In nursing you will encounter tests of a different kind than elsewhere in academia: skills tests! I admit that I failed my first skills test. I came into nursing school pompously, considering myself quite the academic, and I thought that testing my ability to make a bed was frivolous and stupid. My attitude was reflected in my performance. So learn from my mistake: Skills tests are just as important as regular tests, if not more so! As far as your instructor knows, the care you take in making a bed now may be equivalent to the care you will later taking starting an intravenous line (IV) or inserting a urinary catheter.
Though in real life nursing practice your hands may not be sterile before touching clean bed linens, and a dirty sheet may fall to the floor or brush your uniform, skills tests in nursing school are where you must prove that you know how to perform tasks the right way. You will be graded strictly, because if you don’t get it right in school, you will probably never get it right in practice. Since your state boards do not have a physical component, nursing school is your proving ground.
But do not dismay. With the right attitude and study you can excel at skills tests too! You will need to study for skills tests in a different way. Sitting at home and memorizing a list of steps for task accomplishment won’t help much. The way to learn a physical skill is to physically practice it again and again. Make use of all available nursing lab hours to practice your skills on the dummies and equipment until you feel comfortable executing them. The more similar your practice environment to your test environment, the more comfortable you will feel, and the more successful you will be. If possible, perform the task in practice for the instructor who will be grading you in testing. Sometimes two instructors will have slightly different techniques, so learning your scorer’s technique is beneficial. Go to the learning lab and watch other students practicing. Keep performing the skill over and over until you feel confident in your ability to pass the skills test.