My Study Tips For CRNE

shompeh, RN

I passed the CRNE on my first time and I wanted to leave some important tips for those writing the exam in October 2014. I know that is the last CRNE exam before NCLEX is introduced in 2015. For those writing it this fall, I wanted to share my study tips. Many of these studying tips are from a 1-day CRNE prep course I attended 1.5 months before the exam. I took off time from work for 1.5 months to study for the exam. For those that cannot take time off from work, it is good to get a 2-3 month head-start with your studying.

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

The first thing I want to mention is not to rely solely on one single resource to study for the exam.
Find a group to study with. I found my study group (there were 3 of us in our group) to be very effective and each one of us the CRNE on June 2014 our first time.
Make sure to book off work for the last 2-3 weeks before the exam because you will need that time to review, write mock tests to test your knowledge and review some more.
It is easy to become overwhelmed and feel anxious when studying for the exam, do take some time in the day to relax or exercise. Take a walk at the end of a good studying session, do yoga or any exercise that works for you. Exercise releases endorphins and when you're happy, you'll be able to concentrate on your studying better.
Rule of thumb for studying: Take a 10 min break for EVERY HOUR you study. Do not study non-stop for multiple hours without a break, you will not be able to retain much of what you studied.
REVIEWING IS KEY TO RETAINING CONTENT: After you write out notes for the competencies, REVIEW THEM FROM TIME TO TIME. Review before your group study sessions, after the studying session, when waiting for the bus, when on the train, whenever you can find extra time. Do not forget about the notes ones you've written them.

STUDY SOURCES:

For the CRNE, the CNA competencies hold ALL THE CRITERIA needed to study for the exam. Use the list of competencies as your exam blueprint and study up content for each competency.

In a group, divide up the competencies (I will recommend focusing mostly on the CH - CHANGES IN HEALTH competencies because of their large studying content) and every week, each group member should study up to 2-3 competencies and teach the rest of the members what they learned.

An example to study using competencies:

Pick a competency: CH 32 promotes oxygenation (e.g., positioning, deep breathing and coughing exercises, oxygen therapy, oral and nasal suctioning).
Think of different topics you can cover for oxygenation: other than the bracketed examples, you can talk about oxygen therapy through tracheostomy, different types of masks used for promoting oxygenation, etc. Study up (also write notes and share with friends in group) the content on the one competency.
Teach each other: share your notes with your peers the night before you meet for them to review and then teach them. It will allow all of you to ask each other questions and look up content you're unsure of. My friends and I covered up to 9 competencies a day.

Buy the Mosby's Review Book

The prep guide has all the content (as well as the list of competencies in the back) needed to study, but it should not be the only source as there is tons of additional information on each topic it does not contain. Keep your nursing textbooks from school handy to look up extra information to study.
I mostly focused on the competencies and used the Mosby's book for review and to ensure I did not miss any topic.
At the end of each chapter, there are questions to test your knowledge. Do take the time to do them and read their rationales. They're very helpful.

Buy the Mosby's Prep Guide (it contains 3 sets of 200 questions useful as MOCK TEST)

Do one of the tests as if it were in a real setting by setting aside 4 hours and obtain a score. Determine which area you were most weak in and focus your studying towards it. Do the first test before beginning your studying to see where you are at and where you need improvement.
Save the other two tests for the last 2 weeks.
You will also find tests at the end of the Mosby's Review book, at the end of each chapter of that book, in the CD provided with Mosby's Prep Guide as well as Review book.
Make use of the CDs as there is a study mode and a test mode of them. Do the study mode questions first as they will help you study the content at random and will give you the sense of the type of critical thinking questions to expect in the exam.
Do go over the rationales for EACH option for ALL the multiple choice questions in the prep guide and the CDs. Reading rationale for the right answer and every wrong answer also serves as a wonderful studying tool.

Buy the CRNE PREP GUIDE by CNA (Optional)

Me and many people I know purchased this book that contain 1 mock test only (200 questions). It was recommended to us when we took the CRNE prep course together. We were told to save this test for last as it is similar to the CRNE exam.
Personally, I did not find it too helpful because the way the questions were worded in it was very different from mock test and the exam itself. However, it is a good tool to review when you look through each rationale. It couldn't hurt to practice more questions. It might even help you.

HOW TO STUDY

Start out by doing one 4-hr mock test to see where you are with your previous knowledge. Don't be alarmed if your mark is low. That is expected since you haven't started getting into the study mode yet.
Use the test to identify your weak point, so you know where the focus more.
Work on 3-6 competencies each week. Write out notes for the competencies and send it to your friends. Then teach each other. My friends and I met twice a week, sent our notes to each other in advance for review and then taught each other.
My group focused mostly on the CHANGES IN HEALTH competencies as they have the largest content. Many competencies in other categories are straightforward and may not even require frequent reviewing because the knowledge is ingrained in your mind through nursing school. Use your judgment to identify which competencies are those, so you can focus on the more difficult ones.
At the end of every day that we met in the week, we did a mock test as a group and took up the test together. Purchase mock tests online, look for resources where you can get mock tests for free, and go through mock tests in the prep books.
Do these tests once or twice every week to see your progress as you study.
Every week, take a day to review everything you have studied until that point instead of learning new content. Like I said, REVIEWING WHAT YOU STUDIED IS THE KEY TO STUDYING EFFECTIVELY.
You might get annoyed by having to do so many questions and you may want to stop. It is frustrating and I know it first hand. But keep doing practice/mock questions by reminding yourself that it is preparing you for the exam. They will help you a great deal.
I took the day before the exam to do NOTHING. I put away all my books and spent the day relaxing, watching a movie. Try not to indulge in doing some last minute studying as that can stress you out and make you feel anxious. Remember, you know more than you think and you would have studied a tremendous amount by then, and that last minute studying only adds to frustration and anxiety.
I prepared everything I needed on the day of the exam well in advance to avoid last minute anxiety. 2 HB pencils, one eraser, tissues, some hard candy (I needed sugar because that 4 hour exam is long), a government ID, your TEST CARDS and an unlabelled bottle of water. If you've prepared in advance, then all you have to worry about is getting to the test centre the morning of the exam. Trust me, you don't need any last minute anxiety.

At the end of the exam, you will feel a great deal of stress come off of you. So you should celebrate!

I hope that these tips were helpful to you and you find success in your CRNE exam. Study hard and Good luck to you all.