# How do you pass the freaking test!!!



## sonnyboy40 (Dec 10, 2012)

After failing paramedic national registry for the fourth time, Im wondering how in the world do you pass the dang test???? Prior to taking registry, I took practice test almost everyday from jb learning, emt achieve, and fisdap (I was scoring between 65 and 75) I also used the ems success download and listened to it while I was working out at the gym and/or during my down-time at work. In addition, I went back and studied my notes from medic class and wrote new ones. I actually studied more and harder than I did the eighteen months that I spent in medic school. My life revolved around nothing other than studying for national registry so I was fairly confident going in to take registry. The day of testing,I wrote on the board that they gave me:c/c, vitals and keyword(s),the parkland formula,rules of nines,drug calc formulas and the glascow coma scale. When I started taking the test, I read the question and wrote down the c/c, vitals,etc. then I read the question again eliminating all the BS in the question then I read the answers and first eliminated the two I thought was wrong then picked the one that I thought was right. I made it up to around question 135 with 8mins left before it cut off. After the test was over, I felt very confident that I had passed so needless to say I was VERY devastated when I found out that I had not passed.I scored me:
AIRWAYS-below passing
CARDIOLOGY-above passing
TRAUMA-below passing
MEDICAL-near passing
EMS OPERATIONS-below passing
 So my question is, what do I do now? Do I study different? or how or what do I need to study before I take it again?  I plan on taking it again in Jan.


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## medic417 (Dec 10, 2012)

Who did your refresher after the third fail?   

Your scores on practice are not very good.

Maybe try www.jonpuryear.com he has good success prepping for NR.


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## TheLocalMedic (Dec 11, 2012)

I'm one of those people that folks like to hate because of my testing style.  I'm the first one done and generally get the top score in the class.  Am I smarter than the other people in the class?  Maybe, but I don't think so.  I think it all has to do with the way I approach the test itself.  In fact, at a young age (12) I participated in a program from Johns Hopkins that studied testing technique and looked at how various testing styles affected end results.  I took the SATs in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades (in addition to other tests) to see how I ranked against 12th+ level students.  (I should add that I was selected for this program due to the fact that I had an advanced reading level, in the 2nd grade I was at the college level for reading comprehension.  I'm not bragging, just laying out some history for why the hell I was tested to begin with.)  I consistently tested in the top 1%.  Why?  It's not as though I studied...

So, why can I walk in with minimal studying and walk out before anyone else and come away with the highest score?  It's all about psychology and the understanding of what goes into making a test.  For some reason I have an intuitive grasp as to which question is "right", and I have made it my mission to help other people in learning some of my techniques.  

Obviously, it helps to have an understanding of the subject you are going to be tested on.  And when I say "understanding" I mean that you have to get your hands on any literature available to you that even remotely relates to your subject of study.  Having trouble with airway questions?  Don't limit yourself to the "paramedic" level books.  Locate and scan through anything that relates to "airway" questions.  Pick out books for respiratory therapy, memoirs from respiratory therapists, lit on arterial blood gasses, internet resources about intubation and airway management.  As for cardiology, there's no dearth of literature regarding anything you could ever want to know.  But if you have a hard time getting through dense scientific literature, try hitting up some semi-fictitious or "memoir" type books for insight.  

Okay, so you have some basic understanding of the material...  How the heck does that help you pass a detailed test?  Well, here's how I go about it...  

TAKE A BREATH

Look at the question.  Read it through briefly.  At a glance you can tell the kind of question as well as the subject.  All I see at first is "respiratory" "female" "unconscious" "what do you do FIRST".  Okay, that's easy.  Always think simple answers first.  You know your category and what the general sense is.  You have a resp pt and they want to know your first course of action.  If it's a first-or-last question (which many are) just mull it around for a second and put yourself in that place.  Imagine that you are treating that exact patient (I pretend that every scene takes place inside my home for some reason, which helps) and then go through the "BLS before ALS" and then "what comes first in my patient assessment".  You'd be surprised at how many questions are based on the Patient Assessment sheet provided by National Registry.  

