17 Tips for Studying in Nursing School

Whether you’re prepping for HESI, NCLEX, or just a course final, studying is a key part to your test taking success. And even if you feel you have the best study habits, or could benefit from a refresher, we think you’ll find these tips useful when you next hit the books. How do we know? Because they all come from current and former nursing students just like you.

1. Plan weekly tasks and have good time management. - Linda O.

2. Do not wait till the last minute to get your work done! - Katy F.

3. Look at your notes every day, and make up test questions with them! - Paulette W.

4. READ!!!!! - Nikki J.

5. If a textbook provides key terms on their website, print, cut and paste on note cards. Saves so much time. Took me one hour to do all chapters for session 2 health assessment. Stay ahead and organized. - Angelica K.

6. Absolutely no cramming. - Danny E.

7. If at all possible, make your initial contributions before Wednesday. It prevents a whole lot of stress to meet that deadline. - Jasinth J.

8. Start ahead, stay ahead, ask questions before the assignment is due! - Crystal M.

9. Break things down into small pieces. Focus on one week at a time, one post at a time, one course at a time. - Janet E.

10. MAKE TIME!!!!! Nursing is like learning a new language... you have to practice it every day to become fluent! Happy studying!!! - Emily D.

11. Read before class, take notes, highlight during class, and read after class! This helped me so much!! - Johnalynn K.

12. Ignore your phone. - DePrince B.

13. Figure out how you learn best, whether you're tactile, visual, etc. I'm a very visual learner and color coding with highlighters helped my test scores big time. Also learn how to identify what the question is asking on tests. This sounds simple but I guarantee it will help especially with the HESI and boards. Best of luck! - Anna R.

14. Eat well, study hard and get some sleep! - Cherie A.

15. After 40+ years I still remember what the first nursing instructor I had told us. Read all material 3 times. The first time for content, the second time comprehension, and by all means, the third time for RETENTION. - James J.

16. Stay off Facebook as much as possible!!!! - Corina H.

17. Stay focused and love what you are studying. - Essie J.

There you go, 17 of the best study tips for nursing students. Did we leave something out? If you've got your own tips for studying success, comment below and let us know how you prepare.