Tips On Exam Writing - Preparing for My CNA Nurse Certification Exam

The experience of exam writing is something I became quite familiar with over the course of my psychology, sociology, and nursing degrees. When I was doing my first two undergrad degrees in sociology and psychology more than a decade ago one of my favorite evaluation tools was the multiple-choice exam. In that time period at the University of Calgary, all first, second (and often third-year) sociology and psychology classes were so large that the primary evaluation method was multiple-choice testing. I was very familiar with them, I wrote a lot of them, I was good at them in the sense that I frequently got most answers correct. 

Mastery or False Confidence? 

I mastered writing multiple-choice exams as a necessity when I was a second-year student trying to get into the competitive faculty of psychology because demand was so high and it was so competitive. The mastery increased in my third year because class sizes were so large and multiple-choice exams were the go-to evaluation tool. Memorization was the key. A multi-faceted approach of reading a chapter, writing notes, and memorizing word-for-word proved effective. This strategy was somewhat transferable to my nursing degree but, with more life responsibility and less time to spend on memorization, and less investment in getting the highest grades my motivations waxed and waned.  

My Perspective Today 

I realized today that I definitely do not enjoy writing multiple-choice exams as I used to. I definitely did not feel the same exhilaration. This morning I wrote the Canadian Nurse Association (CNA) certification exam for Psychiatric and Mental Health nursing. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. I am very thankful that I had been doing orientation as a Mental Health Clinician since February 25th because it really did prepare me. However, as I went through each of the 162 questions I realized that there was some basic information that I could not recall. If you choose to write a CNA certification exam I recommend that you do the recommended reading. And so, I am crossing my fingers that all the other nurses who sat the Psychiatry and Mental Health exam this year did about as much studying as me and that, if we answered a question incorrectly, we all answered that same question(s) incorrectly.

Exam Writing Tips 

Inevitably nurses will have to complete all sorts of exams: at the undergraduate level, the RN exam for our initial registration, specialized certification exams, even exams at the graduate level. Some of these exams are written, some are practically based on which we demonstrate skills. More and more written exams are on-line. How can you effectively prepare for a range of exams? 
  1. Build a study group - you are not in this alone. Get a group together to motivate and inspire each other. Healthcare is a collaborative experience and learning together helps to foster a sense of comraderie. 
  2. Make the time - you won't be able to learn anything if you are not able to set aside devoted time to study. Calendars and day-timers can be a useful tool in scheduling time in your day. 
 

Love,

Michelle D. 

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