I always look at the question and get an immediate gut reaction.  You can generally formulate in your own mind exactly what the answer is before you even look at the possible given answers.  Then, once you attack the idea, scan the possible answers and immediately eliminate the wrong ones.  On any given question there are generally two obvious wrong answers.  This leaves you with one or two possibilities.  If you have two potentials, then re-read the question to differentiate between the possibilities.  Remember to be careful about the "which comes first" stuff, as the "first" thing you do may not be the "most important" thing you can do for the patient.  

Remember to GO FAST!  Your gut reaction is almost always the right answer.  I never revise an answer once I have filled it in.  In the case of dosage questions, remember that they like to throw out the wrong drug in the proper dose to try and trip you up.  Find keywords in every question.  Words like "dose", "first", "next", "if", "[body part]".  But always keep your speed up.  If you have no idea, then skip the question, mark it on your sheet, and then come back to it later if you can.  For national registry you can't go back, so just go go go go go and don't look back!  

So...  I guess this should sum it up...

Give it a quick glance, go with your gut, and go fast without looking back. 

This is all I use to come our ahead when I test.  I don't need to be an expert as long as I have a little info about the subject.  I just apply what I know and jam out of there as fast as I can.  

So go with your gut and get it done!  Tests are easy as long as you don't psych yourself out!.


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## gw812 (Dec 26, 2012)

How do you pass? Get most of the questions right...


...had to...


Okay, using the little dry-erase board to 'vomit' your knowledge is good. I needed my ACLS drugs and doses, Parkland, Rule of Nines for adults and peds, and flowcharts for assessment and treatment from ACLS and AMLS. As long as you HAVE memorized those right write them down first and refer to them. 

Next, follow local's advice above and read the question for 'trigger phrases' that tell you what you must do - 'what do you do next' or '...first' means follow your flowchart, 'most critical treatment' means the thing you do to keep them from dying (saw it a lot with respiratory...) or the definitive treatment they need, things like that. 

Now, remember that you can toss out 2 of the answers fast. They will be obviously wrong but include some right stuff to distract you. This leaves you with 2 correct answers but one is 'more' correct - has the right stuff IN THE RIGHT ORDER. Back to the flowcharts and your assessment knowledge for this. 

What to do when confused on a question? Reread, check math, and then go with your gut. Don't dwell.

Parkland formula? CHECK YOUR MATH AND DO IT TWICE. From there, if you don't have an exact answer choose the one closest to what you got. These are good opportunities to be reasonably sure of getting a correct answer.

Know about scabies. Don't ask why, just know about it.


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## gw812 (Dec 26, 2012)

Oh, take a couple practice tests a day on JB Learning. Do a final exam as often as you can. Try to memorize those q's and answers - they WILL show up on NREMT.


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## Medic Tim (Dec 26, 2012)

gw812 said:


> Oh, take a couple practice tests a day on JB Learning. Do a final exam as often as you can. Try to memorize those q's and answers - they WILL show up on NREMT.



memorizing the questions will usually not help. The nremt has thousands of questions in its test bank. Not understanding why an answer is right or wrong usually leads to failing, especially for a best answer test like the nremt.


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## RichLew (Dec 27, 2012)

I just passed my medic yesterday, first try. So let me throw out my $.02 real quick. First off, relax before you go in. Have an understanding that you won't get every question right and that there will be some that are completely over your head. Just be confident. Second, like posted above, trust your gut. Generally, at least for myself, your first impression tends to be correct. Dissect the question to the best of your ability focusing on what is needed and what is a filler. And finally, remember, just because you're a "medic" doesn't mean everything has to be ALS. Start from the basics, I had a lot of "what should you do next?" questions... ABC's they're always first for a reason. Hope this helps.


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## Veneficus (Dec 27, 2012)

Have you tried taking a break?


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## gw812 (Dec 27, 2012)

Medic Tim - might have misspoke. I mean to memorize the content of the questions. If the program is showing them a great deal it is because that content has a high chance if showing up in the exam, which it did.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 27, 2012)

Veneficus said:


> Have you tried taking a break?



You bring up a very valid point. Relax. The more you cram and stress yourself out the worse you are going to do. 

If you haven't passed by try four you need to change something because what you're doing now isn't working. 

EMS Ops is easy...BUT there's only 2 maybe three questions on it so you have to get them all right. That's easy stuff, the chapter is only like 4 pages long...

