Test-taking strategies: Nursing student success

Test-taking strategies can help learners choose the correct answers when taking exams. As a nursing student, employing these strategies can help you succeed in both nursing school and on licensure exams.

By using effective test-taking strategies, you can also develop clinical judgment by linking theoretical concepts with practical applications that support high quality patient care.

OK, so nursing exams require you to use higher cognitive skills and processes like applying and analyzing aimed at testing your critical thinking and clinical judgment.

These typically involve the steps that comprise the clinical judgment measurement model, which includes recognizing cues, analyzing cues, prioritizing hypotheses, generating solutions, taking action, and evaluating outcomes.

To test these cognitive skills and processes, nursing exams use alternate question formats that go beyond traditional multiple choice questions.

These include multiple response questions, also called select all that apply questions, where several or all of the listed answers are correct, ordered response questions where the answer options are arranged in a specific sequence, and highlight or enhanced hotspot questions where the correct answer is indicated by highlighting specific words or phrases.

On top of that, nursing exams often include case studies, which can either present a patient's scenario at a single point in time or depict a situation that evolves over time during different phases of care.

Now, in contrast to traditional exams that usually have one correct answer, nursing exams often require students to choose the best option from several plausible ones.

The idea behind these types of questions is to mirror real-life clinical decision making, where multiple solutions are viable, but one solution is optimal based on the scenario.

All right, let's explore some test-taking strategies that can help you succeed on nursing exams. First, before an exam, eating nutritious foods and getting enough sleep can help you to stay focused and energized.

If you get anxious before or during tests, practice breathing exercises, such as taking slow, deep breaths to boost oxygenation throughout your body, including your brain, so you relax and concentrate.

Another way to reduce anxiety is to follow a structured test-taking sequence. For example, start by writing or typing your name, reading the directions, and then checking the exam length to guide your pacing.

Next, carefully read each question and take your time when answering the question. When answering a question, focus on the subject, clinical setting, the patient's condition and needs, and what the question is asking you.

Pay close attention to strategic words that provide guidance like best, first, and most important. Also remember to avoid reading into the question by making assumptions or considering issues that aren't presented in the question.

You may also use nursing frameworks such as the nursing process or clinical judgment measurement model to help you apply knowledge.

For example, when reading a case study question, you'll assess or recognize cues such as abnormal vital signs or laboratory values, and then consider how these can impact your clinical decision making.

Another helpful strategy is to focus on what you know versus what you don't. In other words, use a process of elimination by ruling out those options that you're certain are incorrect.

This narrows your choices down and helps you to focus on selecting your final answer. If you feel stuck on a question, limit the amount of time you spend on it and come back to it later if possible.

If you still can't decide on an answer after implementing your test-taking strategies, use your best judgment and go with your gut instinct.

Also, once you choose an answer, try to avoid changing it because more often than not, your first instinct tends to be correct.

Now, some questions require prioritization, where you will rank the patient's needs in order of importance, which can vary depending on factors like the clinical setting and the patient's condition.

For instance, you can classify needs as high, medium, or low, where high priority needs like hypoxia involve life-threatening problems that could cause harm or death if left unaddressed, medium priority needs like discomfort that aren't as urgent and can be addressed after the higher problems are addressed, and low priority needs that include non-urgent problems like educational needs.

You can also use prioritization models like the airway, breathing, circulation, or ABC model where airway maintenance is a top priority.

An exception to the ABCs is when cardiopulmonary resuscitation is required, in which case the order changes to circulation or compressions, airway, and breathing, also called CAB.

Another model you can use is Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which is a five-tier pyramid for prioritizing patient needs, starting with physiological needs like nutrition and oxygenation at the pyramid base, followed by needs for safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization at the very top.

Now, let's use some test-taking strategies to answer a nursing exam question. The nurse on the orthopedic unit is caring for an adult patient recovering from hip replacement surgery one day ago.

Which postoperative teaching topic should the nurse recognize as most important? One, using the overhead trapeze bar when moving in bed.

2, performing coughing and deep breathing exercises. 3.

Adjusting crutches properly before ambulating. 4.

Keeping the affected leg elevated to reduce swelling. All right, let's start by noting the subject of the question, which is a patient who recently had hip replacement surgery.

The question asks about post-operative teaching and includes the strategic words most important, indicating the need to prioritize one best answer from other plausible options.

Using the process of elimination, you can eliminate options 1 and 3, as they both relate to fall prevention and safety while moving.

Although these are important, according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, topics related to safety and security can be addressed after physiological needs.

So now you've narrowed down the answers to options 2 and 4. Next, using the ABCs as a prioritization strategy, you note that coughing and deep breathing exercises are related to the airway, while reducing swelling is related to circulation.

Recalling your nursing knowledge, you remember that patients are at risk of adalectasis after surgery due to retained secretions and the effects of anesthesia.

You also know that coughing and deep breathing exercises can help prevent adalectasis, mobilize pulmonary secretions, and promote oxygenation.

So you select option 2, performing coughing and deep breathing exercises as the correct answer. All right.

As a quick recap, test-taking strategies can help learners select correct answers on exams. Nursing exams often require higher cognitive skills and processes like analyzing and applying and feature alternate question formats.

There are various effective test taking strategies such as identifying strategic words and using nursing frameworks and prioritization models.

You can choose test-taking strategies that work best for you, which will then promote your success in nursing school.