How To Survive Nursing School Exams

There are two main goals for nursing students:

1. Don’t die.

2. Don’t kill anyone else

If you can manage those, you are well on your way to success!

Nursing exams are HARD and sometimes quite ridiculous. The wording is confusing, the “big concepts” discussed in class were nowhere to be found, and you’re getting peptic ulcer disease by the minute reading the questions.

WE GET IT AND WE UNDERSTAND.

There’s nothing we can do to make your exams better but we can help you to stay healthy and learn some ways to make the exam process easier on you.

FIRST….STUDY TIPS!

Research-Proven Study Tips:

1. HAND-WRITE YOUR NOTES! Yes, a laptop is faster. Yes, you can type out notes faster than you can text your BFF when her ex-boyfriend posts his first picture with his new girlfriend...but SISTER (OR BROTHER)...hand-written notes are the way to go. Research has shown that hand-written notes help you retain more, learn more, and commit that stuff to memory.

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3. WRITE YOUR NOTES IN COLOR! Our brains don’t think in black and white and we sure as hell know that those test questions are not black-and-white. They pull test questions out of some demented unicorn’s arse so my friend….WRITE YOUR NOTES IN COLOR. Use one color for each disease process and write REALLY important stuff in RED. You’ll be able to retain it more, learn it faster, and recall it better on the exam.

4. Use our free disease template to make a master copy of ALL the important stuff for that disease process. Then you only have one sheet/disease process to master rather than trying to go between your hand-written notes, powerpoints, and the god-forsaken textbook.

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE FREE DISEASE TEMPLATE SHEETS:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cVt73RW_yjd8J68ciEQItquh9qBLfubz2KWfHtzUSo0/edit?usp=sharing

How to Enhance Your Studying Process Using Essential Oils:

YES I’M A HIPPIE. I love trees, puppies, essential oils, alternative therapies, acupuncture, and I eat actual kale. BUT I DO VACCINATE MY KIDS...SO DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT SHIT STORM.

Essential oils have been proven over time to help enhance learning, memory, and more. Here are a few of my favorites...

1. Peppermint - diffuse while studying to enhance memory and learning

2. Lavender - helps with test anxiety - apply to inside of wrists when feeling anxious (aka all the time) and especially right before your exam. Take a big giant sniff while no one is watching and watch your anxiety dwindle.

3. Cedarwood and Vetiver - excellent for ADHD or ADD - put on the bottom of your feet at nighttime and wake up the next day ready to focus better and not watch every Netflix movie or bird that flies by

How to Stay Healthy During Final Exam Time

1. Eat healthy food! No you don’t want to. You want donuts and chocolate and wine because sister, that is stress food….but it does your body a HUGE disservice to feed it crap and expect it to perform at optimal level. Great examples of foods that can help sustain you through studying: peanut butter, avocadoes, cheese, lean meats, and girl get you a big fat STEAK the night before your exam. Your whole psyche will thank you.

2. GET ADEQUATE REST THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EXAM! This is a vital absolutely MUST DO. All-nighters are the worst thing you can do for your body and your psyche. You will crash during the exam, forget pertinent information, and generally feel like you were forced to listen to Prince on max volume for 4 years while being waterboarded. Set a time the night before to STOP studying and get yo’ ass to bed. Your brain needs rest to function well and serve you during the exam.

3. EAT BREAKFAST BEFORE YOUR EXAM. Do not reach for those god-awful but mouth-watering Pop-Tarts. You need complex carbs to give you the energy you need to run this marathon called a nursing school exam. Great examples are: bacon and eggs, protein pancakes with almond butter, a protein bar, or a smoothie with veggies and fruits plus some coconut oil. Make an omelet with veggies and some sausage or bacon. Not a breakfast eater? No problem! Add some MCT oil or coconut oil to a great big cup of delicious coffee and stir in some heavy whipping cream...that will give you enough to last you through the exam. Or you can try some avocado toast to help soothe your worried stomach...it will also give you the extra nutrients you need to sustain you.

We hope this is helpful and wish you a beautiful and wonderful semester!