Studying for tests....any suggestions?

[omak42]

I am currently an EMT-B in WA. I am applying for my paramedic schooling, along with an internship that will pay for it. A lot rides on how well I test....so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestion for studying material or techniques.

I currently work and volunteer as an EMT, so I get the hands on experience in all the time. However we all now the hands on and the written tests are a lot different. Ive been going over my notes from my EMT class, along with going through my book. But everytime I start reading I get to a part and think to myself "oh I already now this", so I skip that part. Well eventually I just start flipping through the pages saying that about everything.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[BossyCow]

Are there other students in the class that can get together with you to run scenarios? Doing assessments and practicals together as a group helps tremendously, especially if you can get some more experienced member of your agency to supervise and critique your performance.

 

[omak42]

Unfortunately there is no class for me to do this with. The school and agency are in another state, so I am unable to meet with people to work scenarios with. The best I can do is run scenarios with partners at work...

 

[el Murpharino]

If it's a multiple choice test you have to take, what I've found is getting a book (I have Barrons, in addition to the Mosby) with loads of multiple choice questions. You can get the Barrons book at any Borders or Barnes & Noble's, and each answer comes with a small explanation on why it is the right answer. Good luck on your test.

Secondly - I get into the same rut as you...reading a passage in the book, and thinking "oh I already know this". It's tough, but you have to set those feelings aside, especially if you're going into a paramedic class. It's a killer of ambition to study, and noone likes the cocky guy in class who knows it all. But it sounds like you have the right attitude to getting over that small obstacle...

 

[BossyCow]

parctice tests usually show you where you were off on the 'I already knew this". One of the best hints I ever got on multiple choice tests was to first remove the answers you know are wrong. Then focus on the remaining answers for clues... look for the qualifiers in the question.. words like.. what do you do 'first' or descriptions of the event that make it differ from the norm.

 

[ffemt8978]

You can never go wrong studying A&P, cardiac, and vocabulary.

 

[Ops Paramedic]

Studying for tests...any sugeestions?

Get your buttox on a hard wooden chair and sit at a desk. Uninterupted, an indication for sitting infront of the TV (while suposidly studying) is not studying, for a good 45 mins at a time and breaking for 15.

Ensure that your basic needs as a human being are met, eat and healthy well (sustenance), sleep well and enough, 6-8 hrs a day (sleep), A intact and well working gastric system (Nr. 2 on the loo), continue with your sexual relationship ( ) and only then...STUDY. This called the 5S principal.

You need to build your own database of information in order to succesfully pass your exam. Stay awy from just using one source of study meterial, i.e. Mosby's. As mentioned in FFEMT8976's post, get books on Anat & Phys, Merck manuals, Pharmacology, and other paramedic texts. If you can a solid nursing dictionary can also help a lot. I know books are expensive, but are worth gold.

 

[KEVD18]

study groups are a good thing. liquor is bad. this is pretty much a no brainer, but ive fallen in to the trap.

this started as a study session for an a&p exam.