#44 - Nursing School Expert: When you Fail a Nursing School Exam

Dear Future Nurse,

When you fail a nursing school exam it can feel like the worst thing ever. Fear, shame and self-doubt come flooding into your already stressed out, overwhelmed brain.

I'm here to tell you that EVERYONE experiences failure in nursing school. Whether it's a failed exam, a failed check-off, a missed assignment, or sleeping in on a clinical day, the journey to becoming a nurse includes mess ups. 

When you fail, this is how you're going to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and make the most of this learning opportunity:

#1 ALWAYS meet with your professor. 

You may not want to meet with your professor. Maybe your professor is intimidating, or your embarrassed about why you failed (missed a weekend of studying because you went on a trip). Or maybe you think, you can figure this out, and you don't need help. 

After meeting with a thousand students with a variety of contributing factors for exam failure, I can tell you, there is always SOMETHING your professor can tell you that will help you for the next test. 

You deserve & must go after any practical insights for how you can pass the next exam. Your professor is an expert at answering questions on this topic. He or she will give you specific suggestions (rather than you using trial & error to find a magic formula for passing).

The other reason for meeting with your professor, is that now, he or she knows you WANT to pass. When I know a student cares about his or her grade, I want to show up and help them be successful. I pay particular attention to their grades, participation, and progress in the class. If they fail the course, I'm first to advocate for them to have an opportunity to repeat. In appeal letters, I'm able to write about their care and efforts in doing their best. If your failing and you haven't met with me, I can't help your case or advocate for you later. 

#2 REVIEW your failed exam

Reviewing missed exam questions can tell you whether your failure was due to a lack of studying the RIGHT information or whether it was an issue of not studying the RIGHT way.

If you haven't studied the right information, exam topics will seem "foggy" to you (the topic looks familiar, but you just couldn't remember exact details or how the topic was important). However, if the topic is crystal clear, but you still missed the question, it's likely you weren't studying the topic with the right strategy (comprehension versus application level).

If you feel that many times it came down to choosing between 2 options, and you just picked the wrong answer every time, it's likely you weren't studying with the right strategy (details on using the rights strategy below!)

#3 CHANGE your study strategies

If I had a penny for every time I've heard a student say, "Next time, I'm going to study harder," I'd be RICH! Let me break this myth: No amount of time studying will help, if you're using the wrong study strategy. 

If you failed an exam, it's time to change your strategy. Don't do the same thing as last time, or you're going to get the SAME result. 

Change is scary and uncomfortable, but in this case it will be worth it!

Let my free eBook walk you through exactly how you need to be studying and put the steps into practice TODAY. One of the reasons why I love brain based learning strategies, is that you can know if you're ready, BEFORE you take the exam. 

My eBook is going to show you how to test your understanding, so you can be confident while taking your exam. No more worrying, hoping you will pass. You WILL PASS if you use these strategies. 

When you get your results on the next exam, would do me a favor and let me know? I'd love to hear about your journey from failure to A's. 

Your Professor,

Dr. Adam