Wouldn’t it be nice if all we had to do was chew gum on our nursing exams in order to pass?
If you are like me and so many others who struggle with testing anxiety, chewing gum might actually be a way to help fight the anxiety.
11 Test-Taking Tips for Nursing Students
In high school I had a teacher who would always pass out a stick of gum before our English exam, I thought she was just being nice . . . “I am going to give my students this super hard English exam, but I'll offset this hard exam by giving them a little treat . . . a stick of gum!”
One day I finally just asked her, “Ms. Stacey, why are you always giving us gum before you give us our exams?”
Her response went something like this, “I want all of you to be calm and pass the exams.”
At the time I just let it go and didn't really push any further as to why giving us a stick of gum would help us stay calm during our exam.
I never really thought much more about this experience until I was interviewing one of our nursing students, Kelly, who had major test-taking anxiety. At the time of our interview, she was about 1 week out from taking her NCLEX exam.
I asked her during the interview, “Kelly, what is some advice you would give to other students about easing their testing anxiety?”
She listed off a bunch of things, but one thing she said stood out to me.
11 Test-Taking Tips for Nursing Students
She said, “I chew gum while I study and while I take my exam”
I immediately thought about my experience in high school and wanted to dive into this a little deeper.
I went searching and found a study performed by the National Library of Medicine. In their study, they found that chewing gum is effective in reducing anxiety. You can read the full article here.
Chewing gum has been suggested as a potential way to alleviate anxiety during exams, However, the evidence on this claim is mixed, and more research is needed to fully understand the effects of chewing gum on anxiety.
While some studies have found that chewing gum can help reduce stress and anxiety, other studies have not found a significant effect.
It might not work for you . . . or you might be like Kelly and find that it does help with your testing anxiety.
Give it a try and let me know what you decide for yourself.
It is important to note that chewing gum alone is unlikely to significantly improve exam performance.
To perform well on nursing exams, you need to have a strong understanding of the material, effective study habits, and good test-taking strategies. Chewing gum may be helpful for some, but it is not a magic solution or a substitute for good study habits and preparation.
For test-taking strategies download this nursing Cheat Sheet
11 Test-Taking Tips for Nursing Students
You Can Do This
Happy Nursing!