passing the NBCOT exam

Hi,

I'm also in the process of studying for the NBCOT exam, and have no clue how long people usually need to study for it.

I cant help you but would also love any advice if it's out there......

I have been a nurse for 15 years. About 11 years ago i went back to school to obtain my OTA license. I worked for a little while during the time when reembursement wasnt fo great for OT. So i started nursing again. Messed around and let license expire now have to take board exam again to get them back. Anybody else experienced this and where did you get study info.

Hey,

I recently purchased TherapyEd’s National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam Review and Study Guide by Author Rita P. Fleming-Castaldy PhD, OTL, FAOTA. It cost me approx 135 dollars including shipping, but is definately the best resource I have come accross, as it has a full review of all content involved in exam, as well as practice questions and simulation tests on a cd rom.

I have literally started studying about 2 weeks ago (irish, so no cerfication exam here), and would love to know how long people usually study before applying to sit exam? eek!

I crammed for 4 days just before the exam and passed on my first try. I borrowed review books from the library and completed the practice tests within the 4 hour time limit. I checked the answers and studied the areas I got wrong or was weak in. The OT exam is a test of knowing the BEST answer of any given question.....not how great of an OT you will become. Meaning: passing the exam by 451 or 600 doesn't really matter as both people with those corresponding scores will become certified and eligible to work. How well you learned and retained info and apply it to your patients will make you the type of OT you become.
Basically, brush up on your weak areas and take timed-practice tests so you know how to test under pressure. Don't waste your time on stuff you already know just to build confidence; study what you don't know so well so that you have make the best guess. When in doubt pick "C."

Hey,
I am the one who originally posted but I have been studying for a week and a half so far. I plan to take the exam June 6th, so I plan to study until then. A girl in my class just passed and said she studied for about 3 weeks for about 8 hours a day. She said the questions in the Rita book were much harder than the test. At first I started to freak out because I could not seem to do very well in the practice questions but apparently this girl in my class failed all three and passed the exam so I guess don't take those questions in the book too seriously.

thanks - both of these comments are reassuring to me, as I have never talked to anyone who has sit/is sitting the exam - i especially like the 'if in doubt pick c' - i'll be remembering that one!

CC would love to hear how it goes for you on 6th June - best of luck!!!

June 6th???? Either you missed the exam or you meant July 6th? Or you have a whole year to study????

haha I just realized that...July 6th lol.

By the way...that is awesome you only studied for four days!!! perhaps i am overstudying?...I am just wondering...did you take the test recently? and did a lot of the practice questions trip you up or you felt the practice tests were pretty comparable to the exam?

thanks!

McD in Dublin, Ireland said: thanks - both of these comments are reassuring to me, as I have never talked to anyone who has sit/is sitting the exam - i especially like the 'if in doubt pick c' - i'll be remembering that one!

CC would love to hear how it goes for you on 6th June - best of luck!!!

thanks!!! good luck to you too...do you know when you are going to take it?

I graduated 10 years ago. The practice tests were nowhere similar to the actual test; however I did pass. I'm sure there are a lot more resources out over the past 10 yrs.

yeah, thanks for replying. were they easier or harder lol?!

I think the standards are changing a lot too though. I just found out today 3/5 people in my class who took the test failed :( I know people used to say that no one fails or perhaps 1% if that (at least at my school). ugggghhhh.....can't wait for this studying to be over!

I bought the therapyed book and studied for 2.5 months and I failed the exam. Any suggestions?

Nik in Hollywood, Florida said: I bought the therapyed book and studied for 2.5 months and I failed the exam. Any suggestions?

Hey Nik I also bought the Therapyed book and studied with two other books the NBCOT study guide and the a exam quiz book. I studied for 1 month and failed the exam, i am considering taking the prep course but its alot of money...indeed anyone have any suggestions ???

I'm happy that someone created this forum. It makes you feel a little better to know that there are other people going through the same thing.

Indeed Nik....email me at rossers@hotmail.com if you'd like to chat/study/swap annoyed frustrations about this exam. I wont be able to take my exam til Aug 24th, so I'll be grinding my teeth til then on some new study material...
best of luck

Im with you - if anyone has any tips they would be appreciated......

I am waiting on my test results. I took the stupid test in early July and have to wait until the 24th to find out if I passed.
I was kinda upset when I took the test and realized all the developmental levels I had memorized, MET levels and stupid levels of this and that I got from the Rita book was not at all on the test.I think I got lost in that book and just started memorizing way too much information.
I honestly think the best way to study is to actually read our text books. All of the NBCOT questions come from OT books such as the Case Smith peds books and the trombly phys dys book.
I guess the point of this post is just to say, don't study details. I got really carried away. It is best just to study general knowledge and you have a better way of making a decision if you have a general idea. Just my tip before you go into the exam.

