Student Nurse

Nursing is often NOT straight forward, so questions on exams should not be either. Critical thinking is crucial in nursing, and that should also be reflected in your exams. Memorization reaches a point that it won't be that helpful on some exams, due to the need to analyze situations, etc. You may memorize disease processes/labor and delivery signs/symptoms, etc., but the "how to" and "what next" won't come from memorization, necessarily. Hang in there. Have you spoken to your faculty to find out why you didn't pass? Is there a different study method that will work better for you? Sounds like you are getting tired--understandable. Maybe take a mental break/physical break such as a walk or bike ride will help renew you.

We have still not had a exam review yet. We missed 3 out of the 6 lectures due to the weather. My study habits are "weird" I never had to try hard to do well. Nursing school is a HUGE wake up call. I study sometimes for hours in a day and absorb nothing. This past week I studied 2-3 hours each day SLOWLY and see if I could understand the material and it has been working. I dont know what else to at this point. I want to do so well, only 2 weeks left in the semester! But I need to study better/smarter vs. harder.

When I have classes that require application type understanding (as opposed to rote memorization) I find doing practice problems helpful. Study the material until you think you have a good grasp on it, then find sample problems to do until you know you have a good grasp on the materials. This may not work for you but it helps me a lot.

There are some instructors who test from there notes. When I have them I mostly study from their notes. However, I open up that dreaded textbook a lot more when I feel I am not understanding. It is time consuming but really helps me learn better. It also helps me remember past concepts that can be forgotten because things can become so intertwined. It is also good in increasing medical vocab.

Doing NCLEX style questions, although critically important, normally helps me for testing over material that I already understand or shows me where I need more study. It seems to help my test taking skills more than it does my comprehension. So, don't forget your textbook to supplement lecture and NCLEX questions.