As a successful student with several years of experience, struggling to pass a few nursing exams come to mind. Numerous study strategies were tested in the process. Some were adopted and some failed. What assisted in the success of passing nursing school and ultimately the NCLEX can be attributed to being an active learner who took responsibility for any and all information presented and having a clear goal in mind at all times. This achievement was accomplished by attending ALL class/lectures and interacting with the instructor and classmates. This also meant teaming up with a study buddy who each supported and encouraged each other. All information needed to be well organized. Successfully prioritizing school and personal life was a necessity. Attending class without a variety of colorful pens and highlighters, a large stash of note cards, and a digital voice recorder would have been detrimental. Not knowing all these self learned study habits were actually researched and documented learning styles and strategies is very impressive and quite the accomplishment. Upon completion of the VARK questionnaire, it is determined that this self-learned style is actually multimodal. It includes the READ/WRITE, VISUAL, and AURAL learning style and study strategies (VARK).
The VARK assessment tool indicates that the READ/WRITE learner takes in information best by studying lists, headings, utilizing dictionaries, looking up definitions, referring to handouts, and following manuals. It also states that when studying, this type of learner writes and rewrites words endlessly and reads study notes or flash cards silently over and over (VARK). In a Anatomy and Physiology class, while dissecting the cat, each muscle name, correct spelling, and location was memorized by writing the very complex muscle names over and over and over again until the hand could write these