CC, girl who started post in Waltham, Massachusetts said: I am waiting on my test results. I took the stupid test in early July and have to wait until the 24th to find out if I passed.
I was kinda upset when I took the test and realized all the developmental levels I had memorized, MET levels and stupid levels of this and that I got from the Rita book was not at all on the test.I think I got lost in that book and just started memorizing way too much information.
I honestly think the best way to study is to actually read our text books. All of the NBCOT questions come from OT books such as the Case Smith peds books and the trombly phys dys book.
I guess the point of this post is just to say, don't study details. I got really carried away. It is best just to study general knowledge and you have a better way of making a decision if you have a general idea. Just my tip before you go into the exam.

I took the exam July 2 and I received my results yesterday. Check your online acct at NBCOT, your results may be ready.

Has anyone taken the TherapyEd live prep course? If so, was it helpful? I'm going to try something different to pass the exam the 2nd time.

Nik in Hollywood, Florida said: Has anyone taken the TherapyEd live prep course? If so, was it helpful? I'm going to try something different to pass the exam the 2nd time.

Yes, I took it live. The class was split 50/50 with those who felt it was helpful and those who didn't. The only part that I really found helpful was the way they explained how to look at the question. What I mean by that is that you really need to pay attention to all of the aspects of the question. For example age, diagnosis, setting, etc. I am someone who reads test questions very quickly and I was not focusing on all of the aspects.

But I don't think that I would have paid to travel to take it, it was held at my university.

hey,
it is funny about an hour after i wrote this post i found out my results. i passed! thanks for telling me though Nik.
i know most people in my class took that class...the people who took it said it helped but again, if you paid that much, i think most people would just to feel better for paying that much. i know i just felt so upset during the test because i felt that rita book steered me in the wrong direction...all of those stupid things i memorized that never showed up on the test. i honestly really do think the best way to study is to read our text books...they take the answers straight from the book. once i started to do that it helped. especially for peds, all of the questions come from the case smith book. of course the nbcot practice tests are extremely helpful too...they just cost so much dang money.
well good luck everyone who is yet to take it.

I'm getting ready to take the exam in late August. Did anyone buy the NBCOT study guide? Is it worth the money? I have the Carolyn Johnson book, I've taken all those practice tests. And my school has an exit exam that most past students say is harder than the board exam, which I passed. But I'd really like to only have to take this once! Good luck to anyone taking the test soon!

The plus of the NBCOT book is that you actually get similar questions to what is on the exam. The Johnson questions seem to be a little bit easier I think than the NBCOT. I would actually recommend the NBCOT online practice test though compared to the book. I think it is more helpful because the questions it tells you what you got on the test (in the scaled version) and it is less expensive than the book I think. The practice exam is 45 dollars and can be found on the NBCOT website. The downside of the practice exam online though is that it does not tell you why your questions are right or wrong.
I guess I would recommend the NBCOT book or practice test just so you get an idea of what the test questions are like before going into it.
good luck!

Did you take just the OTR practice exam or did you take the content exams too?

Hi, Thank God I found this forum. I will be taking this exam for the 3rd time and it has been stressful for me, because I never failed anything before. But now I know where my weaknesses are and I am focusing on them? Does anyone has the Tromby book and can I borrow it? I promise I will return it once I take the exam. I'm still trying to buy it used, the books are so expensive. I also agree with CC who said to go back to the books which is my strategy now. And Nik, I also live in FL . let me know how u did on the test, you can swipe numbers if you don't mind. Take care

I meant to say to Nik that we can swipe numbers... so much for proofreading.

God, I really need to sleep. Yes, I meant exchanging numbers! lol.

Does anyone have any opinoins on the Therapy Ed. book? One of my friends said it was very helpful for him...but I can't decide whether or not to buy it. I hate not being able to flip thru these books before you put down the money...

j in Knoxville, Tennessee said: Did you take just the OTR practice exam or did you take the content exams too?

I took both but would recommend the content exams over the practice exam if you have to choose. The content exam tells you if your answer is right or wrong and why. It also seems the most similar to the actual exam.
If you do take the content exam, don't sign out right away...use up all your time that you paid for. The test does not give you a scaled score, so it is worthwhile to go through the test and remember the ones you got wrong and why you got them wrong. I did this and it helped me on the test because there were some similar questions on the test that reminded me of the practice questions which guided me in answering it.
Good luck with studying!

J in Paducah, Kentucky said: I'm getting ready to take the exam in late August. Did anyone buy the NBCOT study guide? Is it worth the money? I have the Carolyn Johnson book, I've taken all those practice tests. And my school has an exit exam that most past students say is harder than the board exam, which I passed. But I'd really like to only have to take this once! Good luck to anyone taking the test soon!

It would be great to take the exit exam that you took, for practice.

hi KROT, is there any way I can get that exam, or is it only for the students at your school?

J, I do have the therapy ed book but I would say that it's better to go back to the textbooks because the Therapy Ed book just outlines the concepts you need to know . but if you want to increase your critical thinking you need to understand the concepts in their contexts and the textbooks go into that more

The exit exam that I was referring to, is only for the students at my university, it's used and graded like a regular exam so there is no way for anyone else to be able to take it.

does anyone know where is the nbcot online practice exam? i cant find it on nbcot.org.

www.nbcot.org/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=74

hopefully that will work, or you can just go to google and type in nbcot practice questions. the first link should be the one.

