Questions first, review second, content third
Reading a review book cover to cover feels productive and changes little. Most of your time should go to answering questions and, above all, reading the explanations, including for the questions you got right by guessing. Go back to content review only for the topics your misses point to.
How many questions a day
- Six weeks or more out: 50 to 75 questions a day in study mode, with every explanation read.
- Two to six weeks out: 75 to 100 a day, mixed across categories, some in timed mode.
- The last week: fewer, lighter sets and your review queue. Rest is part of the plan.
A set you review carefully is worth more than two you rush. Twenty minutes on fifty explanations is the minimum.
Use the eight categories
The exam weights its eight client-needs categories differently: Management of Care and Pharmacology together are about a third of it. Practice in proportion, then put extra time into whichever categories are lowest for you.
Bring back your misses
A question you missed once and never saw again is a question you will miss again. Revisit misses a day later, then a few days later, then a week later. WriteSpan does this for you automatically: every miss returns at 1, 3, 7, 21 and 60 days.
Practice the Next Generation items
Matrix, cloze, bow-tie and select-all items carry partial credit and test the steps of clinical judgment. Know how each one works so the format never slows you down. Try one of each.
Take a full practice exam
Take a full-length practice exam two to three weeks before your date, at the time of day you will test, with breaks as you would take them. It builds stamina and shows where your pace breaks down.
The last week
- Review your misses and your lowest category, not new content.
- Confirm your test center, your identification and your route.
- Sleep. A rested mind reasons better than a crammed one.