The exams in nursing school can be very challenging and require good test taking skills as well as a great deal of knowledge regarding the material that you are being tested over. Before I get started, I want to clarify that I am by no means an expert, but I would like to share my advice as it has helped many people that I have tutored.
First things first; have a good understanding of the material and be well prepared for the exam. DoNOT procrastinate and try to cram at the last minute.. This method may have worked for you in your pre-requisites, but it would not be wise for you to do this in nursing school. The material you are learning is not only important for your exam, but it will also be important during your clinical's or when you get out of school and work as a RN.
Secondly, once you think you've mastered the material go to your textbook's online resource and do practice quizzes. This allows you to see where you need to review more and gives you a feel for how you may see it presented on the exam. When you are reviewing the questions that you miss, be sure to read the rationales and really understand why you miss the question. If your textbook does not have an online resource, then do practice questions on Kaplan or whichever program your nursing school uses.
If you still feel uneasy after doing practice quizzes and reviewing your notes, go to YouTube and search for the topic you need help with. I have found numerous YouTube videos that are amazing. Khan Academy and Med Cram are two of my favorite YouTube Channels for reviewing troubling material.
During the exam.. Before I start my exam, I always ask my professor for a blank piece of paper. I use this piece of paper for two things; to "brain-dump" all the values/or helpful sayings I've came up with to use during my exam and to cover the answer choices on the exam. Covering the answer choices/ distractors while you are reading the question is by far one of the best things you can do. This will not work for every question, but for the majority it will. By covering the answer choices, you can read the question and write out beside the question what you think the answer is (without looking at the choices before). This allows you to answer without being influenced by anything and once you uncover the answer choices, if you see an answer that is similar to what you wrote then chances are that answer is correct.
Bring a highlighter to your exam. I like to highlight what I believe to be "key words" in the question, this helps me focus on what the question is asking without being distracted by irrelevant information in the question
Do NOT, change your answer once you've bubbled in on the scantron!!! Unless you are 100% sure the answer you are changing it to is correct, do not fall in this trap! I have seen a lot of my friends fail because they go back and change answers. The solution to their problem was, golfing pencils (no eraser).
Most importantly believe in yourself and don't second guess yourself. If you are in the middle of the exam and get tore up because you are stressed out, just pray to God or whomever you claim as your higher power to relieve your anxiety/stress.
I realize these tips are not going to help everyone, but I do hope they help some of you. These are just tips and tricks that I have found to contribute to my exam taking skills. Please, if you have any questions let me know.