Whether you’re enrolling in a tutoring course or purchasing one (or more) study guides, preparing for the RD exam is an investment. Here are our five tips for smarter financing:
1. Be on the lookout for discounts and promotions
The simplest way to ease your financial burden when preparing for the exam is to take advantage of a service’s discounts. Join the organization’s mailing list, which often will include free downloadables – like our study plan! This is a great way to stay in the loop about sales and other promotions.
2. Utilize rewards for referrals
Exam prep companies and services will often offer rewards, such as discounts, for clients who share the service with their networks, as long as this yields more clients. Utilize social media – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – to help promote the organization and reap the benefits, while helping your friends in need!
3. Consider PayPal credit
PayPal Credit is a revolving credit account that is built into your existing PayPal account and allows you to pay for purchases right away or over time. This card is interest-free if paid in full within six months on purchases of $99 or more! This is a great option for a dietetics student – full-time job or not!
4. Inquire about your employer’s ability to reimburse for professional training courses
Those who are already employed are encouraged to contact their human resources department and/or union to find out if there are funds available for training. Many employers and unions DO reimburse their employees for services like test preparation courses for licensing exams ie, the RD exam! Don’t have a job? Take the reimbursement idea into account while job searching – inquire on interviews if the employer has the funds to assist you in your training.
5. REMEMBER: your exam preparation is an investment in your future
Yes, preparing for the RD exam can become costly. But why wouldn’t you want to invest everything you can to ensure you reach your goal of becoming an RD? Imagine a nutrition counseling position that pays you $25 per hour without the RD credential, and $50 per hour with the RD credential. And let’s say you put $800 towards your exam preparation. As an RD in that role, you’d make $2000 in one 40-hour week, more than twice the amount invested in the exam prep, and twice the amount you’d make without the credential.
No matter what you put in now, your return on investment will be HUGE when you have the letters “RD” after your name, and you are headed toward a successful career in nutrition and dietetics.
