What students should NOT do before,during, and after exams

Nursing Students General Students

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i just had my exam last night and here are a couple of things i find that are very annoying before, during , and after an exam.

1) students all 50 of them discussing class content openly ! seriously, i'm already confused and stressed as it is... the last thing i need to hear is s/s of this and that, treatments of this and that, and values of this and that. if you don't know it 5 minutes before the exam you won't know it now. i literally had to sit there with my hands over my ears so that i couldn't hear them and remain just a little of my insanity before taking this exam. :banghead:

am i the only one who gets annoyed when students talk about content right before or as the instructors are handing out the exam ?

2) during the exam make sure we can't hear your phone ringing and vibrating just in case you didn't know its distracting ! and just because you and your friends finish first it doesn't mean you can stand outside the class and talk loudly!

3) after exam don't expect for me to remember each question and answer verbatim. no i honestly don't mind discussing the exam with you, but i need a little more info than just " what did you get for the one about the women with pre-eclampsia... ?" uh , we had about 5 questions on pre-eclampsia... which one ???

does anyone else have weird things going on before, during, or after nursing exams ?

Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
Thats a great idea. I think I'll try the classical music. :) I, like you, cant deal with lyrics because I try to listen to them, but I think I could listen to classical, and I love classical. :)

I try to go for slower/softer works, rather than really loud/upbeat types, and it just kind of fades into the background and I don't even notice it. The music seems to keep the distraction-prone part of my brain "busy" (but since it's being distracted by "nothing" (no lyrics) it's not really an actual distraction) so that the academic part of my brain can focus on my studies.

I hope it works for you as well as it works for me! Please shoot me a PM or post in this thread again and let me know how it works for you.

Specializes in Home Health, Case Management, OR.

Well I guess I am glad my last class was only 13 people! We all conversed before and after the exams, both r/t the content and just chitchat. What does irritate me are the cell phones that ring, or vibrate in the middle of the test. We had ONE student whos phone would ring, no fail, during each exam! Not to mention she would bring food in and EAT during the exam!!! Lucky for me I guess that I can just enclose into my own little world and I don't hear much of anything once I get into the test.

Specializes in OR.
We are actually encouraged to use our classroom. We spend atleast 10 hours a week there outside of class time studying together with our teachers' blessing and encouragement. We live in our classroom, complete with the occasional nap between classes in our lab hospital beds (not me, but others), a big green tub of snacks, a coffee maker and a small fridge of our drinks and lunch foods ect. We have a small class though (less than 10 atm halfway through) so it works for us where maybe it wouldnt work for others. Our program is the "baby" of the college so where other classes would not be open, ours is for us. They even talked about getting myself and one other student a key, because we are there so much. We have cakes there, do fundraisers for the nursing home we have worked at, ect.

As someone else in the thread said, you cant change other people's behavior, you just have to adjust. If my study group couldnt function there we would go somewhere else. It boggles me that you would show up before a test (esp when everyone stresses about nursing tests as much as they do in my school atleast) and not expect everyone to talk about the test. I hate that people talk about their tv shows and all other nonsense when I havent had time to watch tv in two weeks, but there's not much I can do about it so I dont dwell, but whatever.

I was being facecious about ear plugs being more mature, by suggesting that putting your hands over your ears was kinda silly. I read that and my first thought was that my 3 yr old did that last night when I told her it was time for bed.

I dont like loud people either, and it makes it tough for me when people start shouting ect before the exam, but as I said, not much I can do with it other than refuse to participate. I guess that my way of dealing with nursing school is to refuse to care about drama and things like that and save my stressing for my grades.