As far as the other sections, I'm not going to parrot the good advice that's already been given.


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## alabamatriathlete (Dec 27, 2012)

TheLocalMedic said:


> Always think simple answers first.



Truth. ABC or CABC depending on patient. Longggg time ago, a very wise person told me that regardless of the level of care, always work simple to complex on your procedures for fixing your ABC's. Who cares if they're in pain, who cares if they're uncomfortable, etc - I'd rather have a screaming patient than a silent one (when the loud ones go quiet, and you didn't...induce that "quiet"..yeahhhh). But ABC's, work simple. Why intubate and do PPV when you can start with a ambu-bag and do PPV? If it works and sats are cool, I can live with that, and so can the patient. 



gw812 said:


> How do you pass? Get most of the questions right..



Just outstanding :rofl:



Veneficus said:


> Have you tried taking a break?



At this point, probably the best advice bro. I know it is all you might be thinking about and trying to do all this research and so forth, but it's like long-range shooting in bad elements. Miss once, your confidence starts to become unsteady, like your aim. Sometimes you need to take a break, focus on something else, and then when you come back...cold-bore, dead-eye hit at 750 meters. 

As much as a bunch of us in "advance" medicine like to think we are, we're not perfect.


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## Joemedic (Nov 7, 2014)

hry there do


sonnyboy40 said:


> After failing paramedic national registry for the fourth time, Im wondering how in the world do you pass the dang test???? Prior to taking registry, I took practice test almost everyday from jb learning, emt achieve, and fisdap (I was scoring between 65 and 75) I also used the ems success download and listened to it while I was working out at the gym and/or during my down-time at work. In addition, I went back and studied my notes from medic class and wrote new ones. I actually studied more and harder than I did the eighteen months that I spent in medic school. My life revolved around nothing other than studying for national registry so I was fairly confident going in to take registry. The day of testing,I wrote on the board that they gave me:c/c, vitals and keyword(s),the parkland formula,rules of nines,drug calc formulas and the glascow coma scale. When I started taking the test, I read the question and wrote down the c/c, vitals,etc. then I read the question again eliminating all the BS in the question then I read the answers and first eliminated the two I thought was wrong then picked the one that I thought was right. I made it up to around question 135 with 8mins left before it cut off. After the test was over, I felt very confident that I had passed so needless to say I was VERY devastated when I found out that I had not passed.I scored me:
> AIRWAYS-below passing
> CARDIOLOGY-above passing
> TRAUMA-below passing
> ...


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## joshrunkle35 (Nov 7, 2014)

I would go back to FISDAP and figure out what's going on there. It is very similar to registry (but a little harder IMHO). My school required an 80% on each section of the FISDAP (with one retake on one test) or you were kicked out of school. We had a low graduation rate, but everyone passed registry on their first try.  Because the rules were so strict, everyone really studied for those FISDAP tests, and most people came in with 88-98% right.

If you are saying that you are getting around a 70% on a FISDAP, you are not ready to take the registry test. 

You either have an issue with knowledge, judgement, application or follow-through. 

Knowledge: you either know the simple facts or you don't.

Judgement: you either read the question correctly and formulate what is actually going on or you don't.

Application: you either understand the correct treatment or you don't.

Follow through: you either read the answers correctly and choose the best answer or you don't. 

What is your issue on the FISDAP? Are you lost? Do you have test anxiety, do you feel like it's a bad test? Do you have trouble understanding the questions?


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## teedubbyaw (Nov 7, 2014)

joshrunkle35 said:


> I would go back to FISDAP and figure out what's going on there. It is very similar to registry (but a little harder IMHO). My school required an 80% on each section of the FISDAP (with one retake on one test) or you were kicked out of school. We had a low graduation rate, but everyone passed registry on their first try.  Because the rules were so strict, everyone really studied for those FISDAP tests, and most people came in with 88-98% right.
> 
> If you are saying that you are getting around a 70% on a FISDAP, you are not ready to take the registry test.
> 
> ...



How did y'all study for fisdap?


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## joshrunkle35 (Nov 7, 2014)

We did the practice quizzes, listened to the podcasts and did JB Learning and then met in study groups and quizzed each other for hours every weekend. Listening to the FISDAP podcasts and then studying everything they mention really helps. I bought three other company's podcasts and they were worthless. We found lots of practice paramedic tests on the Internet and did those.

