Test-Taking Tactics

1. Test-Taking Tactics

2. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply.” • -- Goethe

3. Anatomy of a multiple-choice question • Scenario:Background information, objective data or subjective data • Stem: The statement that asks the question • The correct answer • Those pesky incorrect answers

4. Try not to read into the question • Avoid getting into “what if…” territory • Pay attention to only the information in the question • Pay special attention to words that clue you into what the question is asking

5. Test-taking ideas • Decide what the stem asking • Try to answer it in your own words before checking the options • Eliminate the options that don’t answer what the stem is specifically asking • Usually you can reduce plausible answers to just two

6. Do not use!

9. Assessment • Words suggesting the question is asking you to focus on assessment: assess, inspect, identify, verify, observe, question, check, determine, notify, inform, stressors, responses, signs and symptoms, verbal and nonverbal, clinical findings, sources, perceptions

10. Diagnosis • Words suggesting the question is asking you to focus on diagnosis: nursing diagnosis, organize, categorize, cluster, reexamine, reflect, interpret, formulate, pattern, problem, significant, statement, contribute, relevant, valid, decision, analyze • Relates to frameworks such as Maslow’s hierarchy

11. Planning • Words suggesting the question is focused on planning: achieve, desired, plan, effective, desired result, determine, goal, priority, develop, formulate, establish, design, prevent, strategy, select, anticipate, modify, collaborate, arrange, coordinate, expect, outcome

12. Implementation • Words suggesting the question is focused on implementation: dependent, independent, change, assist, counsel, teach, instruct, implement, give, supervise, perform, procedure, treatment, strategy, facilitate, provide, inform, refer, technique, delegate

13. Evaluation Words suggesting the question is focused on evaluation: evaluate, expected, met, desired, compared, succeeded, achieved, failed, modified, reassess, ineffective, response.

14. Pick out negativesor absolutes • Negatives: not, except, never, violate, needs further education, needs more teaching, contraindicated, unacceptable, avoid, unrelated • Or absolutes: just, always, never, all, every, none, only, must

15. Find words that set a priority • These are words that modify what’s being asked: • First, initial, best, priority, safest, most, most important, most likely, lost appropriate, immediate, essential, nest, least appropriate, least likely

16. Clues • Opposites • Plausible options • Facts in series • Denying or minimizing patients’ feelings or concerns or needs

17. Who’s the central person? • The central person is the one receiving the care • Other folks in the stem may be there to distract you • To answer, focus on the patient

18. Critical thinking • Identify the key concept • Try not to read into the question • Study the rationales

19. “Having a sense of salience – being able to recognize what is more or less important in a clinical situation – is the beginning point for clinical reasoning within a situation.” -- Patricia Benner

20. As Goethe said… “Knowing is not enough; we must apply.”