By Jordan Lynch, MS, RDN, CDN
Studying for the RD exam can become overwhelming when you don’t have a plan. To make the most of your study time, follow these 5 tips to tackle the test.
Organization is KEY– Organize your study materials – handouts, copies of slides (electronic or printed), and questions – creating a separate folder for each study domain. Then, create a study plan! When creating your plan, one strategy is to focus on two domains per week: use the first half of the week to review different study materials from one domain and the second half of the week for a second domain. If creating a month-long study plan, you can color code your schedule by domain! And – make sure to include one break day each week! Studies show that people are more productive when they take breaks. Here is a schedule example:
MONDAY: Domain I: recordings and homework
TUESDAY: Domain I: flashcards and practice questions
WEDNESDAY: Domain I: slides, review of practice question answer rationales
THURSDAY: Domain II: recordings and homework
FRIDAY: Domain II: flashcards and practice questions
SATURDAY: Domain II: slides, review of practice question answer rationales
SUNDAY: BREAK
- Time Blocking – It’s so important to create non-negotiable study time each day: Block out time (for at least 2 hours) on your calendar and treat it like you’re going to work. Skipping your study time would be like calling in sick!
- Review – Go over study materials, including recordings from past lectures. With recordings, have slides available while you’re listening so you can pause to take additional notes. Don’t have any recordings to listen to? Sign up for one of our live Success Courses or try a prerecorded course and work at your own pace.
- Practice Questions – Do as many practice questions as you’re able to do. Review every question – even the ones you get correct – for the following:
- Why you got this question correct or incorrect
- Why the other choices are incorrect
- What all the information means.
If there is anything you feel you still need to memorize, make a flashcard!
- Reinforcement – Create flash cards for information you need to memorize (equations, temperatures, lab values, etc.) and take them EVERYWHERE! This way, you can pull them out a review no matter where you may be!
Still a little stuck? If you’re not feeling confident about creating a plan for yourself, let us do it for you! We offer customized study plans that fit your schedule. Email us at su*****@re**********.com or join our Dietitian Exam Success Facebook group for daily exam tips and inspiration!