I think the biggest thing that helped in the end was spending 10-20 hours a week studying on my own and another 6-8 hours a week with a study group. 

I passed EMT and Paramedic Registries on my first try. Personally, I didn't spend time writing down every formula. It just eats up the time. Either you know that info cold or you don't. 

Here's the biggest thing that I noticed about people who pass registry vs those who fail. There were people who got like a 95% on a FISDAP. They would go back, find out which sections they did poorly on and study those. Why? Because they weren't content with not knowing everything. They felt that their patient's deserved the best. Then there was the person who was like, "Yes! 83%! Just made it! Whew, I'm never studying that section again until the final." Those people never made it. Not because they initially scored lower than the first person, but because they were content only knowing most of the material. I say this because when I did JB learning or similar, I never cared about what score I got, only about what questions I got wrong and why I got them wrong. Quit studying the stuff you know, only study the stuff you don't know. 

Also, more important than, "What did people do right" on the FISDAP is, what are you doing wrong? The sooner you can identify the areas of learning where you are weak, the sooner you can go about solving them.


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## BigDEMT (Nov 7, 2014)

Go to Amazon and order the book:

*How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less*


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## gotbeerz001 (Nov 7, 2014)

All I used was the Navigate Test Prep App from InforMed and JB Learning. I believe if you already have an account, you may be able to use it with your login. It comes with about 600 questions covering all 6 paradigms. 

I never even did the simulated NREMT test simulator, I just would do 25-35 questions whenever I had down time. Best part about it is it will show you the correct answer then explain the concepts behind why that was the best choice and the others were not. Those concepts and learning how to read the questions are the most important skills for being successful. 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id606535337


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## weezeehamilton (Mar 6, 2016)

sonnyboy40 said:


> After failing paramedic national registry for the fourth time, Im wondering how in the world do you pass the dang test???? Prior to taking registry, I took practice test almost everyday from jb learning, emt achieve, and fisdap (I was scoring between 65 and 75) I also used the ems success download and listened to it while I was working out at the gym and/or during my down-time at work. In addition, I went back and studied my notes from medic class and wrote new ones. I actually studied more and harder than I did the eighteen months that I spent in medic school. My life revolved around nothing other than studying for national registry so I was fairly confident going in to take registry. The day of testing,I wrote on the board that they gave me:c/c, vitals and keyword(s),the parkland formula,rules of nines,drug calc formulas and the glascow coma scale. When I started taking the test, I read the question and wrote down the c/c, vitals,etc. then I read the question again eliminating all the BS in the question then I read the answers and first eliminated the two I thought was wrong then picked the one that I thought was right. I made it up to around question 135 with 8mins left before it cut off. After the test was over, I felt very confident that I had passed so needless to say I was VERY devastated when I found out that I had not passed.I scored me:
> AIRWAYS-below passing
> CARDIOLOGY-above passing
> TRAUMA-below passing
> ...




Hey, i know its been literally years since you first made this post.  Im afraid I may be in the same situation.  Ive only taken once, and i didnt pass.  Enough time hasn't gone by since i failed, so i haven't scheduled the next test date yet.  It seems we have a similar studying routine though.  I did sooooo much studying for tests during medic school, and yet i never passed ANY test on the first try, which is pretty discouraging.  Quite frankly, im a TERRIBLE test taker.  You being someone i feel i can relate to, what were you able to do to pass.  Thanks in advance, hopefully you see this soon.


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## gotbeerz001 (Mar 6, 2016)

^ See the post above yours.

Also, I have a hard time when people say they are "bad test takers". 
Either you don't know the material or you have poor reading comprehension and do not understand what is being asked; you can work towards finding tools to correct either of those deficiencies. To say you are a bad test taker is a cop out with no real path for correction.


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## weezeehamilton (Mar 6, 2016)

gotshirtz001 said:


> ^ See the post above yours.
> 
> Also, I have a hard time when people say they are "bad test takers".
> Either you don't know the material or you have poor reading comprehension and do not understand what is being asked; you can work towards finding tools to correct either of those deficiencies. To say you are a bad test taker is a cop out with no real path for correction.



