How do you study for a comprehensive FINAL Exam?

cherokeesummer · Jun 6, 2004

PS - Sorry I'm having way too much fun with the emoticons! LOL! :chuckle

IamRN · Jun 6, 2004

I always started w/what I felt was my weakest.

purplekath · Jun 6, 2004

...sigh....I'm studying for mine (on Friday) right now. I'm sure everyone has a different method, but here's mine.

I go through each week's "learning outcomes"...either the ones that the teacher gives in the lectures OR (if they don't give them), the ones that appear at the end or beginning of each chapter in the text.

I then remember (and if I don't remember, I research) the fundamentals of each learning outcome and put it into a Word Document in a format that *I can understand clearly*.

I do this for each week - usually one day's study for each week we covered during the semester. So if one week we covered cellular respiration - I take a day to cover cellular respiration...I will paste diagrams into the document and make different colours for each block etc. Anything to help me REMEMBER.

When I've finished all the weeks, I should have a bunch of Word documents to print out. I print them out, read them all again, and then get members of the family, friends etc to make up questions for me from my notes. If you can find someone who is nursing with you then it would be great...but generally I find that most people are too stressed with their own stuff to participate. If need be, write your OWN quizzes, email them to yourself and then do them after about 3-4 days after you have forgotten the answers!

In the week before the exam I function like this - I MAKE A PLAN...write it down on paper and stick to it! I divide each day into two halves. Each half a day will be devoted to studying the bits I have not yet grasped in a particular subject area. Then, if I am still OK, I will do some further study in the evening...recapping what I did during the day.

Night before the exam -- go to bed EARLY!!!

Best of luck with yours!!

shel_wny · Jun 6, 2004

I've always found that the key to studying for a cumulative exam is keeping up throughout the whole semester. If all you have to do is review before the exam, you're in excellent shape. It's so easy to fall behind in the reading or simply skip a chapter during a busy week but if that's your state before the cumulative you've got your work cut out for you.

I've always found it helpful to read through any textbook chapter summaries, notes I took, graded assignments, and anything else that the instructor emphasized or that you worked on in class.

Good luck! Comprehensive Finals are no fun but nothing compares to walking out of the classroom knowing that you just aced it. :)

Shel

cherokeesummer · Jun 6, 2004

Thanks! Yes, I think that is a great idea! I'm lucky in that I have kept up throughout the semester for the most part. There may be 2 chapters that I have not read completely but all others I have.

I've done the study guide as I've gone along too because many of our questions come from the study guide.

I think what I will do this time is study my notebooks and then next semester I will make study sheets each week (in word documents) and then at the end of the term I will have all of them that I can return to.

Thanks for the ideas friends!

belladelicious · Jun 7, 2004

I don't study all that much for finals. You'd be surprised how much info you retain, especially b/c your previous grades are so good. I just browse through every chapter in the book and read over anything I underlined or marked as important. I also read over notes. Of course some classes are different, and you do forget everything! Good luck, you'll do fine.

manna, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2004

Cramming is useless, or that's what they always say. I'm sure you'll do fine if you've kept ahead all semester and retained what you've learned. Good luck! :)

cursenurse · Jun 7, 2004

How do you?! We have our comprehensive final this coming Thursday. This is my first term in nursing school and I'm doing really well. In fact I figured up my grade and even if I get a 60 on the final I can still pass the couse with a B! Of course, I want to get an A so I want to do really well on the Final. We've had three unit tests this term and my grades were 92, 92, and 96. 92's are B's in my school :angryfire but still I have high scores in math, med terms, journals, clinicals, etc.
I'm probably just going to go through my 3 notebooks and re-read my notes! :rotfl:

i've always found it best to read all the notes from the class paying more attention to weak areas.

Nurse-o-Matic · Jun 7, 2004

I had a Psychology professor who always told us to never rewrite/type our notes because it was a proven study that this info isn't retained well. His advice was to spend the time reading notes and making up a little story, mnemonic, or visual picture so you could recall the info. Also, don't study more than 6 or 7 "chunks" of info at one study session--this is the most our brain can absorb and be able to recall later. This has worked so well for me and I am able to recall notes I've studied years ago!!! :)

truern · Jun 7, 2004

We don't get our unit tests back, but after each test i go thru my notes and highlight test material in a different color highlighter than what i've already highlighted with. Usually our final questions aren't the exact same as what was on unit tests, but at least I know what material was tested. That in itself is a huge help with the vast amounts of material covered in lecture.

I also keep up with reading, assignments, etc as we go..no last minute cramming here. As I study I try to review some of the previous unit's materials just to keep a "handle" on it all.

Congratulations on your good grades so far and good luck with your final :)

TLC RN · Jun 8, 2004

If you get your previous tests back review them. Many of my undergrad professors would use the same questions on the final.

If they don't give you the tests back, I would do what truesn suggested