Since the state nursing exam you will take later is multiple choice, nursing programs will often try to model their exams the same way. Your success depends not only on your knowledge, but also your test-taking skills. Channel exam stress into positive energy. Remember, if you are well-prepared, the exam should be an exciting challenge! Go into the test with a pumped-up ego, knowing you have studied your hardest and are sure to do well. The test is the reward for all your studying.
Read all of your multiple choice options carefully, even if you think the first answer you read is correct. (There may be an “all of these” option.) Don’t panic if you don’t immediately know the answer. You may find you can at least eliminate two choices you’re certain are not correct. Afterward, you have a 50/50 chance of getting the answer right. Rely on your intuition and choose the option you feel is best the first time you read it. Usually, your subconscious will lead you to the right choice. If you try to read too much into the question, you may select the wrong option. You should almost never change your answer, except if you go back and discover you misread it the first time (or if another test question triggers your memory, and you realize your first response was absolutely wrong).
For electronically scored tests, mark the answer clearly with no smudges. If you erase, erase thoroughly, since the machine is sensitive and may score an incomplete erasure.
After you have finished the test, go back and check it again. Make sure that you marked all the answers as you intended to, without getting off on your numbering and shading, which could be disastrous. If you have time, reread the questions to be certain you read them correctly the first time.
When you turn in the test, allow yourself a sigh of relief, then get ready for the next step, which will give you an edge over the competition at final exam time. (This step applies only if you will not have a copy of the exam you just took to study for the final.) If the test is taken up and kept secret, the reason is probably that the same types of questions are likely to recur on the final examination! Help prepare yourself for the final now by sitting down with your notes again, going through each item and remembering as many exam questions as you can. Write them all down. If you remember that a certain topic was tested but don’t remember the question, just note the topic. Then, keep this list and use it as a study guide for your final exam!