I have an android.  Will the test prep work from a computer or android.  Also, my reading comprehension is sort of what i mean when i say im a bad test taker.  I do have issues understanding what a question is asking me.  I also tend to read in to the question instead of answering what the question is asking.  I guess im looking for some sort of material that will have me with identifying tricks within the tests that are designed to throw you off, or keywords to look out for in a question


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## gotbeerz001 (Mar 6, 2016)

Hmm. I have heard there is not an android app (which is silly). You should be able to access the site but the good part of the app is that it is portable and does not require a subscription.

Otherwise, the quizzes do exactly what you say; provide strategies for how to identify what is being asked.


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## joshrunkle35 (Mar 7, 2016)

gotshirtz001 said:


> ^ See the post above yours.
> 
> Also, I have a hard time when people say they are "bad test takers".
> Either you don't know the material or you have poor reading comprehension and do not understand what is being asked; you can work towards finding tools to correct either of those deficiencies. To say you are a bad test taker is a cop out with no real path for correction.



I am typically a "good test-taker", but for the sake of argument, I do believe there are "bad test-takers". 

1). There are people as you pointed out who have poor reading or comprehension skills, but it can go beyond that...

2). There are people who have difficulty with "critical thinking", that is to say, they have difficulty with their reasoning skills. (This is the one that is hardest to fix, especially as an adult)

3). There are people who experience severe anxiety from tests in general. I guess if you had a time machine and could go back and fix the right trigger that began it all, or could delicately re-wire someone's neural pathways, then this could be a simple fix. However, there are some medical solutions that can help, certain medications, certain dispensation for lighting in the room, or other factors to affect testing anxiety.

4). There are people who have difficulty focusing. The exam starts and all they are concerned with is the sweating of their palms, the temperature in the room, the barely audible ticking of the clock, how their dry erase marker isn't working very well, what the person seated near them is wearing...

Regardless, there are some awesome EMTs that I work with who know the book information for medic school down cold, are awesome in the field under pressure, can reason through long case examples, but can't pass the test, and have difficulty passing written tests in general. It's not just as simple as saying, "Work harder to get smarter." There can certainly be other factors involved.


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## STXmedic (Mar 7, 2016)

The type you describe, who truly have the book knowledge but can't pass the test due to some severe performance anxiety, are very few and far between. Just about every student we get that fails will use the "bad test taker" excuse- especially the students who fail the second or third time (luckily we don't get too many of those). For 95% of them, I'm not surprised at all that they failed. Their knowledge is lacking, despite how they come off to their peers. They either don't study or don't study effectively, and their knowledge is far lower than what they perceive.


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## Gurby (Mar 7, 2016)

weezeehamilton said:


> I have an android.  Will the test prep work from a computer or android.  Also, my reading comprehension is sort of what i mean when i say im a bad test taker.  I do have issues understanding what a question is asking me.  I also tend to read in to the question instead of answering what the question is asking.  I guess im looking for some sort of material that will have me with identifying tricks within the tests that are designed to throw you off, or keywords to look out for in a question



Forget about EMS.  You should open up a holistic urgent care clinic, that's where the money is.


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## weezeehamilton (Mar 7, 2016)

joshrunkle35 said:


> I am typically a "good test-taker", but for the sake of argument, I do believe there are "bad test-takers".
> 
> 1). There are people as you pointed out who have poor reading or comprehension skills, but it can go beyond that...
> 
> ...



I definitely do experience a lot of anxiety when it comes to taking any test, as well as an inability to focus. and im sure everyone experiences some level of anxiety as well.  but for whatever reason my anxiety gets the best of me and i dont pass.  i know some of my flaws when taking tests.  I just dont know how to go about fixing it


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## joshrunkle35 (Mar 7, 2016)

weezeehamilton said:


> I definitely do experience a lot of anxiety when it comes to taking any test, as well as an inability to focus. and im sure everyone experiences some level of anxiety as well.  but for whatever reason my anxiety gets the best of me and i dont pass.  i know some of my flaws when taking tests.  I just dont know how to go about fixing it



If you take realistic practice tests with high marks, but consistently get low ones when taking them for real, and you are fairly sure this is due to anxiety, then speak with your doctor about it. Your doctor can possibly prescribe a medication in limited quantity for anxiety while testing, and can also write a note to allow for slightly changed test conditions to accommodate your disability (assuming the doctor diagnoses the issue as a disability related to testing anxiety).


