You’re probably thinking in the back of your head, “how does a person fail nursing school?” Well let me tell you, for the program I’m in, our grading scale look like this:
Grade:
A: 91% -100%
B: 84% – 90%
C: 78% – 83%
D: 70% – 77%
F: 69% and below
Oh, did I also mention that anything below 84% is considered failing? Yes, my program that I’m in is just that strict with grades. We only are allowed one C throughout the program, and if we get more than one we are automatically dismissed 🙂 Yay (Please laugh with my sarcasm). You might be wondering why it’s so high, honestly I have no idea. I’m pretty sure it’s because they want to be a reputable school that provides rigorous courses.
Anyways, back to what I was saying, I was spiraling into failure. I was failing exams and quizzes left to right, here’s some screenshots to show just how awful I was doing. I’m sure so many people feel the same way I did, but the moment of disappointment that follows after you failed in something you strongly felt you did your hardest, is probably one of the worst feelings.
Yes, these were my grades that I got. I was blasting my professor’s emails, setting up appointments with them to go over the exams and figure out what problems I got wrong and why (I never got any points back btw). Everytime I would open my gradebook, it stung just looking at it. This was the turning point for me. I could no longer be doing what I was doing and I had to realize what I was doing wrong and how I could approach my style of studying differently.
Here are 13 Things Did that turned my grade around
- Daily Time Management
As much as I wished nursing school was a breeze, you will have to spend plenty of your time to study. Many people who are in nursing school tell me that they spend 5 hours a week studying. The rule of thumb is that for every credit that class is worth, you should be studying twice as much as that. So for example, if a course is 3 credits, you would be studying 6 hours/ week for that course. One thing too is making sure you are not doing last minute studying before the exams. In order to make sure you have enough time, spacial studying is important to make sure that you pass.
2. Creating a study group
I wished I’d done this sooner. It’s so much more easier learning through your peers. You don’t have to feel inferior because we are all learning this material. You get to be with a group of people that can test your understanding of the material and help each other clarify the materials. Reach out to people and see if you can join their group.
3. Studying actively with your learning style
You have to study in a way where you can grasp onto the concept and apply it. One method that I found was probably one of the best (for myself) is the Blurting Study method. In this method you write as much as you can remember with the chosen subject. Once everything is written down, you figure out what you missed. You keep repeating this cycle until you eventually get everything on the subject.
4. Using Mnemonics
Instead of knowing by heart that long list of what that disease/medication is about, come up with a mnemonics. It makes memorizing so much easier.
5. Memorization
I live by flashcards. One thing I do is that I review the Powerpoints that the professors provide and I come up with as many questions as I can. On the backside of it I put the answer, and I will go through the stash flashcard everyday until I get it all correct and feel confident enough
6. Review/skim the chapters
Let’s be honest, no one has time to read 200-300 pages in the textbook. If you do that’s great. One thing that I’ve found really helpful is skimming the text and at the end of each chapter reviewing the chapter summary. It saves so much time and sums it all up.
7. Focus on the study guides
Make use of the study guide that the professor gives. It goes over concise materials that you should know before the exam
8. Take breaks in between
Studying with no breaks is overkill for the brain that’ll leave you feeling sluggish. I find the Pomodoro method the best way to study. That 5 minute break after 20 minutes of being focused is relieving! In between breaks, I manage my time and make sure that I have time to just get out of the house and do a quick walk.
9. Using process of eliminations
Rule out the incorrect answers first by reading the answers for the test questions. It helps narrow down the thinking process and choose the correct answer.
10. When taking notes, highlight the importance of what the professor says
Especially on the review days for the exams you want to put in all your focus on what the professor is reviewing. This is a time for you to ask questions! One thing I always use when taking notes during review sessions is using the Notability app and recording what the professor says. It’s a wonderful way to go back and listen to the recordings in case you missed anything.
11. Making facts relatable to associate with
The key to memorization is associating the material to you! One example that I did was come up with dumb associations with my everyday life. For example, bradykinesia. It’s described as slowness. My neighbor once had a chubby fluffy dog they named Brady, and this dog was slow. I associated bradykinesia with Brady, and now whenever I hear –Brady, I automatically know that something is slower than normal. Be creative with it, you’d be surprised at how much more you retain by coming up with these.
12. Trust your guts the first time around!
Being in denial when choosing A or C on a multiple choice exam is one of the hardest decisions. You studied it so you should know it inside out. Choosing the BEST answer for nursing exams is so annoying because 99.9% of the time the other answer choice is just .01% better, you have to be jUsT right. My guide is that once you strategize your answer choice, do not go back to change it. Trust your guts.
13. Using an NCLEX Practice Test Question
The best possible way to get ready for the exams is practicing daily with NCLEX test questions. Once you master the strategic method of these exams, passing your nursing class will be seen as more attainable.
These are all of the recommendations that I have used and applied! I hope you find some of them useful, as all of us have different ways to learn. Here are some screenshots of my grades when I applied these methods to my daily nurse regiment.
