Study Strategies
Test Taking Strategies
Objectives
 OVERCOMING NEGATIVE THINKING ABOUT EXAMS
 ESTABLISHING A REPERTOIRE OF PHYSICAL AND
MENTAL EXERCISES THAT HELP YOU RELAX AND
UNLOCK BLOCKS IN YOUR THINKING
 HARNESSING CRITICAL THINKING AS ONE OF YOUR
BEST TEST-TAKING TOOLS
 DEVELOPING YOUR OWN KEYS FOR MEMORIZING AND
RECALL
 ACQUIRING STRATEGIES FOR TURNING MULTIPLE
CHOICE DECISIONS INTO MANAGEABLE FUN PUZZLES
PHYSICAL
Wear appropriate clothing
Eat before the exam
Pack a snack for delays
Pack for potential physical
discomforts (such as remedies for
headaches or gastrointestinal upsets,
kleenex, etc.)
 Plan to rest before the test so you
can do your best




INTELLECTUAL
 Think of what you "must" complete versus
what you "want or would like" to complete
before the test.
 Focus on the task at hand. Put all else aside.
 Think of the positive aspects instead of the
negative aspects. (for example-"I know some
things and will be able to figure out the rest)
 Learn to have fun; turn the event into fun
puzzles.
 Focus on the steps in the process rather than
only on the outcome of the event.
EMOTIONAL
 Tell yourself that you deserve this test. You
have worked hard in preparation for the
event.
 Focus on the good feelings you are
experiencing inside.
 Have an attitude of preparedness, an
anticipation that nothing will happen that
you can't control or work through so that
your concentration can be maintained.
 Act happy - you will be happy.
 Think and act as if you make lemonade out
of the lemons thrown your way.
HELPFUL TEST BEHAVIORS
Physical

Go to bed early

Do things in moderation

Avoid tight clothes

Stop and smell a flower

Write things down (dump)

Find a "vent partner", someone
who will listen without comment

Avoid or minimize contact with
negative people

Talk less and listen more

Stretch

Get to class early

Breathe slowly and deeply

Keep a journal

Dance to your favorite music

Drive a different route to school or
work

Whistle a tune

Get to work or school early

Pet an animal

Play with a child

Do it today; avoid procrastination

Do something new
Mental Actions

Say "no" more often

Have a plan B and a plan C

Identify difficult tasks; do those
first

Remember that stress is an
attitude

Look at problems as challenges
& as opportunities to grow

Share a big grin or smile with a
stranger or someone you love

Look for the silver lining or the
good in any person or situation

Quit trying to fix others or
situations

Believe in yourself


Visualize the positive; visualize
winning
Strive for achievement, not for
perfection - it has to get done, it
doesn't have to be perfect

Be aware that thoughts of being
perfect
perpetuate procrastination

Get focused.

Develop a sense of humor

Concentrate on the present, the
"here and now"
Positive
Learning Behaviors
 I study at a consistent
time daily
 I have a daily time set
aside for myself to play
 I read the chapter
summary before the class
covering that content
 I change my study
location from time to time
and limit it to two or three
consistent places
 I use review texts or
cards to study
 I select background music
based on the type of
content I will be reviewing
 I review with friends for
no longer than 1 ½-2
hours and we stick to the
point
 I take mental breaks
when I feel tired or tense
while studying
 I tell myself I won't know
everything
Negative
Learning Behaviors

I study only a day or two
before the test

I rarely read the text

I study only my notes

I review with friends, and
talk more than study

I study with any kind of
noise (TV, radio, etc)

I study so intensely that I
keep the same position for
hours as I study

I never change my study
location

I keep feeling bad-I plan to
change my study habits,
but I never have the time

I think that daily things
that pop up are more
important, so I wait until
the last minute to study

I study only my notes most
of the time

During my study time, I
keep having flashbacks of
how poorly I have done on
prior tests

I tell myself I'll need to
remember all of the
material covered to pass
the test.
8 ACTIONS FOR TEST
PREPARATION
Do something every day
a. review some content for each
class daily
b. set your timer and limit yourself to
get the most out of this (10 to
15 minutes)
c. do the same for every class
 Use the following process to read
each chapter. Read in sequence:

a.
b.
c.
d.
the introduction
the major headings
chapter summaries
any content with which you are
unfamiliar
 Check your syllabus before your classes to
increase your listening skills and note-taking
ability during class.
 Listen in class
a.
b.
take notes only with focus on major
headings followed only by details
unfamiliar to you
later look up those unfamiliar details
 Fall asleep on your books.
a.
review for tests for 60-90 minutes then
relax, maybe take a nap of at least 1 ½
to 2 hours
 Review your notes just before bedtime
a.
this can increase your ability to retain
studied content as long term memory,
in some cases for weeks rather than a
few days
 Limit study time to 1-2 hours per setting
 Use association to remember difficult content
a. pneumonics
b. make up a story
c. think of a symbol
d. alphabetize
 Your best place to study is:
Everyplace!
a.
always have some type of study cards,
text, or notes with you at all times
VARK Study Strategies - Visual
Use
pictures
Maps
Flow charts
Graphs
Diagrams
Visual
 Underline
 Different color highlighters
 Use symbols for words
Visual
 Convert Note Taking in class
 To Note Making
 Reduce lecture notes 3:1
 Draw lots of pictures of ideas
 Replace words with symbols & pictures
 Make each study page look different
 Different color pens
 Handwritten notes better than printed
 Use different
visual variety
font sizes and styles and colors for
Visual
 Notes with white space
 Spatial arrangements
Remember better
& color of text
pages where
words written
VARK Study Strategies –
Aural (Oral)
 Attend all classes, discussions, study
sessions
 Discuss topics with others
 Small study/discussion groups a must!!!
 Explain concepts to others
 Video / audio tapes
VARK Study Strategies –
Aural (Oral)
 Tape record classes
 Improve your note taking
 Leave space for later “filling”
 Reduce notes 3:1 (Note Making)
 Put summarized notes onto tape
 Read notes/text aloud
VARK Study Strategies –
Read/Write
 Put info into lists with headings
 Write notes from text and lecture





