• It's very important that you know how your brain naturally processes information. Once you know, study using your strengths and improve your weak areas along the way.
• Knowing how you learn best can help you journey successfully through college and any graduate program or workforce you enter. These sites offer a short quiz then results that provide insight on your learning style and strategies to help you utilize the information moving forward.
• VARK Learning
• Learning Style Quiz
• Learning From Experience

Nursing school is academically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. Once clinicals start it can also become physically demanding, especially if you work while in the program.

Before your journey begins, I challenge you to reflect on these questions:

• How do I respond to failure/correction?
• Do I ask for help?
• How do I manage stress?
• Do I have a support system?
• Who encourages me?
• How do I respond to disappointed friends/family/missed events?

Do your best to answer correctly. I strongly encourage you to establish a concrete foundation that you know you can stand on throughout the program.

The ability to overcome the small defeats, communicate effectively, and accept constructive criticism will help you tremendously. You'll maintain focus on what matters and in turn increase your chances of success each semester. NO MATTER WHAT life throws at you!

Have a conversation with your support system and those that encourage you after accepting your seat. They will eventually be a key player along your journey. The timing for them always seems to find itself, but thank them in advance and let them know they're valued from the very beginning.

Listen! Test anxiety is real and affects a lot of students in nursing school. In my opinion, and in RN2BE world test anxiety is the "silent dream killer." Most students struggle before every exam and others may only experience test anxiety when the stakes are high and they know they need a well done to pass. 8D I couldn't help myself.

Understanding Test Anxiety

Feeling nervous before an exam is common; however, if anxiety becomes overwhelming, it can interfere with your ability to recall information, think critically, and perform at your true potential.

Test anxiety does not mean you are unintelligent or unprepared. Nor does it mean you're incapable of becoming a nurse. It's simply your body's stress response is making it harder to demonstrate what you know.

Recognizing the Signs

Before an Exam

You may experience:

• Racing thoughts or excessive worry (what ifs)
  
• Difficulty sleeping the night before
  
• Nausea or an upset stomach
  
• Headaches or muscle tension
  
• Trouble concentrating while studying
  
• Feeling overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted
  
• "I'm going to fail" despite studying and preparing yourself
  

During an Exam

You may experience:

• Your mind suddenly going blank
  
• Difficulty recalling information you studied
  
• Racing through questions without reading carefully
  
• Second-guessing answers
  
• Panic after encountering one difficult question
  
• Feeling like everyone else is finishing faster
  
• Trouble focusing due to anxious thoughts
  

After an Exam

You may find yourself:

• Replaying questions repeatedly
  
• Focusing on the questions you think you missed
  
• Assuming you failed before receiving test results
  
• Afraid/Hesitant to check results
  
• Feeling discouraged even when you've performed well
  

Strategies That Can Help

Developing healthy testing habits can make a meaningful difference.

Before your exam:

• Establish a consistent study schedule. Do not cram!
  
• Complete timed practice questions to build confidence under realistic conditions.
  
• Eat a balanced meal, stay hydrated, and REST.
  
• Organize everything you'll need the night before to avoid frustration prior to exams.
  

During your exam:

• Take a slow, deep breath before beginning. Gather all materials to center & PRAY!
  
• Read each question carefully before looking at the answer choices.
  
• Focus on one question at a time, not the next question or the final score.
  
• If you feel yourself becoming anxious pause, breathe, and refocus.
  
• Trust yourself enough the first time and avoid changing answers without a clear reason.
  

After your exam:

• Resist the urge to replay every question in your mind or with other classmates. I do not support group convos with classmates post exams. Wait for the Exam Review!
  
• Give yourself permission to rest!
  
• Remember that one exam does not define your intelligence, your potential, or your future as a nurse.
  
• Reflect on study strategies that work well and what you can improve for next time.
  

When to Reach Out Support

If test anxiety is consistently interfering with your academic performance or well-being, don't hesitate to seek help.

Many colleges and universities offer:

• Academic success or learning centers
  
• Counseling services
  
• Disability services for students who qualify for accommodations
  
• Peer tutoring and mentoring programs
  

Seeking support is not a sign of weakness, it is a proactive step toward becoming the best student and future nurse you can be.

Questions to journal before you start to remind you of your why and your heart posture from the very beginning.

• Why nursing?
• Which specialty interests me? why?
• If i'm not hired in my desired specialty, how will I respond?
• How will I treat each patient I serve, no matter their ethnicity/culture/ socioeconomic background?
• What kind of nurse do I want patients to remember me as?
• What values will guide me when no one is watching?
• How will I respond when nursing gets hard?
• What does success mean to me beyond passing the NCLEX? career path?
• If not nursing, what?
• What hobbies do I love now and what are some I have interests in?
• How will I care for myself so I can care well for others?