My Life long dream is to become an Occupational Therapist. By passing the NBCOT (National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy) Exam I am finally certified. After 4 Long years of School, fieldwork, 3 months of studying and then passing the exam, I have now accomplished my dream.
So how did I pass the Exam you ask?
First we can skip over the 4 years of School and the Fieldwork because everyone should have finished this before taking the exam. So we will actually start at 3 months before your scheduled date. This month I go through all of my books and notes from the 4 years of schooling just to trigger everything again. I start writing down key points I should definitely know and points I need to study over again ( I.e. Nerves, treatments, etc.). Also in the first month I start to acquire some resources such as study guides and practice tests.
The Second Month
At the beginning of the Second month I go over as many practice questions as I can to see what I'm weak on. My first purchase recommendation is the National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam: Review and Study Guide by Rita Fleming Cottrell. This is known as the "Rita" by many. It's by far the best book to purchase for studying the Exam and the best part is that has a CD with many practice questions. Another book I think was good is the Occupational Therapy Review Guide by Johnson, Lorch and DeAngelis. This comes with a CD as well. The others are ok, but either is weak or outdated material. Go over these books every day and try to do as many practice questions as you can. Do only about 50 at a time so you do not get burned out.
The Last Month
The last month I keep doing what I did in the second month but at lesser pace. My second purchase recommendation is the NBCOTexam.com study guide and practice questions. These are two PDF files, one is practice questions (again, but they are up to date and exam style) and the other is items you should know. A lot of them, I believe they have over a 1000 items. YIKES! What I did with them is different then what my friends did. They highlighted everything they were unsure of. What I did was make flash cards for everything I was unsure of. I carried these cards with me everywhere. At a restaurant or yes, even in the bathroom, I studied. Call me crazy, but it helped!
One Week Out
OK you are now in the home stretch. Nerves are starting to set in. Do you best and try to stay calm. I know easier said then done. Do one practice test from the CD's mentioned above for about 100 questions. At this point you should hopefully be around 80-90 percent. Go over your flash cards again if you made them. Read your school books and Notes on anything your feel a little unsure about. Do this every day until the day before your test.
The Day Before
On the last day of studying, try to do three things this day. First do one more practice test, 100 questions again (so you don't get burned out) and it gets you in to "test mode". Second, read the NBCOTexam.com study guide (1000 things you should know) from start to finish. This will "cram" every last bit of knowledge into your brain! Well at least I hope.. And it will go over things you might have missed or not have studied as much in the last week. Then the last and most important thing is to get a goods night rest. You need a fresh mind! Don't drink alcohol or any kind of sleep aid though, as that could affect you tomorrow.
The Big Day (Test Day)
I know you are now nervous and don't want to eat but you should. Eat nothing too greasy or upsetting. Toast, oatmeal or maybe some fruit will do. Get something in your stomach, as it will be one less distraction. Get to the test site early too. YOu don't want any hang ups before hand. Plus if you get there early, you can go over your study guides, flash cards or notes on things you are weak on again. Also do not forget your forms of Identification and your admission paperwork. Most places with have tissue / water / scratch paper so you can bring it but if you forget it, don't worry. Also go to the bathroom before entering the Exam area, which is again, one less distraction to deal with. Right before the exam, RELAX, take deep breathes and focus on relaxing..
The Exam
This is a 200 Question exam with a 4 hour time limit. Go through each question and answer as many as you can. Read every word. Mark the ones you are unsure of and go back when you go through all 200. If you don't know the question, don't panic as some of the questions are "test questions". Don't forget to check the time, as you will see time will fly as you are taking the test and if you don't watch the clock you might have 40 questions to go with less than a half hour of time left. Once you are back to the questions you marked, go over them again, reread the question and try and focus on the main points of the question to see if it triggers something from your study. Try and rationalize each answer. Don't doubt yourself as your first choice might be the right answer.
The Waiting
After finishing the exam, don't doubt yourself or second guess each answer you might think was wrong. Just relax and endure the "waiting process". The "waiting process" is to some torture and you check the mailbox daily for that letter. 4 years plus all coming down to this one piece of paper. Once you get it, your fingers tremble and then you open it. It starts out "Congratulations!" Everything else is a blur. YOU PASSED.
The Journey
I hope this article will help someone out there pass the NBCOT. It is a tough exam but with a good amount of studying you will pass. Get the "Rita" and the NBCOTexam.com study guide if all possible. Those were my bibles along with a positive attitude. Not once did I think I was going to fail. Use this letter as your blueprint and go out and pass the NBCOT Exam! GOOD LUCK to ALL!
Sharon Schneider, OTR/L has a BS in Occupational Therapy from Boston University , Boston Massachusetts .
