Examining test performance, a common practice in nursing education, can be a vital learning tool, as well as a means of assessment. Exam or cognitive wrappers, performed by students after an exam but before the exam review, can explicitly teach students to discern between what they do and what they do not know. The process teaches metacognition, the highest level of critical thinking. Nursing students need to be proficient in metacognition for professional growth well beyond the classroom. However, little information about these cognitive exercises, known as exam wrappers, exists in nursing education today.

Published ahead of print issue.