{"id":767,"date":"2025-06-26T13:19:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T13:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/studenthub.elsevier.com\/us\/?p=767"},"modified":"2026-02-18T14:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:02:12","slug":"how-to-pass-nursing-school-tests-exams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studenthub.elsevier.com\/us\/blog\/how-to-pass-nursing-school-tests-exams\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Test taking strategies to pass nursing school exams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Mary Olayon-Yaw<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tests and exams in nursing programs are a breed of their own. They propose very different challenges than the tests taken in prerequisite courses relying simply on memorization is not enough. For these tests, you must filter out each possible answer and utilize the material you\u2019ve learned in a way that provides you with the most correct<\/strong> answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest challenges I have endured in college was transitioning into what one would call the \u201cnursing school life.\u201d It was difficult to adapt to this new way of answering questions and it began to affect me psychologically. As a result, I failed my first three tests. The entire situation was incredibly discouraging as I was never the student to have problems in school, much less fail tests consecutively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eager to bounce back, I received advice from fellow nursing students and watched dozens of YouTube videos about test taking skills. I realized that there was an entire \u201ctest taking\u201d toolbox for me to utilize in the way I study and approached future tests. As I started implementing these new strategies, I instantly saw the positive impact it would make on my grades. Five quarters of nursing school later, I feel more confident than ever in my test taking skills. There is definitely a method to this madness that everyone is capable of learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saunders Strategies for Success<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the 5 test taking strategies that have made the most positive impact for me:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1. Utilizing ABC\u2019s, nursing process, and Maslow\u2019s hierocracy <\/strong>\u2013 Refer back to these when your caught in a prioritization question<\/em>! Airway, breathing, and circulation is the order of priority of nursing action in most cases in order to keep a patient stable and alive. The nursing process or ADPIE (assessment, diagnosis, plan, intervention\/implementation, and evaluation) is another tool to use for systematically providing patient care. Whereas, Maslow\u2019s hierocracy is the order of human needs that must be followed in order to provide effective patient care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Pay attention to strategic key words in the questions such as \u201cbest,\u201d \u201cpriority,\u201d \u201cinitial,\u201d and \u201cmost appropriate.\u201d<\/strong> – This is the most important tip for prioritization questions<\/em>! In these types of questions, there is likely to be multiple \u201ccorrect\u201d answers, however, the key word determines which answer follows the order of priority.  This can be combined with tip #1 when choosing the most accurate answer for priority type questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example question: The nurse is assessing the client\u2019s condition after cardioversion. Which observation would be the highest priority? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. Blood pressure<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. Status of airway<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C. Oxygen flow rate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D. Level of consciousness<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Correct Answer: B \u2013 Think about airway from the ABC\u2019s. Understand that maintaining a patient\u2019s airway is the highest priority written out as a nursing responsibility when a cardioversion is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Delegation\/assignment-making questions<\/strong> require you to understand the scope of practice for nurses versus other parts of the care team (i.e. CAN\/UAP can help patients with ADL\u2019s, LPN\u2019s can do med passes, etc.) -Understand the different roles of the care team so that you know which tasks may be delegated and which tasks require a specific team player. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Use process of elimination<\/strong> \u2013 When you really don\u2019t know the answer, it\u2019s best to work your way backwards. Try narrowing the choices down to the last two. You will have better chances when only choosing from two answers versus guessing between four. This is a strategy that I only use when I\u2019ve exhausted all my other test taking skills and have no clue what the correct answer actually is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Do not change your answer!<\/strong> \u2013 UNLESS you are 100% sure that your original is not the correct one. You chose it first for a reason, so what\u2019s making you second guess it now? Trust your gut and instincts! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These\u00a0are\u00a0just a few test strategies that I\u2019ve learned over the past year and a half. One book that I highly recommend\u00a0reading\u00a0for more test taking skills and tips is\u00a0Saunders<\/em>\u00a0Strategies for Test Success<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0It does a great job\u00a0of\u00a0breaking down\u00a0and explaining\u00a0how to take nursing school tests and\u00a0what the benefits are to those specific strategies.\u00a0I\u2019ve also decided to incorporate this book into my NCLEX review guide. After all,\u00a0the NCLEX is essentially the ultimate nursing school test. Nursing school can be difficult\u00a0and\u00a0nursing school tests will be challenging, but just remember that you made it\u00a0this far\u00a0for a reason! You can do this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Mary Olayon-Yaw Tests and exams in nursing programs are a breed of their own. They propose very different challenges than the tests taken in prerequisite courses relying simply on memorization is not enough. 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