Tips for surviving practical exams

Probably the most dreaded thing in Midwifery is a practical examination. You only have one chance to do it right and if you make a single mistake it means you fail the exam. Add up the tension hanging in the building and a lot of students practising their skills last minute and you have complete stress. Here's how I learned to survive these exams and maybe even have a little fun doing so:

1. preparation is key

Even though it sounds extremely Obvious, prepare yourself. Already a few weeks before the exams I make sheets that contain everything I need to do and say in the right order, kind of like a manual. I practise this sheet at school but also at home, over and over again until I can dream what I need to do. Get your old teddybear out of the closet and practise an abdominal examination on his belly or get a doll and your sister (or brother, or mom, or friend) and have them give birth to it for you. A great way to practise drawing blood, injecting etc. is by using a sponge. You'll feel ridiculous the first few times, but trust me: it's really worth the shame.

2. Shut out the tension

On the day of the examinations there is a lot of tension in the building, especially in the common room or the hallways. Search for a room where you and your friends can be together and create your own "zone of relaxation". Take some food to share and help each other out with the last minute details while also getting your mind off the stress. Once you've done your test you have a nice place to come back to where everyone will care about your results and you can cry or have a little party because you just owned your test.

3. Put it in perspective

I remember being extremely nervous for the examination concerning a "normal" birth. I sat in the hallway and apparently I had anxiety written all over my face because everyone that passed told me I was going to be fine. Once I got into the room for my exam the first thing that was said was: "You're not going to die, this mom is not going to die and this baby isn't going to die because they're not alive to begin with. You're going to do your thing and I will give you some tips afterwards." The way the entire exam was put into perspective made me so much more comfortable and less stressed because let's be honest: lots of people fail their tests and end up becoming a great midwife after all. Don't think it is the end of the world if you fail, it's not. It probably only means having to do the exam over on another day, with the benefit that you then know what will happen while you didn't the first time.

4. Say what you're doing

I found that you don't have to do it all correct on your test, as long as you clearly speak out what you'd do in a real situation. I moved my sterile field without any gloves at all, but because I said in a real situation I would ask someone to do it in a sterile way for me, it was all fine. That you're saying what should be done and what is correct shows your examiner that you have thought about it. So if you make a mistake and recognise it, don't stress but casually explain yourself. Chances are you will still pass the exam. 

To everyone out there that has a practical examination coming up: go for it, you can do it and treat yourself afterwards ;).

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."