Passed by 1 question!

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Hi all, I am a new member to this site. A friend of mine recommended it to me since we are both in nursing school.

I really need some help. I'm about to finish my second semester and passed one of my classes by 2 points. YES 2 POINTS! Which was 1 question. I know I should be happy, believe me, I am. I know 5 people who did not pass this last exam. Most dropped after the second exam. Out of the 3 exams, I studied for this one the most & this exam I did the worst on. I don't cram. I feel horrible. I'm hurt and confused.

I read the chapters, I do the practice quizzes online for the chapters, I write out my notes, I use index cards. I have a whiteboard at home thats drilled into my living room wall that I use. I pretend to teach my teddy bears on the sofa. Other nursing students I spoke with say that all they have to do is read & they pass. I even joined a study group. They like to eat & drink wine coolers, and then try to study. I also watch youtube videos.

I just need someone to recommend any techniques that worked for them. Also, any recommendations for test taking books/critical thinking would be great.

Thank you

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Maybe you're more of an auditory learner. Why not try adding audio recordings more often. It seems that you are covering most of the visual learner domain, and some of the auditory .... While reading the passages, record it, and play them back while driving or exercising.

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Specializes in NICU.

Next semester ask your instructors if they allow audio recording of the lecture. If they do then go to wal-mart and buy a digital voice recorder (or use your smart phone). You will notice when you play it back that most times they will say something twice or emphasize a point that they feel is important and put it on the test. I record lectures and download them to my computer with a folder for each class. The instuctors also put the powerpoint lectures online for us to download to study and put notes on during the lecture.

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Thank you both for replying. I will definitely go purchase a recorder and download the class lectures. I didn't realize that was the only thing I wasn't doing. I've never been an auditory learner. I always felt I learned best through reading, writing and repetition. I guess times have changed for me, lol.

Thank you both so much!

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Hey there! I'm new here too but have lurked while attending school. I have a few tips for you. One of my teachers in high school greatly assisted me in how I look at and perform on tests. It may sound like the most obvious thing but it's the most important (especially in nursing)- READ THE QUESTION. What are they asking? What are the keywords? What are they throwing into the question that is useless to what the question is asking? What should be underlined? Is the word FIRST used? Is the word NOT used? A lot of these questions have all correct answers, the point is what is the MOST correct answer. After you pick apart the question (underline, cross out, do whatever you have to do) then proceed to answer the question in your head prior to looking at the answers. Match your answer to the answers listed for multiple choice. Does it match? Read through all the answers and eliminate whatever you can immediately. Don't second guess yourself. Also, a lot of the questions have to do with prioritization, organization, planning, safety, or assessment. Make sure your answer matches BEST to what the question is looking for ex. a safety question should get a safety answer. Always remember your ABCs (airway, o2, circ) and safety measures (infection, injury).

Another tip for you- understand the patho! Even if you don't really understand what the question is asking, if you understand the systems you can see what answer fits based on the pathophysiology.

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Hey there! I'm new here too but have lurked while attending school. I have a few tips for you. One of my teachers in high school greatly assisted me in how I look at and perform on tests. It may sound like the most obvious thing but it's the most important (especially in nursing)- READ THE QUESTION. What are they asking? What are the keywords? What are they throwing into the question that is useless to what the question is asking? What should be underlined? Is the word FIRST used? Is the word NOT used? A lot of these questions have all correct answers, the point is what is the MOST correct answer. After you pick apart the question (underline, cross out, do whatever you have to do) then proceed to answer the question in your head prior to looking at the answers. Match your answer to the answers listed for multiple choice. Does it match? Read through all the answers and eliminate whatever you can immediately. Don't second guess yourself. Also, a lot of the questions have to do with prioritization, organization, planning, safety, or assessment. Make sure your answer matches BEST to what the question is looking for ex. a safety question should get a safety answer. Always remember your ABCs (airway, o2, circ) and safety measures (infection, injury).

Another tip for you- understand the patho! Even if you don't really understand what the question is asking, if you understand the systems you can see what answer fits based on the pathophysiology.

Hi, thanks for the warm welcome! I feel like when I do eliminate my answer options down to two, I start to second guess myself and then I over analyze my answer. Uggggh. God forbid its a "select all that apply" question, lol. I ALWAYS add an extra answer or leave one out. I'm going to use your advice. I just want to resolve my issues before the next semester starts. Thank you

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

Do you have any NCLEX practice books, or NCLEX test strategy books? I was fortunate in that apparently the way NCLEX questions work is how my brain thinks anyway, so I don't have any trouble deciphering the test questions. My biggest thing is learning the content and applying it to the question. But it sounds like you are doing your darndest to understand the content, so its probably the question style that is tripping you up. Everyone in my class who has trouble with how to answer the questions purchases books from the "Success" series. It has test taking strategies. Similar to what G-man is saying with eliminating answers and looking for keywords. But it will break down every question to teach you how to answer it. I use the Saunders NCLEX RN book and its great for a small content review, and then some practice questions. Also read the rationales behind right and wrong answers. It will help you to understand why you get certain questions wrong.

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I really am trying. I don't have any NCLEX books. There are so many books. I'm not sure which ones to get. I wanted to purchase some that helps with critical thinking, and nclex books for the rationales. I will check on amazon for the "success" series books. I need all the help I can get. I wish it came naturally for me, how it does for you. Thanks for the tips!

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

Test Success authored by Nugent & Vitale has helped many of my nursing students.

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Specializes in ICU/ Surgery/ Nursing Education.

You might look at Saunders Strategies for Test Success. This book helped change the way I looked at test questions and it was fairly inexpensive as well.

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