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## TattooedNay (Mar 11, 2016)

joshrunkle35 said:


> Your doctor can possibly prescribe a medication in limited quantity for anxiety while testing, and can also write a note to allow for slightly changed test conditions to accommodate your disability (assuming the doctor diagnoses the issue as a disability related to testing anxiety).




I highly discourage this.


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## TattooedNay (Mar 11, 2016)

While in medic school, I was fortunate enough to have an insane instructor who would intentionally try to create distractions during class, and quizzes. I still have trouble focusing on people clicking pens or listening to the heavy breathers. but during my two years I realized I was over thinking everything. I decided to go into tests with a positive attitude, thinking "MAN, I LOVE TESTS. THEY ARE SO MUCH FUN. FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE IS THE BEST"  I kept repeating that. It became my mantra or sick twisted positive affirmation. Saying I loved the challenge and loved the stress. I did the same with interviews, going into them thinking this is all a game- I am smart, I know this material, I am a gem, I WILL pass and I WILL get hired. 

For some reason it worked. I take my NRP next week and although I'm nervous, I've just come to terms with it. At this point I have taken so many f'n tests I am too exhausted to lose sleep over this. I know the information is in there.. on one hand, getting worked up isn't productive, but I like to think a little anxiety is helpful. 

ALSO *fun fact*- I have a playlist of "fight songs" that pump me up. It's usually really deep south gangster rap. I'm a little white girl, and I will sit in the parking lot just blasting music. I don't care. You need to find what works for you. Good luck! You got this!


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## joshrunkle35 (Mar 11, 2016)

TattooedNay said:


> While in medic school, I was fortunate enough to have an insane instructor who would intentionally try to create distractions during class, and quizzes. I still have trouble focusing on people clicking pens or listening to the heavy breathers. but during my two years I realized I was over thinking everything. I decided to go into tests with a positive attitude, thinking "MAN, I LOVE TESTS. THEY ARE SO MUCH FUN. FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE IS THE BEST"  I kept repeating that. It became my mantra or sick twisted positive affirmation. Saying I loved the challenge and loved the stress. I did the same with interviews, going into them thinking this is all a game- I am smart, I know this material, I am a gem, I WILL pass and I WILL get hired.
> 
> For some reason it worked. I take my NRP next week and although I'm nervous, I've just come to terms with it. At this point I have taken so many f'n tests I am too exhausted to lose sleep over this. I know the information is in there.. on one hand, getting worked up isn't productive, but I like to think a little anxiety is helpful.
> 
> ALSO *fun fact*- I have a playlist of "fight songs" that pump me up. It's usually really deep south gangster rap. I'm a little white girl, and I will sit in the parking lot just blasting music. I don't care. You need to find what works for you. Good luck! You got this!



All I can picture is a bunch of SEALs getting wet and sandy having the freezing tide rushing in, arms all locked together while being asked questions about cardiac medications. 

Seriously, it's an unrealistic test. If it were realistic, you would answer every question with a partner or two and be able to contact online medical control, look up cheat sheets, field guides, etc. 

It has more to do with academia and institutional inertia ("I did it this way, we do it this way, you will do it this way") than it does a test to measure ones job performance ability. 

Getting special dispensation or treatment to cope with a singular moment of anxiety in no way reflects the future of the job. At all. It's no different than the people who need Xanax 1-2 times a year only when they fly somewhere. Situational anxiety is a real thing for some people.


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## Medic76 (May 12, 2022)

gotbeerz001 said:


> ^ See the post above yours.
> 
> Also, I have a hard time when people say they are "bad test takers".
> Either you don't know the material or you have poor reading comprehension and do not understand what is being asked; you can work towards finding tools to correct either of those deficiencies. To say you are a bad test taker is a cop out with no real path for correction.


Not true. I know some of the very BEST Paramedics that are horrible nervous second guessing test takers. Your comment is judgmental, inaccurate and rude.


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## CCCSD (May 13, 2022)

6 year old necropost.


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