Studying, Some Thoughts

So I PASSED MY EXAM! Make your therapy appointments now because I can finally practice independently, just kidding! Passing this exam means I’m officially able to practice as a therapist, which I’ve been doing for about four years now, but under a supervisor’s license. Now that I have passed this exam, I will be able to have my own practice and operate a bit more independently. If anyone else has had goals that require a licensing exam, I have so much empathy for you. I’m not a natural test taker and as good as I am at a lot  things, exams have never been my thing. At all. This test was basically a logic/reasoning exam, as that’s often what doing therapy and working with people in need requires. If you are planning to take any exams in preparation of the LCSW or LMFT exams I would highly recommend using the program I used, Therapist Development Center. I am by no means a study expert but I had to do a lot of work getting prepared for this and these are just a few things that helped me. Enjoy! 

1. Organize: The study program I used was a big proponent of this. They set a schedule that was easy to follow and on target with a timeline. If you don’t have one I recommend making one, with each section you are planning to tackle in order and with a space for the dates you plan to cover them and another space for the date you actually cover them. The recommendation I got from my study tools  was to do so about 3-5 times a week, for only up to two hours at a time. I gave myself some room so that if I missed a day here and there I wouldn’t feel too behind or worried. Although I didn’t know for sure when I’d be able to take my exam, I still followed the regimen for the most part with a ballpark date in mind. It was really helpful so I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the amount I had to study since it was all broken up into days and time. Each time I finished a position, I happily crossed it out on my schedule and it felt really satisfying! 

2. Eat, sleep and exercise: This I believe really made the biggest difference for me. I made sure to get in exercise as much as possible, particularly on the days I wasn’t studying and before studying as much as possible. There is research to show how exercise, eating healthy and getting enough sleep will really help in retaining new information successfully, as well as  helping execute on exams. I’ve always neglected how much my diet, sleep and exercise has impacted my brain functioning throughout my academic career and even in my professional one, but as you can imagine it really does have an impact. 

1. Organize: The study program I used was a big proponent of this. They set a schedule that was easy to follow and on target with a timeline. If you don’t have one I recommend making one, with each section you are planning to tackle in order and with a space for the dates you plan to cover them and another space for the date you actually cover them. The recommendation I got from my study tools  was to do so about 3-5 times a week, for only up to two hours at a time. I gave myself some room so that if I missed a day here and there I wouldn’t feel too behind or worried. Although I didn’t know for sure when I’d be able to take my exam, I still followed the regimen for the most part with a ballpark date in mind. It was really helpful so I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the amount I had to study since it was all broken up into days and time. Each time I finished a position, I happily crossed it out on my schedule and it felt really satisfying! 

2. Eat, sleep and exercise: This I believe really made the biggest difference for me. I made sure to get in exercise as much as possible, particularly on the days I wasn’t studying and before studying as much as possible. There is research to show how exercise, eating healthy and getting enough sleep will really help in retaining new information successfully, as well as  helping execute on exams. I’ve always neglected how much my diet, sleep and exercise has impacted my brain functioning throughout my academic career and even in my professional one, but as you can imagine it really does have an impact. 

Good Luck!!

-MGN