To choose an effective study partner, you must first understand your own learning preferences such as whether you prefer a quiet or active environment. An ideal study partner pays attention in class, takes thorough notes, asks meaningful questions, earns high grades, and is kind and reliable. It is important to find someone who complements your learning style and who you enjoy working with, as you will spend significant time studying together to achieve your shared goal of becoming a nurse.

1. How to choose a STUDY
PARTNER?
D. D. Millett, RN, BS

2. The first thing you must do to choose an
excellent study partner is to…assess
yourself. How do you like to study? Is it
with loud music or while walking around?
Or is it in a quite atmosphere, at a table? Is it
in the early morning or in the afternoon?
The library or a café?
Find out about yourself first and HOW you
learn, study, and remember the best!

3. The IDEAL study partner:
1) Observe how and where your
classmates sit in class. Up front? In
the far back?
2) Do you notice them paying a great
deal of attention in class, actively
listening, and taking notes?

4. 3) Do they raise their hand in class or
participate in class discussions?
4) Do they ask pertinent and meaningful
questions?
5) Are they usually able to provide
answers to questions asked by the
instructor or by other classmates?

5. 6) What type of grades do they get? You
MUST maintain at least a “B” average
in nursing school…therefore try to find
someone who is consistently able to
obtain a “B+” or an “A” in order to
keep yourself challenged. Do they
great notes in case you miss a lecture?

6. 7) Do you like them? Seems like a simple
question, but are they genuinely kind,
relaxed, and agreeable? You want to get
along and be comfortable with each other
because you will be spending a large
amount of time together and you must be
able to depend on each other, in order to
achieve your goal…becoming a nurse. In
other words, do they “got your back”?

7. Bottom
line?

8. You are going to be starting your new
career with the people you are in school
with right here, right now. Get to know
them and find the person or persons
that can best contribute to how each of
you learn. Bottom line is you will get
through nursing school, in part due to
those very people sitting around you
right now.

9. So look to your left and then look
to your right…

10. …And say “Hi!”
to someone who
may be your study
partner!