Office of Student Affairs

Test Taking StrategiesWorkshop

Objectives

1. Strengthen effective test preparation techniques.

2. Provide additional strategies to improve test taking skills.

3. Apply effective strategies to actual test questions.

StressStress• Pressure to perform well (from

self and/or others)

• Lack of adequate study time (work, family, too many courses)

• Fear of unknown or preconceived notions about test difficulty

Within seconds ~Within seconds ~• Muscles tense

• Blood pressure rises

• Stress hormones are released…

From Stress to AnxietyAnxiety• Student begins to fear test

before time to take it

• Fear reaches highest point at time to take the actual test

From Anxiety to

AnguishAnguish• Difficulty breathing

• Difficulty concentrating

• Mental “blank-out”What can you do??

Is it hopeless?• Even the best

performers get stage fright –

• Think of Olympic Athletes – you are one!

What not to do: Failure to practice with sample test questions before taking exam.

What not to do: Letting fear paralyze you.

How to Mentally Prepare

• Begin with picturing success

• Anti-stress techniques

• Aim for top physical shape

• Practice makes perfect

• Mental attitude & performance

More solutions …More solutions …

• Progressive relaxation can be performed

• While sitting at a desk

• In only two or three

minutes time

Benefits LATERLATER• Less stress

• Less back and neck pain

• Fewer headaches

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.

Mark Twain, American

How do you prepare for tests?• Study guides• Re-writing• Note cards• Reading aloud• Acronyms• Study group• Compare notes with text• Recording lectures

• System to weed out what you know/what you don’t

• Environment• Motivation/reward• Mind maps• Understand concept first,

then details• Nutrition/exercise/sleep

What is the difference between CON Tests and Previous Tests?

• Critical thinking component.

• More understanding of the concepts and application of clinical and course material to answer a scenario based question.

NCLEX RN QuestionsTwo or three-step thought processes:• What is wrong? (Diagnose the patient).• What can be done? (Identify

treatments/actions).• What should be your initial action? (Apply your

knowledge plus critical thinking).• What is the order of importance? (Prioritize

the actions, i.e.: you are given four patients, which do you attend first, second, etc.?).

Test-Taking Clues

Multiple-Choice Test Clues

Read directions carefully.

• Know if each question has one or more correct options.

• Know how much time is involved.

Preview the test.

• Read test quickly, answer easiest ques. first.

Multiple Choice Test Clues (Continued)

Read test second time & answer more difficult questions.

• You may pick up cues from first reading, become more comfortable.

• If time allows, review both questions & answers. It is possible you miss-read questions the first time.

Strategies for Difficult Questions

Improve your odds, think critically:1. Cover options, read the stem & try

to answer. 2. Select option that most closely

matches your answer.3. Read the stem with each option.4. Treat each option as a true-false

question, and choose the “most true.”

Strategies for Difficult Questions (Continued)

5. Eliminate options you know to be incorrect.6. Question options that grammatically don’t fit with

the stem.7. Question options that are totally unfamiliar to

you.8. Question options that contain negative or

absolute words. (Try subbing a qualified term for an absolute one ~ frequently for always or typical for every to see if you can eliminate it).

More Strategies9. “All of the Above:” If two or more seem

correct, “all of the above is a strong possibility.

10. Number answers: Toss out high and low and consider middle range numbers.

11. Look alike options: Probably one is correct, choose the best but eliminate choices that mean basically the same thing thus cancel each other out.

12. Double negatives: Create the equivalent positive statement and consider.

13. Echo options: If two options are opposite of each other, chance are one of them is correct.

Test Strategies14. Favor options that contain qualifiers: The

result is longer, more inclusive items that better fill the role of the answer.

15. If two alternatives seem correct, compare them for differences, then refer to the stem to find your best answer.

16. Use hints from words you know in both stem and options.

17. Remember, you are looking for the BEST ANSWER.

Ready for sample test question?

Let’s dive right in!

A young diabetic woman is in her first trimester of pregnancy. As the pregnancy continues the nurse should anticipate which change in her medication

needs?

a) A decrease in the need for short-acting insulinsb) A steady increase in insulin requirementsc) Oral hypoglycemic drugs will be given several times

dailyd) The variable pattern throughout the pregnancy

requires constant close adjustment

Family Feud

Which of the following is not an example of primary disease prevention measures?

a) Hand washing

b) Immunizations

c) Sunscreen usage

d) Annual mammogram

You have a patient admitted with a fever of unknown origin. Which of the following would be

the initial focus of your nursing assessment?

a) The client’s primary concern

b) The medical diagnosis

c) The nursing diagnosis

d) The family’s perception and concerns

The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with pneumonia who is having shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. Which intervention should the

nurse implement first?

a) Take the client’s vital signs

b) Check the client’s pulse oximeter reading

c) Elevate the head of the client’s bed

d) Notify the respiratory specialist STAT

Patient adaptations that are both unexpected in response to the general adaptation syndrome are:

a) Dilated pupils and bradycardia

b) Mental alertness and tachycardia

c) Increased blood glucose and tachycardia

d) Decreased blood glucose and bradycardia

Bonus Question

Team wager on last question.

A client who is pregnant is being prepared for a pelvic examination. The client complains of feeling

very tired and sick to her stomach, especially in the morning. The best response for the nurse to

make is:

a) “Perhaps you might ask the doctor about it.”b) “This is common. There is no need to worry.”c) “Can you tell me how you feel in the morning?”d) “Let’s discuss some ways to deal with these

common problems.”

Additional Resources• http://www.nursing.arizona.edu/Academic

StudentSupport.htm

• Sue Habkirk – shabkirk@nursing.arizona.edu

• 626-3808