The study guide is inherently overwhelming in all ways. It seems impossible to think that you are responsible for knowing every single piece of information in a manual that is over 500 pages long. Many students simply sit and stare at the endless amount of pages without knowing where or how to begin, if they even managed to print it out to begin with. In 3 simple steps you can divide and conquer the CPNE® study guide without feeling completely in over your head.
1. Print it out. Yes you need to print it out. Sure you can glance at page after page on your computer, you can even pull it up on a tablet and bring it with you everywhere if you insist, but that doesn’t take the place of having a hard copy that you write on and highlight and truly digest. There are cheap ways to get the thing printed, so don’t let copy shops scare you away with their $1.00 + per page pricing. Best Value Copy (www.BestValueCopy.com) is hands down the cheapest place to print out your study guide and they offer options that can be of benefit such as pre-drilling holes for a binder, actual spiral binding, plastic covers, etc. As a bonus, you can usually find a coupon code on the interwebs for some extra money off. Plan on spending about $25-$30 to get it printed and shipped.
2. Read It. Once your study guide arrives you will indeed read it. Just take note of the indexes and where the main information will be. Start reading at the beginning and have a highlighter, pen, colored tabs, and notebook handy. As you read, highlight notable information and place colored tabs for reference. Write down questions in a notebook as you go noting applicable page numbers so that you can quickly get information during phone chats, emails, or chat boards with Excelsior advisors.
3. Condense Important Information. You should pull out specific sections and appendices in the study guide and put them into a secondary binder for information that you will reference more often than the rest. Sections on the critical elements are good to keep separate as are recording forms. Make copies of the recording forms to use for your realistic practice. Pull out information on specific medications that will be used during the CPNE®. Appendix H, K, lab recording forms, even mnemonics are good to keep in a secondary binder.
After you’ve gone through the 3 steps of digesting the study guide you will feel much more confident about the task at hand and what it takes to go through the CPNE®. You will know which areas you need clarification on and practice with and where to focus your time in preparation. Keep your tabbed study guide handy as more questions will undoubtedly arise while you are studying. Continue to compile questions in your notebook leaving space for answers from the advisors. Go back and re-read your highlighted notes occasionally to keep the vast amount of information fresh in your mind. As you get closer to test day you will know the EC study guide like the back of your hand!
Still feeling overwhelmed? Check out our Online CPNE® Workshop to help organize your studies and put the CPNE® behind you once and for all. We know, without a doubt, there is no better way to prepare for your clinical weekend from home.
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