Introduction
Effective time management in nursing school is essential for success because it enables students to prioritize work, devote enough time to each activity, and fulfill deadlines. Good time management skills learned in nursing school will serve you well later in your profession.
This article covers some impressive time management secrets that aspiring nursing students can use to manage their time when revising for the TEAS exam. These practical TEAS exam timing tips will help you quickly prepare and ace the forthcoming TEAS test. Follow along to discover the hidden gems to apply.
Maximizing time efficiency on the TEAS test should always be a priority. There are different techniques you can apply to manage your time the right way during the TEAS test. Below are some of the brilliant TEAS test time management strategies:
- Give Each Section Enough Time—Consider using the estimations for each section to handle every question. If you feel you are lagging on time, go for the questions you are sure of the answer to attain maximum points on every question answered.
- Use skim and scan techniques – skimming through the reading section is another brilliant way of managing time for the TEAS test, as you will quickly pinpoint the critical information to help answer the following questions.
- Employ elimination strategies. The TEAS test also includes multiple-choice questions. Eliminating incorrect answers is one of the greatest TEAS test pacing techniques. When faced with multiple-choice questions, consider eliminating the wrong answers to remain with the correct option.
- Prioritize sections—Another crucial time management hack is to prioritize sections. Understand which sections constantly challenge you and which ones are easier. From there, you will know how to allocate your time appropriately, giving more time to the challenging sections.
- Start with the easy questions—it is advisable to start with the most accessible questions and progress to the difficult ones. This will help you build momentum and the morale to handle the challenging questions later, and you will also accumulate more points quickly.
- Remain calm and focused. Stress will impact your ability to manage time effectively and think clearly. Ensure you practice some relaxation techniques to help you remain calm during the exam. Try deep breathing whenever you feel nervous during the exam to help you concentrate and maintain your focus.
Time Constraints of The TEAS Test
You must know the TEAS exam structure and time allotment to understand the TEAS test time constraints. As you may be aware, the TEAS test covers four main sections: mathematics, science, reading, English, and language usage.
Every section assesses different skills and knowledge areas, and times are allocated for completion. The English section assesses your ability to answer questions and comprehend written passages. It consists of 53 questions; you have around 64 minutes to complete.
The mathematics section tests proficiency in solving mathematical problems, and students are given 54 minutes to work on the 36 mathematical questions. The science section comprises 53 questions and takes only 63 minutes to complete.
It examines your knowledge of basic scientific questions. The other section, the English and language usage section, measures your proficiency in English with 28 questions and about 28 minutes to complete. Note that the total duration of the TEAS test is 209 minutes, though it may take longer or shorter depending on administrative tasks and breaks taken.
Managing time on the TEAS test is detrimental to your success. As the information above shows, every section has a time limit, so allocating time wisely during the exam is advisable. It will allow you to handle all the test questions quickly. As for the reading section, aim to take only 1 minute and 12 seconds for every question to beat the 64-minute time limit.
It takes about 1 minute and 30 seconds to handle every mathematics question and 1 minute and 11 seconds for every science section question. As for the English section, the aim is to spend just one minute answering every question. This method of TEAS test pacing will allow you to attempt all the questions and improve your chances of getting higher scores.
Tips for Maximizing Performance Within the Time Limit
Since you do not have the entire day to complete the TEAS test, what must you do to ensure you tackle as many questions as possible? Optimizing TEAS test performance within the time limit is never hard as long as you know what to do. Below are some impressive TEAS test pacing techniques to help you maximize performance:
1. Set Realistic Time Goals For Every Section
Understand how long you should take for every section of the exam. For example, if you are asked to answer 50 multiple-choice questions and write two essays, you could divide the time for that section into three to handle all parts.
2. Practice time management
Among the exciting TEAS exam timing tips is practicing time management with practice questions and mock exams. Ensure you familiarize yourself with the test time and format by working on practice questions from reliable sites. They will allow you to develop the urgency to handle each question and know when to go to the next question.
3. Use time management tools
Mastering time management for the TEAS exam requires extensive preparation and dedication. Consider using time management tools such as clocks, timers, and watches to keep track of time during the test. These tools will help you pace yourself for each question and let you know when to move on to the next section or question.
