now!

I hope this helped!

Stephalump · Feb 20, 2013

I'd be lying if I said I study every day.

Today I spent 6 hours in class and 2 doing homework. I won't be opening a book tonight. I have 10 hour clinical days tomorrow and Thurs, so I'm almost guaranteed to get no studying those days.

It just isn't really reasonable to think you'll be able to study every day, 7 days a week.

We have biweekly exams and I probably spend 30 hours total studying. Not really evenly distributed...more like 10 one week and 20 the week before the exam.

phuretrotr · Feb 20, 2013

Study? Eh, 20 hours a week.

Read? 70 hours a week.

christina731 · Feb 20, 2013

Usually only about 3-4 hours on the days I have class and about 6-8 hours on each of the other days. Total is about 48 hours a week for 8 credit hours. I'm taking Pharmacology & Fundamentals. I don't work (for now) or have kids so its easy. We'll see how long I last with no life outside of school. I'm only a month in :)

rubato, ASN, RN · Feb 20, 2013

When I was interviewing for the school to which I applied, they gave a base line recommendation of "]The average is that for ever 3 credit course you want to allow for 12 to 15 hours per week as study time."
I took that as a break down based on credit hours... so...
]1 credit course - 4 to 5 hours per week
]2 credit course - 8 to 10 hours per week
]3 credit course - 12 to 15 hours per week
]4 credit course - 16 to 20 hours per week
]5 credit course - 20 to 25 hours per week
]7 credit course - 28 to 35 hours per week

This is a good breakdown but not always true. I study more for a 9 credit hour nursing semester than I did for my 18 credit hour prereq semester.

With that being said, I probably study too little. I am one of those procrastinators who waits until the week of the exam and crams. I am trying to study a little each week, but I have nursing school, an honors contract, and a family to take care of as well as a whole bunch of volunteer stuff. It just seems to be the last thing to get done.

Luckily, I'm still doing really well in the program. I have a test Friday and actually managed to study for about 3 hours yesterday, will study about half the day today and hopefully, a little on Thursday. I do have 12 hour clinicals on Thursday and a skills checkoff today, so we'll see how that all goes.

Kdrenee · Feb 20, 2013

I'm not in my nursing program yet (hope to begin in May, FINGERS CROSSED), but during my pre-reqs I honestly did not study much. I never have..I am a last minute kind of girl and it has worked for me pretty well (3.8 GPA). I find that I am more likely to retain the information if I look over it right before a test rather than study and stress out about it for a week. I do read A TON though, but I like to read.

This may all change in nursing school, but I think that everyone has there own study style, so just find what works for you. If you are making good grades, fine, keep at what you are doing. If you are not making good grades, obviously you should change your study habits.

Good Luck :)

anashenwrath, ASN, RN · Feb 20, 2013

I only studied on weekends (and not much or well) for the first half of my degree program. It worked for me until MedSurg II and Pharm, and suddenly I went from Dean's List to failing!

I strapped myself down and started studying about 6 hours on both Sat and Sun, as well as 12 hours during the week (I work part-time). My grades skyrocketed.

Now I'm just doing NCLEX prep, but I'm also doing 12-hour shifts on weekends. So I put in about 6 hours Monday and Friday, and at least an hour after work each day when I get home, but it's a little easier bcs I'm mostly just taking practice tests.

I would say it's less about quantity and more about quality. I know students who "study" for 10 hours a day, but aren't doing well bcs they consider "studying" to be flipping through a gigantic textbook while sitting in a Starbucks. Far better to put in less time but really exercise your brain. Make flashcards, take practice tests, rewrite your notes, quiz yourself... stuff like that. Engage with the material, and you can get a lot more done in less time.

Kdrenee · Feb 20, 2013

Yes I totally agree, it's about quality! Re-writing notes and flash cards has always been my thing!!!! And I always have a little piece of scratch paper with things I tend to forget written down and tucked in my purse for throughout the day when I have those brain wondering moments in the line at the grocery store!

srilan07 · Jan 18, 2014

I'm not in my nursing program yet (hope to begin in May, FINGERS CROSSED), but during my pre-reqs I honestly did not study much. I never have..I am a last minute kind of girl and it has worked for me pretty well (3.8 GPA). I find that I am more likely to retain the information if I look over it right before a test rather than study and stress out about it for a week. I do read A TON though, but I like to read.
This may all change in nursing school, but I think that everyone has there own study style, so just find what works for you. If you are making good grades, fine, keep at what you are doing. If you are not making good grades, obviously you should change your study habits.
Good Luck :)

I did the same thing and got all As, but I think it would be prudent to stop this kind of habit. It is stressful doing everything in the last minute. I am about to start my Nursing program next week and I've estimated that I will be studying at least 4 hours per day (during weekdays) and about 6 hours during weekend and doing care plans (this will take a little bit of time getting used to, so more hours required). So, I have a total 32 hrs of studying per week. The reason behind this is because I wake up 5:30am and work for 7 hours each day. I have to because I am supporting myself and going to school at night. The important thing is organization and self-discipline (which I am still working on). Someday, when I had kids, I will teach them these to help them in their adult lives.

doxielover304 · Jan 19, 2014

I def dont study enough :/ Lol. Maybe 5 hours a week