Guessing Strategies

Use these tips when none of the answers seem to make sense:

• Psychology Questions: The best answers often involve actions that prevent countertransference, such as:
  • “The nurse will examine their own feelings…”
  • “Establish a trusting relationship.”
• Nutrition Questions:
  • When in doubt, choose chicken (unless it’s fried). If chicken isn’t an option, go for fish (not shellfish).
  • Avoid selecting casseroles for children.
  • Never mix medication with children’s food.
  • For toddlers, choose finger foods.
  • Preschoolers: Let them eat as they please—even if it’s just one meal a day.
• Pharmacology Questions:
  • Memorize drug side effects. If unsure, pick a side effect in the same body system the drug affects (e.g., for a GI drug, pick diarrhea; for a CNS drug, pick drowsiness).
  • If you don’t know the drug and it’s oral (PO), opt for a GI side effect (50/50 chance).
  • Never tell a child that medicine is candy.
• OB Questions: Always check the fetal heart rate first.
• Med-Surg Questions:
  • Prioritize level of consciousness (LOC) over airway during assessments.
  • However, the first action should always be to establish an airway.
• Pediatric Growth and Development Questions:
  Apply these three rules based on developmental expectations:
  • Rule 1: When in doubt, assume it’s normal.
  • Rule 2: When in doubt, choose the older age.
  • Rule 3: When in doubt, pick the easier task (e.g., for a 6-year-old who can’t read, a 14-month-old who can’t walk, or a 6-month-old who is rolling over but not sitting, give more time).
• General Test-Taking Strategies:
  • Avoid absolute terms like “always” or “never.”
  • If two answers are the same, neither is right.
  • If two answers are opposites, one is probably correct.
  • Use the “umbrella strategy”: select the answer that covers all other options (e.g., “use safety and good body mechanics” when transferring a patient).
  • For prioritization questions with four correct answers, apply these strategies. However, if the question focuses on one patient and asks for the “highest priority,” use the worst consequence method—choose the option with the most severe outcome.
  • If stuck between two answers, re-read the question carefully.
• Sesame Street Rule (Last Resort):
  • The correct answer may stand out because it is different from the others; wrong answers tend to share common features.
• Trust Your Knowledge:
  • Don’t let unfamiliar terms lead you to incorrect answers. Focus on what you do know and use common sense.
  • Trust your gut—if something feels right, it probably is.
• Always Answer: Don’t skip questions unless you have solid reasoning for why another choice is superior.
• Select-All-That-Apply (SATA) Questions:
  • Now, there can be just one correct answer or all of them can be correct.
• Workplace Conflicts:
  • Never say “you” in conflicts. Always start with “I.”
• Helpful Hint: “Headache” is a good choice in SATA questions!
• Important Reminder:
  • Never choose infection as the first priority in the first 72 hours after surgery or an event.

Three Expectations to Avoid (They’ll Only Cause Stress):

• Rule #1: Don’t expect to answer 75 questions. Be prepared to go through all 265 questions and keep thinking, “I’m still in the game.”
• Rule #2: Don’t expect to know everything.
• Rule #3: Don’t expect everything to go perfectly.