Let’s see, let’s paint the picture. It’s been a long week with lectures, challenging clinical days, labs, and a decision to go out the other night. It’s the day of a lecture. You prep your bag right before you leave the house. An unintentional glance at your syllabus shows there’s an exam in a few hours. This situation happens, and this could be more common depending on your personality. So with only a few hours, what should you do? Based on my own experience, everyone learns and experiences anxiety differently, but this is what I did.
1. Scan through the notes.
Every lecture can differ slightly from one professor to another. Ask yourself where does the information live? Every professor takes questions from a particular source more either the textbook, PowerPoint presentation, or lecture notes. Once you identify where the data is, you may need to review several references depending on the professor. My nursing program would have a few different guest lecturers to speak about their specialty. I don’t mean to read every word, but more to remind yourself of the topics in the prominent reference material. Have your syllabus at arms reach to confirm the subjects. Make a list of topics you don’t recognize or want to review more in-depth later on a sheet of paper or mental notes.
2. The In-depth review.
Once you skim all the topics covered, take the sheet of paper or your mental notes and tackle them one at a time. Prioritize these subjects by the ones you feel need the most review in using more than one reference.
3. Snack.
Before the test is an excellent time to eat, one of the worst things to do is sit for an examination and be hungry. A stomach aching in hunger will avert your attention to your appetite, decreasing your concentration and not allow your brain to access information needed for the exam. On the extreme opposite side of the spectrum, if you overeat, the sensation of being overfilled will cause discomfort, exhausted and low concentration. A nice small snack, preferably a protein meal, will be the most helpful: a tuna fish or turkey sandwich, hard-boiled eggs, or hummus and crackers. The protein will sustain longer than simple sugars, not cause a sugar crash, and keep your hunger at bay and under control.
4. Drink water.
I know I usually don’t drink as much water as I should, or at least I should exchange soda for another glass of water, but—hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Water is a beautiful substance; dehydration will cause headaches, dizziness, tiredness, and rapid heart rate. All of these symptoms will contribute to a lack of concentration and alertness.
5. Bathroom break.
Before the exam, use the bathroom. The worst feeling is a full bladder and not being able to void. I know for our exams, when you enter into the lecture hall you can’t leave before handing in your exam.
5. Prep Items.
Make sure you have whatever is needed for the test. My class held all exams with a scantron sheet, so we needed a pencil and eraser. But as times change, I would assume they will aline towards computer-based exams. What are you able to bring or not bring in. My class had to leave all items and bags in the front of the classroom until we handed in the exam.
Each of these items will help prepare for a forgotten exam. These do not guarantee an A but help to obtain a passing grade. Remember, everyone is different, so pay attention to what helps and works best for you over time. What have you done that works well?