Study Schedule Example

Take a diagnostic test. There are many ways to go about this, but following along with any of our nursing school entrance exams, or any of our other test prep materials, Smart Edition creates multiple practice exams with the intention of having students use one as a diagnostic test. If you prefer paper-and-pencil format, there is always an exam available in print. However, we recommend using one of our easily accessible, online exams which provides a score and thorough breakdown of how well you did. These scores give insight to which specific content you need brushing up on for your exam. Simply put, a diagnostic test can help you know what you do and do not know.

By scoring a practice exam, you will have a better idea for where you stand before you begin studying. You know what subjects and content will be presented in each are, but now you should put your existing skills to a test to get an idea of how you will score before you begin.

As mentioned above, there is a lot of specific content to know. But the diagnostic test is meant for you to prioritize your studying for each subject area. Even if you feel 100% confident in one subject over another, you should still set aside some time to review and familiarize yourself with the question styles. Taking the diagnostic test will merely help you prioritize which subjects to study first, as there may be material you need to learn, versus just brushing up on. As you study, you should see yourself getting more and more practice questions right, getting quicker at answering, and seeing improvements on the tests you practice with.

Now that you know where you should be prioritizing your time, you will want to create a schedule. While you may have a limited amount of time until your exam, every test taker should have a reasonable amount of time available to dedicate towards acing their test. Studying should be a priority for your spare time. If you compile a list of your daily and weekly responsibilities only to realize that you barely have spare time, you are going to need to prioritize your activities or rethink your test date. Make sure to take the necessary time to truly evaluate your unique situation.

For more information on creating a schedule, follow our link to our information article Create a Study Plan for Your Schedule.

You’ll want to create a schedule to study so that you can set goals for yourself. It is very easy to say that you’ll study and get distracted by a million other things going on. You can make up the time on the weekend, but the reality is you can easily get distracted then too. You want to avoid cramming because overloading your brain will not help you understand the material and such practice will only add to your feelings of being overwhelmed. It is much better to spread out your studying over a course of time and make it reasonable.

When you create a schedule, make it visible. Write it down and hang it up somewhere as a visual reminder to help pace yourself appropriately. It can also serve as a reminder of both what you must do, but also the progress you make along the way.

And remember that diagnostic test we told you to take? This is where it really comes into play. When you’re creating your study plan, prioritize the subjects you struggle with the most. Look at your diagnostic scores to best approximate how much time you should be spending learning and/or reviewing material. As a general rule, if you have about five weeks until you are looking to take an exam, dedicate a week to each subject area with review days in between and leading up to the exam date. However, if your diagnostic test reveals that you might not know at least half of the content material in a certain area, it would be wise to extend that subject area week a few more days in exchange of another topic that you are very strong in.

*Keep in mind, that spending a week to each subject area is subjective to the amount of instruction you’ve had in the past and how long it will take you to understand the content. Our study guides provide an in-depth view at the content you will need to know to do your best. However, if you find that the content is completely new and you have never seen it before, you may need additional instruction or at least, time to fully understand the concepts you will be tested on.

We recommend customizing your study materials. Every student is a unique type of learner and Smart Edition Media knows that. Beneath is our reference guide for you to determine what type of learner you are.

Perhaps your learning style will incorporate multiple forms of learning. Most students prefer to use multiple mediums to help emphasize points and gain new understandings to increase their depth of knowledge. What’s important is that you do what is best for you.

While you gather your materials and begin cracking down on your study plan, make sure you set aside time to hand-write notes on the content you may not understand. Students are more likely to retain information that they have written down versus the material they’ve read once. And while we don’t want students to hand write a textbook, it is useful to take notes, utilize flashcards, and possibly color code body diagrams in the areas you need to improve on.

For the lessons you are learning and seem to be struggling with, do not be afraid to look up tutorial videos or use a math checker to see how to complete a problem. Print out the in-depth 3D picture of the body system you need more visuals with to understand its intricacies. Utilize multiple resources and take time to understand.

Once you have divided out the subjects among your days, follow a study guide to ensure that you are reviewing proper material. While there are many study guides and tools available both in print and online, Smart Edition has prep books available which provide comprehensive lessons, practice questions, and full-length practice exams. Use the lesson reviews to completely understand the subtopics that may be asked about on your test. Writing increases knowledge retention, so create a hand-crafted study guide or flashcards of important lessons that are essential to you. If you have read the lesson and are struggling to create your personal study materials, utilize other online materials to emphasize the lessons you struggle with. Many educational videos may be located at Khan Academy to provide even more depth to difficult lesson material. Once you feel confident in the lesson material, take the practice quizzes at the end of each section to exercise skills. Mark the questions you incorrectly answered and identify the lessons these questions come from. Is there a trend in which lessons your incorrect questions are coming from? If there is, review that lesson material again. Perhaps you’re missing a key word or concept that is creating a gap between your knowledge and the questions. If there isn’t, perhaps there was a small detail you overlooked in the questions your answered incorrectly. If you completely understand lesson material and you are still answering questions incorrectly, more times than not, it stems from misunderstanding the question. Take a small work break to refresh your brain. After you have completed lesson reviews, quizzes, and extra review, continue doing practice problems. Although it seems repetitive, practice is the key to doing well on these tests.

