Studying

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Sep 17, 2004

I never found the "traditional" ways of studying to be much help. If it was too much work, I couldn't make the info stay in my head!

I happen to enjoy the internet. I will "google" just about anything. I like finding out info about various topics--from trying to identify a particular actor on a show that I'm sure I saw before to the nuances of acid base balance.

I thought I was wasting time when I started surfing the web looking up info related to school. People would ask me how much time I spent studying, and I would be embarassed and guilty and say "none" because I thought surfing didn't count.

But I discovered I was recalling a lot (and I mean a LOT) of the info I read online.

So I now count that as studying. (It must have worked--I got all A's in nursing school, and I just passed the NCLEX.)

andre · Sep 17, 2004

I'd also suggest meeting with the tutoring or study skills dept. at your school. We had a session with ours and found it really helpful because we don't all learn the same way! Part of figuring out a strategy is knowing what kind of learning works best for you....

checkers · Sep 17, 2004

I had a good study day yesterday. :)

Someone suggested highlighting/underlining as you read, and it worked great for me. My mind tends to wonder, but this really helped me focus. Thanks, whoever made that simple suggestion!!! I also went back and made flash cards. I would set aside the one's I got right, and just kept cycling through the one's I didn't know, until I knew 'em all.

Maggie in NC · Sep 17, 2004

It depends on the subject for me. I also like studying on the internet so if my book has a CD, I go to that site and read as much as I can. Another thing that helps me is INDEX CARDS. I'll read a chapter then go back and put important things on index cards so I have them for future reference. (especially for midterm review.)

I have found if I draw out what I have to label for A&P and label them myself, it really helps me remember. My FAVORITE thing to do in A&P is to make several copies of the diagrams in the study guide that I know will have to label on the test and give them to my daughter. I tell her she has to be the teacher and hand me a test a couple of times over the weekend and test me. She loves to be the teacher and I love it that she gets to help me.

wonderbee, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2004

1. Read before lectures (easier said than done) after having looked at syllabus for objectives;

2. Highlight from book during lecture or from notes or tape following lecture;

3. Answer questions from study guides to go with text, in pencil

4. Before tests, study from study guides (when available), highlighted text and notes;

5. Stick post-its on mirrors, car dash, kitchen cabinets and fridge for hard-to-remember facts. Make copies of diagrams and pictures and do the same.

6. Take frequent breaks. For me, 1/2 hr is all I can take then I have to take a break.

mariedoreen · Sep 18, 2004

I had a good study day yesterday. :)
Someone suggested highlighting/underlining as you read, and it worked great for me. My mind tends to wonder, but this really helped me focus. Thanks, whoever made that simple suggestion!!! I also went back and made flash cards. I would set aside the one's I got right, and just kept cycling through the one's I didn't know, until I knew 'em all.

I do this too and most of you will probably fall out of your chairs at this one... but I also keep a pen or pencil with me and make notes in my book as I read. I can't tell you how useful that has been to me, it keeps me focused as I'm reading and then it helps me when I have it in front of me during lecture to remember where I need clarification etc.. Also, when I'm reviewing for exams my notes here and there help with my recall of the material on that page AND during exams I can often visualize the page a certain piece of info is on simply because of the notes I jotted down. Info just seems to cement itself in my head better when I do this.. The re-sale on all my books is low to nil, but I figure the A's are worth it.

allthingsbright · Sep 18, 2004

I've also started highlighting and scribbling in my books-so there! :rotfl: It's really helping me stay focused when reading TONS of chapters. I used to take reading notes but that was a lot of work for something I hardly looked at after lecture. I make note cards and use TONS of mnemonics to remember stuff. I also write on my tests my mnemonics and charts FIRST thing-and that helps with testing.

Good luck! :)

All_Smiles_RN · Sep 18, 2004

The nursing skills lab coordinator at my school gave a presentation on how to prepare for nursing tests. She says to first read through each chapter, with the purpose of defining the key terms of the chapter. The next time you read through each chapter, do it with the purpose of being able to fill out the accompanying (sp?) study guide. And the third time you read it through, do it for the purpose of answering the critical thinking questions at the end of the chapter. She says if we use this method of studying, we should do great on our tests.

Plus she has suggested reading the chapter the night before your teacher lectures on it so that you will already be familiar with it. Good luck everyone.

...Jennifer...

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Sep 18, 2004

The nursing skills lab coordinator at my school gave a presentation on how to prepare for nursing tests. She says to first read through each chapter, with the purpose of defining the key terms of the chapter. The next time you read through each chapter, do it with the purpose of being able to fill out the accompanying (sp?) study guide. And the third time you read it through, do it for the purpose of answering the critical thinking questions at the end of the chapter. She says if we use this method of studying, we should do great on our tests.
Plus she has suggested reading the chapter the night before your teacher lectures on it so that you will already be familiar with it. Good luck everyone.
...Jennifer...

Ya'all must have a lot less assigned to read than we ever did. There was no way one could read every word once, much less three times. Good luck, though!

hippienurse · Sep 18, 2004

I am just starting the nursing coursework, but in my pre-reqs I would come home each night (or every few nights) and type up my notes. Doing that I was forced to re-write them (which helps me remember) and also I had a very nice copy of notes! Then at the end of each section, before a test, I would go thru all my sets of notes and type a study guide (some were 30-40 pages for A&P!) and this also helped me in re-writing them and studying as I typed the words.

Also, do the short exercises at the end of the chapters, those help as well...

LPNalmost! · Sep 18, 2004

I've never been much of a studier. I've always been more of the "if I don't get it the first time, I'm not gonna get it" type. But I HAD to learn to study this past year and it wasn't easy. But it must have paid off because I graduated as valedictorian last night!! The thing that helped me most was to read my chapters and notes from lecture. As I read, I would look for key points/concepts. As I identified the points that seemed most important, I would re-read just that part and highlight/underline it. I studied just before bedtime. I would sleep on what I had just read and then get up at 3:30 in the morning to review it (just the underlined/highlighted parts) before the test. I also found that if I read these items out loud to myself, I would retain the information better...I don't know why, but talking to myself seemed to work!

Another thing that helped me a great deal was to quiz another student from my lecture notes. We would meet 30 minutes early and I would ask her questions from my notes that she would answer. It helped both of us that way, so if there is a student in your class that is struggling, they would make a good study partner. I aced several tests using only this technique. If she didn't know the answer to the question, we'd talk through the concept so we both knew the "why". But for some reason, it never worked if I was the one answering the questions and she was quizzing me.

When it was something that had to be memorized (like cranial nerves), I would turn the radio off and repeat it out loud to myself on the way to school (I had an hour commute). As soon as I got my test, I would write the memorization item on my answer sheet so I wouldn't forget it if test taking anxiety hit. I also take my tests different than other people. I immediately flip through the test and answer any listing, labeling, or short answer questions first and then answer the multiple choice questions.

I was in class with students that would make flashcards or re-write their notes. This never worked for me...too much work involved and I wouldn't be paying attention to what I was writing. I just got bored.