Studying and still can't make the grade

[mesimpson97]

I am in my second semester of nursing school and I study my butt off and feel like a know the material. When I seat down to take the test and kinda feel okay about the test, I always do bad (like I get a 76 each time and I need a 78 to pass). I have went to multiple professors and changed my study habits multiple times. I feel like I'm not capable of passing the NCLEX when that time comes. Can anyone give my advise on how to studying or how to improve your critical thinking skills?

[nurse_flo_marie, MSN, RN]

I can tell you, I did great on tests in nursing school but when it came down to the NCLEX, I feel like I got all the questions because I confused the testing program so much it didn't know whether to pass me. Many of my clinical students use test prep books to study and practice for the NCLEX.

Have you looked at the type of questions you are getting wrong? For example, all of the above or fill in the blanks compared to multiple choice. Or application questions compared to knowledge questions? I've gone through years and years of schooling only to find out in grad school how I actually learn and test. Also, have you met with your school's tutoring center or done study groups? I found bouncing ideas off other students and explaining concepts helped me to apply the information.

Hope this information helps! Good Luck!

[Arya526]

I am in my second semester and I had the same problem. I found that even though I was studying a lot of content and a lot of questions, my studying wasn't effective for learning. For example, when you study practice problems:

1. Identify priority (what is the question really asking?)

2. Come up with possible answers to the question ( what assessments would I do? What interventions would I do?)

3. Go through each answer individually. Is it a reasonable answer? If not, mentally cross it out. If maybe, then keep the option open. GO WITH WHAT YOUR GUT TOLD YOU FIRST! (I tend to second guess myself and that's what killed me on my 3rd exam).

Also, study with a buddy. Discuss a case study together and even write down your thought process on a whiteboard together.

I found out that my problem wasn't the content itself. It's thinking critically and applying my knowledge to nursing. I found that doing less in the way of flashcards and more of writing and thinking through is what I needed. My last exam grade was a WORLD OF A DIFFERENCE!

Also, keep track of the type of questions you're getting wrong. Is it one specific topic? Is it one type of question? Is it remote memorization or application? This will help narrow down to what you really need to study and review on.