4. Take Strategic Breaks To Refocus and Refresh
You could also consider taking short breaks between sections to refresh and refocus. Breaks distract the mind from the monotony of reading one thing for a long time, allowing it to think about something else. Returning to reading after the break ensures the mind is fresh and reduces mental strain.
5. Eliminate distractions
When revising for the exam, ensure you do it in a quiet, serene environment where no one can check on you every few minutes. Your phone should be off or mute any notifications to allow maximum concentration. Avoid the urge to watch that one episode from your favorite series and concentrate on learning from different examinable sections of the TEAS test.
Strategies For Long Reading Passages and Complex Questions
Here are some essential techniques you can use to handle these sections:
- Preview the questions – before reading the long passage, start by looking at the questions. That will give you an idea of what to seek in the passage as answers. Your attention will be drawn only to the relevant information.
- Active reading: Engage with the passage by highlighting and underlining the key points, summarizing the content, and making short notes. You will understand the passage better and remember crucial points.
- Manage your time – the other essential hack is time management. Allocate time wisely when working on complex questions. If one question takes too long, you can skip it and return later after dealing with the easy ones.
How To Manage Your Time in Math and Science Sections
The math and science sections are high-priority since they are pretty complex yet essential questions in the test. It would be best to manage time appropriately to attempt as many questions as possible when handling these sections. Below are some strategies you can implement:
- Estimate your answers—Before you start working on the calculations, it would help to have a rough estimate of your answer. This will help you know whether you are on the right track or made an error.
- Practice regularly—Math and science are demanding sections of the TEAS test. It is advisable to practice more often to familiarize yourself with the concepts and formulas. If you have been going through them more often, they will be easier to remember during the exam.
- Take deep breaths before the exam – deep breaths help reduce anxiety and stress and will allow you to remain calm, your mind will be relaxed, and you will easily remember all that you have been taught.
- Stay positive. Maintain a positive attitude and convince yourself that you are fully prepared for the TEAS test. A positive mind will help you remain focused and motivated to ace the exam.
- Review your work—As one of the TEAS test time allocation strategies, you could leave a few minutes at the end of the exam to check for errors and review your work. This will surely ensure that you answer all questions to the best of your abilities.
How To Review and Adjust Time Management Strategies
You can improve your time management skills by doing a few things. You could start by analyzing your performance after the TEAS test. Analyze the accuracy and usage of time during the exam to determine your strengths and weaknesses. Assess your time on each question or session and compare it with the allotted time.
That will let you know whether your time was overextended or underutilized. Also, look at the quality of your answers to determine whether time constraints significantly impacted the quality of your responses. From this analysis, you will strategize and understand the questions or sections that require more attention.
The second strategy would be to identify areas of improvement. After the analysis performance, find out the apparent patterns that require improvement. Did you spend too much time answering the questions? Did you have a problem working out complex calculations, or did you leave out many questions without answering? Find your main weakness and address it appropriately.
Seeking feedback from your tutors and teachers is another brilliant strategy. Input from more experienced individuals gives you another perspective on your time management skills. They see what you can’t see in your TEAS test time management strategies.
These experts will offer insights on handling your weaknesses, whether in challenging questions or being generally slow to answer them. They will also guide you in optimizing your study routines and other strategies for TEAS test time management strategies.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
It is crucial to avoid some of the following mistakes:
- Neglecting to self-pace—Time management is essential to the TEAS test. Since you have to cover several questions in a given timeframe, whether easy or challenging, it is wise to maintain a steady pace to complete all required sections. Pacing yourself avoids running out of time with several unanswered questions.
- Dwelling on the challenging questions—Another common mistake most students make is overstaying on one question they do not seem to get an answer for. If you encounter a difficult question, skip it and work on the easy ones first to avoid leaving marks behind for a difficult question you will probably not get right.
- Not allotting time for reviewing and editing answers – TEAS test students should also allocate time to review their answers after completing the paper. That way, you will be sure to catch any errors you make and will write accurate answers only. This stage is essential to gather as many marks as possible on the paper.
Time management is critical to your success in the TEAS test. Knowing the TEAS test time management strategies sets you up to succeed in the exam. Practice these strategies, such as setting realistic time goals, practicing with mock exams, handling the time-consuming sections, and reviewing your time management strategies often. Following these strategies will help you ace the TEAS exam with ease.