Many students do not consider themselves good-test takers and unfortunately, there is no immediate remedy. Even if there is no alternative solution for such tests, practicing the material in test format will only help review the content and increase confidence. These tests are supposed to be an indicator of student success within nursing programs. The end result of every program will direct a student towards a standardized nursing exam, also known as the NCLEX. Understanding the necessary habits for conquering the exams now will be beneficial not only for gaining acceptance, but during, and after the nursing school process.

Hourly Breakdown

Diagnostic Test: Practice Exam 1 (≈4-6 hours)

• Access a full-length practice exam and complete the assessment. Utilize your score card to discover which sections of your upcoming exam should be prioritized and which content areas within the subjects may need more attention. (≈3-4 hours)
• Take note of specific questions and sections in areas you did not score well and convert into an individualized plan. (≈1-2 hours)

Section 1: Reading (≈12-24 hours)

• Complete each reading chapter of our guide and customize your study materials. Take notes and incorporate additional sources as needed. (≈1-2 hours/chapter)
• Review your notes and complete the chapter review quizzes. (≈1-2 hours)
• Take notes of incorrect answers and review lesson modules to enhance your custom study guides for further review. (≈1-2 hours)
• Review study guide and notes. Go through additional content, especially in areas of incorrect quiz answers and material less comfortable with subject matter. (3+ hours)

Section 2: Math (≈14-22 hours)

• Complete each math chapter of our guide and customize your study materials. Take notes and incorporate additional sources as needed. (≈2-4 hours/chapter)
• Review your notes and complete the chapter review quizzes. (≈2-3 hours)
• Take notes of incorrect answers and review lesson modules to enhance your custom study guides for further review. (≈2-3 hours)
• Review study guide and notes. Go through additional content, especially in areas of incorrect quiz answers and material less comfortable with subject matter. (4+ hours)

 Section 3: Science (≈14-24 hours)

• Complete each science chapter of our guide and customize your study materials. Take notes and incorporate additional sources as needed. (≈2-4 hours/chapter)
• Review your notes and complete the chapter review quizzes. (≈2-4 hours)
• Take notes of incorrect answers and review lesson modules to enhance your custom study guides for further review. (≈2-4 hours)
• Review study guide and notes. Go through additional content, especially in areas of incorrect quiz answers and material less comfortable with subject matter. (4+ hours)

Section 4: English (≈12-24 hours)

• Complete each language conventions chapter of our guide and customize your study materials. Take notes and incorporate additional sources as needed. (≈1-2 hours/chapter)
• Review your notes and complete the chapter review quizzes. (≈1-2 hours)
• Take notes of incorrect answers and review lesson modules to enhance your custom study guides for further review. (≈1-2 hours)
• Review study guide and notes. Go through additional content, especially in areas of incorrect quiz answers and material less comfortable with subject matter. (3+ hours)

Subject Review: Day 1 & 2 (≈2-4+ hours/subject)

Cycle through each of your section quizzes. Reiterate your understandings for the subject material of the questions answered correctly and review material for the questions answered incorrectly. Utilize additional resources and customized notes. *Individuals may review two sections a day with in-depth comprehension reflection, or review all four each day with general to more in-depth reflection. If two sections are to be reviewed/ day, student can choose if technical subjects and language usage should be studied together or separated based on comfortability.

Practice Exam Day: (≈6+ hours)

• Take the full-length practice exam (≈3-4 hours) and utilize answer keys and score cards to direct further review (≈2-4 hours).

Subject Review: Day 3 (≈1-3 hours/ subject or exam)

• Return to lesson content from incorrect practice exam answers. (≈1 hour/ subject or exam)
• Review subject content and incorporate other resources when necessary. (≈1-2 hours/ subject or exam).

Subject Review: Day 4, 5, 6 (≈2-4+ hours/subject)

By this point, there has been much time dedicated towards the practice questions and review of more difficult materials. Take these days to cycle through your customized materials to your benefit. If you know the answers to your questions, take the time to study charts or review math equations. Apply your understanding for language in your personal reading to proactively think about technical reading and writing conventions. These days are to be helpful, not burn you out.

*Optional: revisit Practice Exam 1. Although it was used for your diagnostic test, you originally saw it prior to any of your studying ambitions. Feel free to revisit it and compare score cards. If you notice that your scores are not indicative of what you are hoping for, look at the score card. The answer sheets may indicate that you’re improving, but may need to review just a tiny bit more. Or perhaps they show something off- don’t let it alarm you! You may just need a mental break for a moment!