In using this review resource to prepare for the licensure examination, the nurse must:

1. Be prepared mentally.
1. Know the purpose of the examination.
2. Know the purpose of reviewing.
3. Anticipate what is to come.
4. Decide on a good study method—set a study goal before beginning a particular subject area (number of pages, for example); plan the length of the review period by the amount of material to be covered, not by the clock.
2. Plan the work to be done.
1. Select one subject at a time for review, and establish and follow a sequence for review of each subject.
1. Answer the practice questions following the outline of the selected subject area. (Set a time limit, because pacing is important.)
2. Compare your answers with those provided following the questions as a means of evaluating areas of competence.
2. Identify those subjects that will require additional concentrated study in this review book as well as in basic textbooks.
3. Study the review text outlines, noting headings, subheadings, and italics and boldface type for emphasis of relative importance.
4. Study the content presented in the shaded boxes and chart format to facilitate memorization, understanding, and application.
5. Repeat the self-evaluation process by taking the test again.
6. Look up the answers for the correct response to the multiple-choice questions. Do not memorize the answers. Read the rationale explaining why it was the correct response. (These explanations serve to correct as well as reinforce. Understanding the underlying principles also serves as an aid in applying the same principles to questions that may be based on similar rationales, but phrased differently on the actual examination.)
7. If necessary, refer to basic textbooks to relearn any unclear aspects of anatomy, physiology, nutrition, or basic nursing procedures. Look up unfamiliar terminology in a medical dictionary.