How to Create an NCLEX® Study Plan for Your Learning Style
- Knowing how you best absorb information is key to creating the best NCLEX® study plan to ensure a passing exam score.
- The four most-common learning styles are visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic.
- While focusing on the style that fits you best, don’t rule out coming together with your fellow nursing students for some friendly study-based competition.
The concept of learning styles dates back decades and has been a topic of debate among psychologists since its inception. But knowing how you best absorb information will be key in creating the best NCLEX® study plan to ensure a passing exam score.
What are the Learning Styles?
The four most-common learning styles are visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic, known colloquially as “VARK.”
Visual learners prefer information displayed in charts, diagrams, or videos, among other devices. Auditory learners do best with information that’s spoken aloud and gives them something to listen to — think an education podcast, a lecture, or a video.
Read/write learners, as inferred, prefer to read the material and write down the details themselves to retain it. Kinesthetic learners have a more tactile approach. They learn by doing.
If you’re not sure what your learning style is, a quick search online will produce several quizzes to help you figure that out.
Finding Your Unique NCLEX Study Plan
Many NCLEX® preparation programs, like Slone NCLEX, provide a variety of question types and visuals to help any learner succeed. From TikToks and study guides to video resources and standard written practice questions, there’s something for everyone.
For kinesthetic learners, the physical act of logging into the program, taking the practice tests, and seeing the rationales all factor into their educational approach.
Students also like to use an NCLEX-RN® cram sheet, especially as test day inches closer. The cram sheet is most ideal for visual and read/write learners.
Visual learners can create tables or charts to help them retain key information on vital sign details or patient safety protocols, while the simple act of writing the information down in a list format could be enough to trigger knowledge retention for read/write learners.
Auditory learners can turn the concept of a cram sheet into a voice note they record themselves or that a friend records while they listen in. That reinforcement then benefits both of you. You could also listen to an NCLEX®-prep episode of a nursing podcast, or let TikTok videos, like those that Slone NCLEX produces, play in the background while you’re doing chores or running errands.
Combine Learning Styles into a Group NCLEX® Study Plan
Sometimes the best way to learn, regardless of your style preference, is through a little friendly competition. You can combine learning styles to create an interactive study experience, almost like a game show. Teachers have used this approach for years.
We all remember splitting into teams for a final study day before a big test, huddling together to talk through the question and “buzz in” with the answer before the other team. Or racing to write the correct answer on the chalkboard before our classmates. Or replicating a practice, procedure, or experiment in hopes of winning that coveted pizza party or candy for your team.
Bring that element to your NCLEX® study plan. Nobody said studying had to be boring!
The Bottom Line
Create an NCLEX® study plan that works for you. Maybe your best friend in nursing school is an auditory learner, while you lean more toward visual. That’s OK! While studying separately will help, you can still study together, balancing each other’s learning styles and coming out strong in the end with a passing NCLEX® score.