Test-Taking Strategies, Essay Example

Any sort of test, be it in nursing or another subject, typically creates anxiety in the student facing it. There tends to be a reflex of insecurity, no matter how prepared the student may be. Moreover, no student can usually be sure of just what exact form the test will take, and the anxiety then increases.

My strategy is, first and foremost, to abandon intimidating aspect of testing right from the start. The test I face is going to be on the subject matter I’ve been learning; to allow fear to block out my own knowledge not only hurts my chances of taking the test successfully, it actually places my own knowledge farther away from me. That would be self-defeating on two, very important levels, and I study too hard to allow that to happen.

Another psychological strategy I try to keep in place is viewing the entire exam experience in a different light. I do not choose to see it as an evidence of what I know; rather, I employ the test in my mind as an opportunity. I decide to let it exist to serve my needs as a student, and to helpfully refresh me in material I want to fully absorb.

I’m inclined to think that our system of education has been permitted to become far too grade-conscious. This naturally leads to cramming, which is the poorest means possible of retaining knowledge, just for the sake of the grade. The end has largely overridden the means, and the motivating reasons behind the studying get lost in the focus to secure a good grade. I think instructors would find that, if the pressure was lessened as to the impact of the grade, students would feel more relaxed and be more likely to summon what they have learned. For my part, I intend to never allow the test to overshadow my objectives; nursing is about good nursing, and the test is simply a tool on the road to doing it well.