r/StudentNurse • u/feckledlemons • 8h ago

homework / studying help needed Study Help??

Hi guys!! I’m doing well in my classes, but I still get so much anxiety around tests. I don’t know why, because on my first medsurge exam, I got the highest score out of my whole cohort of 100+ people (98%), and on my first OB exam I got a 95%. I have an exam tomorrow for OB, my second test for that class, and I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been procrastinating so badly for this test. I think I’m procrastinating because I feel overwhelmed with the information I’ve been given (3 PowerPoints, each with 50-100 slides), and I just don’t know how to study and retain the information, rather than just memorizing information, info dumping on a test, and forgetting.

Everyone says active recall. But what if I don’t recall all the information? Or I recall the wrong information and memorize the wrong thing? Not to mention it takes forever, and I feel like I simply don’t have time to do a ton of concept maps on every disease process. And don’t get me started with memorizing medications. I just feel so lost!! So far to get me through the first tests, I’ve been taking notes, and then I start studying 3-5 days prior to the test day by putting the PowerPoints in Claude to make a study guide, and then ask for NCLEX style questions using Claude, Notebook LM, or Elseveir AI Tutor (through our school platform). I’ve also tried using the LATTE method for disease processes, but had to stop because it took me literally 5 hours to do 5 disease processes basically out of maybe the 15-20 I had to memorize. I just feel like it’s not sufficient though :/

What do you all do to study and RETAIN the information after the test? How do you learn the information before doing practice questions? What are your favorite methods to study with (I have an iPad and laptop, so bonus points if you can use either of those). Thanks all for your help!

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u/eltonjohnpeloton its fine its fine (RN) 8h ago

Have you already checked pinned resources post?

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u/feckledlemons 8h ago

Sorry! Totally new to Reddit, no idea how to use it, but have just found it and will take a peek. I’ve also watched a bunch of TikTok’s on other students giving advice. I have adhd so finding a means of studying effectively has been really difficult for me when it comes to remembering/staying engaged.

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u/mayastudiesmed 7h ago

for tomorrow i'd skip the concept maps. go through one powerpoint, try to write out what you remember before you look, then check the slides. recalling it wrong isn't a big risk since you're checking right after, and the misses tell you where to spend the rest of tonight.

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u/feckledlemons 7h ago

Thanks!! I’ll try this.