How to Pass Nursing School Exams
Don’t Binge Study at Night
Let’s face it; cramming is not a great way to actually learn material. Sure, it may help you pass your tests, but are you actually learning anything? Doubtful. We won’t sit here and tell you that you obviously need to study well before going into a test, but rather remind you of 3 important things: eating, drinking, and sleeping.
Many nursing students walk in looking like zombies because they forgot to eat dinner/breakfast, drink plenty of fluids, and most importantly receive an adequate amount of sleep. And by adequate we really mean 7-8 hours worth. Your brain will function a whole lot better when these 3 necessities are taken care of properly.
Actually Read the Questions
Sounds obvious right? Well, most of our brains quickly skim questions before we’re glancing at the answers. Make sure to actually read the questions from beginning to end before you see what your choices are. Sometimes there are key words such as most, during, after, etc. which define the whole question – and inevitably will help you narrow your choices down.
Skip Questions You Don’t Know
There’s always a time limit on tests, which is why it is not good to get caught up on any questions that are unfamiliar or you cannot recall within a minute of thinking about it. If this happens, then mark the question, skip it, and move on. Return to it after you’ve knocked out all of the ones you did understand.
Don’t Second Guess Yourself
This is probably the best advice we can offer. It’s very, very common for many test-takers to second-guess their first choice – which oftentimes ends up being the correct answer. Do yourself a favor and stick with the answer that stuck out to you the most. There’s a reason it stuck out to you to begin with… just make sure you have read the question carefully, however!
Take these tips to heart, remember them on your next test, and see if they help you out. If you’re looking for help on the
NCLEX-PN, head over to our
Student Services section for more information. Best of luck to you!
