Passing the exam has been such a great feeling. I would like to thank Ilene and her great team for all their expertise and efforts in creating the Success Course. It has been a long journey for me this past year with exam prep. I had many study start/stops and it feels AWESOME to be able to move on to the next chapter.
My study observations along the way:
1) The Key to answering the exam questions…… is working the KEY Strategy. Really. Period.
Don’t rush, slow your roll. Read, re-read and re-read again the question AND answer options.
The answer is right there. Promise.
Even if you don’t know what exactly a vocabulary word is or concept they are asking about, by slowing down you can narrow down your options better.I hid the timer and checked it at about midway point to make sure I was not way off base on time.
2) Kimberly gave me great advice when I asked “outside of Success Course material/homework what should I focus on” she said Quality over Quantity. I asked because I had reviewed the material sooooo much over the year that I was a bit lost in the weeds on what I should focus on. I took this to mean (for me) to work the questions/topics I needed more practice in, and to NOT re-hash what I was solid in. So I didn’t hit panic mode and speed through a bunch of practice questions from the many resources I had for the sake of practice questions. Ya feel me?
For example: I needed to lock down community programs, management styles/theories, CQI/TQM and vitamin and minerals….. and really make connections with the concepts. So I made connections by focusing only on practice questions surrounding those topics until the light bulb went off. I made a few topic sheets like the Research sheet from the Research class. This really did not take as long as it sounds. AND it was so helpful!! Who knew?!?
3) Have on lock down topics that really need to be memorized. It is impossible to memorize all the study guides out there. It is, so stop trying. Stop it. 😉
You really do need to know your labs. Period. Nutrient content of foods such a huge topic, right?!
For example: memorize like 3-4 foods for each nutrient and move on. Don’t drive yourself nuts.
Same with food borne illness/intoxication. Memorize 2-3 main topics for 5-6 main ones. That way when faced with a question you can eliminate based on what you do know about it. Are ya feeling me yet?
Work the flashcards in Quizlet, it’s fun, it’s quick, work it!! You won’t regret it.
4) Re-visit your Success Course homework, like seriously read your graded assignment. Re-visit the class recordings. I knew my problem on the last exam was rushing through and not really having some knowledge on lock down. So the week leading up to my exam date I re-watched a few recordings (DM, nutrients class and research) to fill in my notes and solidify knowledge. I even re-watched the Key strategy first class, skip over the syllabus info and listen to Kimberly remind you to slow the heck down and make connections. Just do it.
5) Believe in yourself and all your efforts. It’s hard to do, kind of odd how we automatically lean towards a negative outcome especially if we have not succeed with the exam in the past. Look at yourself in the mirror and see the RD that you already are, you just need that silly wonderful piece of paper to prove it.
Now go slay that dragon!!!
Best, Denise Zacher, RDN