I passed in April. Practice questions help somewhat, but I found the notes I took (and received from Friends) helped greatly. The ones I didn't have I bought the nbcotexam.com study guide (I think it's 20 bucks). It was like 300 pages of notes plus some free practice questions. One not to buy is the Momedia.com guide, it was terrible, it was more on how to take a test (any test) then it was about the NBCOT test.

Hi everyone. I am planning on taking the exams in late september and I need a study partner.

Hi all, I just took and passed the NBCOT exam. It wasn't too bad, I studied from the Rita book, but in all honesty it is best used as a reference not as a complete guide. I think the best thing to do is take all the practice questions and study them like you mean it. You need to know how to answer questions more than cramming information. These questions are mostly based on knowledge you already have, the trick is figuring out what they want from you. You only learn this skill from taking tons of questions. Buy the ones on the NBCOT website, best investment you can make! Good Luck

HI NN, congrats on passing the boards! Do you mind telling me what was ur strategy, as far as books u used, etc...

I'M using mosby practice book. so far i like it. it has a quiz mode, study mode and test mode. and gives u instant rationale for correct answers except on the test mode.Anyone else used it?

Hi Everyone,

If you are looking into more study resources, check out the OT Advantage Online Exam Prep Course. I took this and passed my OTR exam. It teaches you a ton about strategy, how to identify your weak areas, test preparation, and provides a lot of test questions during the course-plus it's not that expensive! Check it out.

thank you so much. I am going to check it out! did you do it face to face or online?

iloveot in Dallas, Texas said: Hi Everyone,

If you are looking into more study resources, check out the OT Advantage Online Exam Prep Course. I took this and passed my OTR exam. It teaches you a ton about strategy, how to identify your weak areas, test preparation, and provides a lot of test questions during the course-plus it's not that expensive! Check it out.

Hi Sarah
I really would like to talk you in person if you do not mind. Email me at tatd24@gmail.com please. I would really appreciate it.

Tate,

I guess I took a lot of practice exams. Get all the ones on the NBCOT website, those help.

Hey guys, I know this post is about the NBCOT exam but I had a question about OT grad school. I am going to start the BS/MS combined OT program this fall and I wanted to know if the MS portion will be any easier than the stand alone masters program a non OT Bachelors degree student would undergo... Our MS portion is only 1 year compared to the 2 years they have to take. I know its obviously shorter, but anybody know how the coursework is different? I heard the 2 year MS program is very difficult

Hey guys, I know this post is about the NBCOT exam but I had a question about OT grad school. I am going to start the BS/MS combined OT program this fall and I wanted to know if the MS portion will be any easier than the stand alone masters program a non OT Bachelors degree student would undergo... Our MS portion is only 1 year compared to the 2 years they have to take. I know its obviously shorter, but anybody know how the coursework is different? I heard the 2 year MS program is very difficult

ummm actually you failed to even answer the question. So again I ask, oh and this question is PG-13 Jillian, might want to ask mommy before answering again.

Hey guys, I know this post is about the NBCOT exam but I had a question about OT grad school. I am going to start the BS/MS combined OT program this fall and I wanted to know if the MS portion will be any easier than the stand alone masters program a non OT Bachelors degree student would undergo... Our MS portion is only 1 year compared to the 2 years they have to take. I know its obviously shorter, but anybody know how the coursework is different? I heard the 2 year MS program is very difficult

Jonathan, a BS/MS program would be the same as a "standalone" MA or MS OT program. The combined BS/MS program would have the 2 years of OT schooling; the last year of BS overlaps as a 1st year MA or MS program. You essentially pick up a BS along the way while you get a masters in OT. The combo route knocks off 1 year of college vs a traditional bachelor + masters degree. I hope this is making sense.
Basically, if you don't have a bachelor degree already, getting the combo will help shorten time and cost in getting a masters in OT.
Both programs will teach you the same. The difference between a MA and MS degree is that in MA you do a research project vs MS you do a thesis.

wow, that's some major cost cutting right there. but i wonder, why the shortcut? are they trying to get OT graduates out into the field as soon as possible without fully equipping them? i hope that combo is not knocking off further knowledge base required and failing to equip the students what they need. are there such combo programs with SLP and PT? if not, why does OT have to have such a combo program? or how come OT can get away with it?

OTdude in Piscataway, New Jersey said: There is no short cut with the OT portion of the program. For example, if you were a BIO major you would just complete 3 yrs undergrad in Bio and pick up a BA/BS in bio (I think) AFTER you completed your first year of OT schooling. The OT "proper" program is the SAME whether you have a bachelors already or not. No shortcuts....as you were hoping to point out. Just goes to show that you are looking for as many faults as possible with the schooling and profession.

oh but of course! if you want quality OT people, then you gotta give them quality education. no shortcuts about it.