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Discussion

Reading chapters

Ok, so i'm technically going to be in my 4th week of my first semester at nursing school (lost two due to ike, yay..) and i'm worried about my reading skills..

At home, it feels like it's taking me hours to read half a chapter, that i feel i should've finished within 2-3..

I'm understanding everything i'm reading, and i managed to make a 92.4 on my first exam.. but i didn't read over 7 chapters out of 16, i believe i may have gotten lucky.

I don't want to continue this trend, because i'm worried i may not read something important.

Anyone have any tips on increasing reading efficieny? or should i make some sort of schedule to plan what i will read in the aloted time?

Thanks in advance!

(ps: i'm using the study guide the teacher made for us, so i'm not really reading anything extra, i believe.)

Featured Replies

  • Experts

Its great that you are able to retain what you are reading. I didn't seem to remember anything when I just read the chapter so to save time I would make my note cards as I skimmed through the chapters and then study them for the exam. Good luck!

  • Author

Oh, i'm not just reading thru the chapters, i'm making notes in a notebook.

I'm just not sure what's making me take so long to get thru a chapter.. My brother (bach. in comp science) told me to skim thru the chapter and focus on important parts... i figure i'm already doing that by using the study guide the instructor provided.

Oh, i'm not just reading thru the chapters, i'm making notes in a notebook.

I'm just not sure what's making me take so long to get thru a chapter.. My brother (bach. in comp science) told me to skim thru the chapter and focus on important parts... i figure i'm already doing that by using the study guide the instructor provided.

different things work for everyone, you have to find what works for me, I have to read everything, I can't skim.

  • Experts

It does sound to me as if you got a little lucky on that first exam -- that your in-depth reading of a few chapters pulled you through. You were lucky that the exam didn't emphasize the unread chapters. I think your assessment of the situation is a good one.

You will probably have to sacrifice a little "thoroughness" and detail in your reading to cover more material in the future. You'll have to emotionally let go of your very legitimate desire to read each section in detail so that you can move to the next section more quickly.

Does your school have any kind of services for students that teach study methods, etc.? There are courses, books, etc. that teach people how to read more efficiently. One of those might really help you. Fortunately, your problem does NOT seem to be an inability to understand the material. That's a harder problem to deal with. You just need to learn to be more efficient in your reading in order to improve the speed at which you cover the material.

Another possibility: Time management. Are you sure that your expectations as to how long it should take you are reasonable? Perhaps you are expecting to cover the material too quickly. Perhaps no one could cover the material that fast. Perhaps you simply need to allocate more time to reading.

A lot of today's students are juggling multiple responsibilities -- school, work, family, etc. Perhaps you are simply trying to do too much too fast. College requires a big investment of time as well as money. Perhaps you need to slow down a little and give yourself the time to read that you need.

Good luck.

I think your brother is right. I decided after my first four weeks and exams that is what I'm going to do. I also took the plunge and de-binded my fundamentals book. Now I can take the chapters out and put them behind the powerpoints and my notes. It really makes it a lot easier to read and I don't have that huge book that makes me feel a little over-whelmed. Congrats on your 92!

  • Author

Thanks for the advice everyone.

llg, i think i understand what you're saying.. i remember doing that for my lifespan pre-req, i just sat down and read straight thru the chapters. mm, believe it took me 5 hours to cover 4-5 chapters, but this was from 11pm-4am :stone night before the test.. and i skipped 5 pages from the end of each chapter..

wish i could apply that same strategy but not so late, and days before the exam..

well, back to reading :banghead:.

(ps: i really have no other obligations outside school; no kids, SO, job, bills, etc)

  • Experts
Thanks for the advice everyone.

llg, i think i understand what you're saying.. i remember doing that for my lifespan pre-req, i just sat down and read straight thru the chapters. mm, believe it took me 5 hours to cover 4-5 chapters, but this was from 11pm-4am :stone night before the test.. and i skipped 5 pages from the end of each chapter..

wish i could apply that same strategy but not so late, and days before the exam..

well, back to reading :banghead:.

(ps: i really have no other obligations outside school; no kids, SO, job, bills, etc)

If you have no other obligations, then you should be able to consider your schoolwork the way traditional-aged students used to think of it -- as roughly the equivalent of a full time job if you are a "full time" student. You should be prepared to spend about 40 hours per week on work related to your schooling. That's what we did in the olden days. Is that the amount of time you are spending now?

  • Author

I believe so.. Go to class on mondays from 12-3pm, tues-fri from 8-11am.. I take a 30 to 60 min break after class and look around the web to clear my head. Then i crack open the books at the library til around 5-6pm and head home, study more, stop at maybe 10 or 11pm and kill time before bed.

I study as well on the weekends from 12 or 1 til whenever..

I think i may be reading too thoroughly..

I think i may be reading too thoroughly..

I do not think that is possible.

A 92 is great, unless the rest of your class received >95.

Computer science isn't like nursing theory. Read your chapters.

Identify if the questions are coming from lecture material, reading material, or test taking skills. Try to determine if the trend will continue. I've experienced instructors that developed their questions around class PowerPoint and lectures. The PowerPoints were provided by the professor, but recording the lectures was not allowed. Other instructors only derived 25% of their tests from the lecture material, and the rest from assigned readings. Welcome to nursing. Assess, Diagnose, Plan...

Good luck.

  • Author

Mm, i try not to concern myself with others grades, i make what i make.

As far as the lecture material, powerpoints, and assigned chapters, it's all the same thing.

For my fundamentals class, she reads powerpoints that were given with our book, and doesn't post them. But the study guide she gives us is pretty much the powerpoint.

My health assessment class is weird, since we have 3 instructors rotating to teach it. Only had 1 so far, and she prefers to read straight from the book and the powerpoint mirrors the studyguide she gives us as well.

I'm pretty sure i'm not reading anything extra, so i'm trying to find a groove that will help me read more efficiently.

Thanks again.

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