Are good note-takers (verbatim)
Keep re-writing and re-writing
Re-write into other words
Reduce 3:1 by summarizing in own words
Keep reading and rereading
VARK Study Strategies –
Read/Write
 Read topic in multiple sources
 Do the extra reading
 Make index cards
 Write diagrams/graphs into words
 Mnemonics, crosswords, scrabble
games,
VARK Study Strategies Kinesthetic
 Use all your senses





Sight
Touch
Taste
Smell
Hearing ...
 Trial and error
 Talk about notes with another ‘K’
person
 Teach others
VARK Study Strategies Kinesthetic
 Do things to understand






Skills lab
Applications
Case studies
Hands-on approaches
Write stories, case studies
Think of examples
VARK Study Strategies Multimodal
 55%-70% of any group are multimodal
 Advantage
 Have more choices than those with single
preference
 Disadvantage
 need to use more modes too
 Use strategies from each of your modes
identified
 For example before you buy a new cell phone
 See a diagram of how it works
 Heard about if from a friend
 Read something about it
 Tried it for yourself
4 STEP PROCESS TO TEST
TAKING
 1. Be a detective: Look for clues in the
question and among the options
 2. Read systematically: read the
question first then all the options
 3. Read all options before you decide
 4. Review practice questions before
every test.
 The best piece of advice to take into a
multiple choice exam is to
 simply read the question
critically!
Test Taking Action 1
 Once you have made a decision look away
from the question, take a slow deep breath
then return to the test.
 Read the question with the intention of
picking up new clues.
 Next read your selected answer with this
same intention. Go with your initial choice if
new information isn't found.
 DO NOT CHANGE YOUR ANSWER
UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN
YOU MARKED THE WRONG ONE.
Test Taking Action 2
 Draw a picture of the situation either
by closing your eyes for a few
seconds or on paper.
 Print key words (don't write in
cursive).
 Connect associated items with lines
or directional arrows.
Test Taking Action 3
 Reword the question in the format of
subject, verb, object.
 Leave out extraneous words.
Test Taking Action 4
 Be alert to key words such as the following:
most, least
first, initially, immediately
best, main
toxic versus therapeutic
most likely, commonly, frequently
be avoided
in addition to
always, never
 Note unfamiliar words and reword the
question without these words
Test Taking Action 5
 Look for distracters.
Popular examples of distracters are
mystery diseases or absurd conditions
extraneous information
LAST MINUTE STUDY TIPS
 On the day before the test be sure to read
over your class notes one last time to
identify any gaps in material and specific
instructor notes of what you "must" know.
 Study before sleeping, since this tends to set
the information into long term memory.
 Use commercially available review cards or
make your own. Highlight hard-toremember material in yellow or lime green
and carry the cards with you so that you can
fit in short study sessions at times of
unexpected waiting.
 Use a note pad with yellow pages instead of
white. Use yellow note cards or sticky notes.
 Put them in places you frequently pass to
remind you of material you want and need to
know.
 Put review cards on the sun visor in your car.
 Keep a few blank index cards with these along
with a pen to jot down content that needs
further reading, review, or reinforcement.
 Use highlighters that are in the colors of yellow
or lime green. (Research on how colors affect
memory and recall suggests that these are more
effective to get the job done).
 Review in your text the end-of-chapter
summaries and the major and minor
headings.
 Review questions, charts, tables, and
graphs in the chapter.
 Look at the questions/critical thinking
exercises at the end of the chapter
 Buy an NCLEX review book and begin to
do the practice questions that pertains to
the information you are covering in class.
(It has been shown that the best preparation for NCLEX exams is
to review a minimum of 5,000 questions during your training and
before you take the exam)
KILLER TEST QUESTIONS
 Killer test questions are questions that
ask for:
-initial or first action
-priority factors or actions
-identification of initial or
beginning symptoms or signs
-anticipated findings
 Typically all options will be correct
answers.
 These are considered to be the harder
questions.
Most times you are able to narrow down the
options to two. Once this is done….
Is there a time element?
Is there a sequence of human development?
What is the length of the disease process? (acute or
chronic)
 What are the associated essential concepts?
1. Maslow's hierarchy of needs
(physiologic needs take priority over safety and
love/belonging needs)
2. Kubler-Ross' death/dying or loss theory
(a process of denial, anger, bargaining,
depression, & acceptance)
3. The ABCS of airway, breathing, circulation, and
safety



 Read the questions, then the options in
a sequence from option 'd' to option
'a' instead of the traditional way of
reading from option 'a' to option 'd'
a.
select an option
b.
reread the question with your
selected option to validate
your choice
Use this action only if you have no idea
of a correct answer!
 Use cluster techniques on the options:
a. group three options into similar items or
categories
b. the odd option out is most likely the
best option to answer the question
c. Go with your first inclination