I actually do so much better on my tests when we discuss things before the test. Not in replacement for studying independently, but I always learn something that I hadnt thought was important, and atleast one of those tidbits is almost always on the test. We are quiet when we study, but we do continue until the teacher pulls out the test (assuming its when class first starts). There is only one student in our class who doesnt like to study/discuss before the test, and she is always talking about things that are completely irrelavent and distracting, so she's just the class "annoyance" and everyone else is either discussing the test in the class, or pacing the halls/sitting in the hallway studying right up until the teacher pulls the test out.

exactly. about the learning something you wouldnt have thought of right before the test. thats the whole point.

if I learn even ONE or TWO more facts that will help me on the test by reviewing info or opinions with another student, then its all worth it.

Specializes in Emergency.
It drives me nuts when I'm sitting by myself trying to study for the exam and people will sit right next to me and start talking about something irrelevant at the time. If that happens I usually will get up and walk away. I need to be by myself before exams so I can relax. Having 80 other panicking people around does not help!!!

just because they are studying around you. and outloud. doesnt meant they are panicking.

Specializes in Med/Surg.

I personally don't benefit from chatting before an exam, so I usually sit in my car and review notes, then walk in a minute or two before the exam starts. This allows me to be calm and ready to start answering test questions. If you don't like the talking, just try removing yourself from the situation.

Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
just because they are studying around you. and outloud. doesnt meant they are panicking.

I didn't read into the original post that the person was assuming that everyone studying out loud is in panic-mode. IMO it is VERY obvious when people are freaking out or just doing last-minute review -- you can tell by what they are saying and how they are saying it.

There's a huge difference between, "Can I take a look at your notes on such-and-such?" or "OMG, I just DO NOT GET THIS and I think I'm going to FAIL this test can you PLEASE explain it ONE MORE TIME????????"

And in case someone couldn't tell, the first example is someone doing last-minute review, and the second example is someone freaking out. :wink2:

Specializes in Cardiovascular medical/surgical.

I am also not a fan of the people that study out loud before the tests. I also like to show up early to tests because that way I can know I will be on time, in the seat I want, and not feel rushed. I like to be able to take it all in so I got ear pieces for my ipod that act as ear plugs and play music that doesn't have words or specific beat to it that way it blocks things out but I don't get hung up on words that I will be singing in my head the entire test. That way I can relax and not get irritated with last minute studiers.

When going over a test, is it REALLY neccessary to whine about every single question? One girl literally went back and forth to the instructor saying "I see what you're saying...BUT" and we're like, IF YOU SAW WHAT SHE WAS SAYING YOU WOULDN'T BE TALKING!! It's really rude to take up 10 minutes of class time when you're the only one in the class who is arguing. I don't see why she couldn't have done that on her own time.

Also, I don't like how everyone asks what you got after the test. I have one great friend in nursing school and we tell eachother exactly what we got on everything but other than that I don't like to share with everyone.

I HATE that student who gets up first in the test to hand in their paper and smiles at the students as they pass by like, "I was the first to finish...LOSER". Really annoys me. P.S. I know that's probably not what they're thinking but this particular person I'm sure is thinking something of the sort!

Specializes in Psych..

I'm one of those people who discuss material before the exam. I talk with the friends whom I'm confident have put in as much study time as me, and there have been times that those last minute fact exchanges have gotten me, and them, a few more points. (Ex: Gonorrhea and chlamydia are often seen and treated together, don't forget!)

Oh, cell phones. I always turn mine off and I get really annoyed when they ring in class. To allow one to ring during an exam is blasphemy! I guess there has been cheating in my program, because the only things we are allowed to have with us is a pencil and a Scantron. Everything else is left at the front of the room.

And I like to discuss exams afterward, but we always move away from the room. I learn so much when I talk to other students, because they often have different ways of interpreting the material. If I get a question wrong and they can give me the rationale for the right answer, it helps me remember. We don't go over exams in class, so unless I can schedule an appointment with the very busy instructor, I'll never learn from, or even know about, my mistakes.

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

If it bothers you before the exam do what I do, bring my ipod and some noise isolating earphones and play some music before the test. It pumps me up and makes me focus all at the same time while ignoring the other people. I wish I could listen to it during tests cause i hate, no loathe silence.

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