Test Taking skills

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I am in my second semester of nursing school and I am still having trouble taking test. I study the material constantly. I know the material like the back of my hand, but when it comes to the test I struggle. I have passed all of my classes so far, but I want to get A's. Can anyone give me advice on what to do?

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Try using another word other than test it sounds weird but it help me I say i have a class assignment to do in class or something that doesn't make it sound so stressful

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What exactly are you having trouble with? Is it just test anxiety?

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Take many practice tests before taking the test. Just reading and thinking you know the info is not good enough, unless your lucky also.

When I first started I got A's on my tests but struggled on almost all questions and lacked confidence on my choices. I was always near the last one done whether it was a science or non science class, or lab.

I started reading the chapter summary, chapter quizzes & reading the answers, then I would read the chapter know what to focus on.

Then I would take the chapter test. I would also go to quizlet.com and type in my chapters, ex. Santrock chapter 8, marieb chapter 7.

Instead of looking at flash cards I would take the test option. Then review what I got wrong, then look for a different test on same chapter.

I am more quicker in selecting answers in the class test, more confident in my choice, and finish with about 50% of other classmates.

I'm not sure what specific issues you have, but this helped me.

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When it comes to multiple choice tests, many people believe it is best to stick with the first answer you choose. I've heard this from countless teachers and advisors over the years. Soo... I always enjoy sharing this tidbit from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 88(5), May 2005, 725-735:

Most people believe that they should avoid changing their answer when taking multiple-choice tests. Virtually all research on this topic, however, has suggested that this strategy is ill-founded: Most answer changes are from incorrect to correct, and people who change their answers usually improve their test scores. Why do people believe in this strategy if the data so strongly refute it? The authors argue that the belief is in part a product of counterfactual thinking. Changing an answer when one should have stuck with one's original answer leads to more "if only . . ." self-recriminations than does sticking with one's first instinct when one should have switched. As a consequence, instances of the former are more memorable than instances of the latter. This differential availability provides individuals with compelling (albeit illusory) personal evidence for the wisdom of always following their 1st instinct, with suboptimal test scores the result.
Admin Note: The above is from a publicly available abstract.
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This article further explains the above:

'Trust your first instincts': Fallacious folklore?

:geek: It's interesting to me, anyway.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day, Stewy291:

When you review the test results, how does the correct answers for the questions you answered differ from what you put down as the answer? Is it that you remembered incorrectly or that you wrote memorized and the test is asking you to be able to apply what you learned?

What type of questions do you have the most trouble with on an exam? Multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, or essay?

Thank you.

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I find the apply what you know the toughest.

Is it A or B or C or D or E. Is it A&B only. Is it B&C only. Is it B&D only. All the above. None of the above.

It's fun when every question is like this .

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