These days, rates of test anxiety are on the rise for students all over the country.
If you’re getting ready to take a test like the MBLEX, which can have a huge impact on your future career options, it’s totally understandable that you’re feeling a bit anxious.
The good news, though, is that there are a lot of steps you can take to relieve test anxiety. One of the best strategies is to make sure you’re studying and are thoroughly prepared for exam day.
If it’s been a while since you’ve studied for a big test like this, or if you tend to have trouble studying, you’ve come to the right place.
Listed below are seven strategies that will help you pass the MBLEX with flying colors.
1. Create a Study Schedule
The sooner you start studying for the MBLEX, the better off you’ll be. This is not the kind of test you can cram for the night before. It’s a professional licensing exam, and you need to take it seriously.
Once you’ve scheduled the date for your exam, work backward and create a study schedule for yourself.
Figure out how much time you’re going to spend each day studying (yes, you should be doing something each day) and where your focus will be.
Which days will be set aside for review guides? Which days will be devoted to taking practice tests?
Once you’ve created a study schedule for yourself, commit to it. Treat your study sessions just like you would classes or other appointments.
2. Work on Critical and Clinical Thinking
In order to pass the MBLEX, you’re going to need to do more than just memorize terms and the muscles of the body. No, you’ll need to prove that you’re capable of critical and clinical thinking.
A lot of questions on the MBLEX involve some kind of clinical assessment, as well as knowledge of the muscles of the body.
For example, you might be faced with a question about someone who has sustained an injury and can’t adduct their arm as a result. You’ll then need to identify the muscles that are injured and contributing to this dysfunction.
Start challenging yourself with these kinds of questions early on so you’re not taken aback on test day.
3. Learn to Manage Your Stress
This might seem like an impossible task when you’re in the throes of test anxiety. The better you can manage your stress, though, the better off you’ll be on test day.
Some steps you can take to manage your stress effectively include:
Remember Your “Why”
Remind yourself of why you want to pass this exam and start working as a massage therapist. By remembering your “why,” you can stay motivated and eager to pass the test so you can start working toward achieving your long-term goals.
Don’t Procrastinate
Procrastination is a huge source of test anxiety for a lot of people. It has an easy solution, though. Start studying early.
The longer you put off studying, the worse you’ll feel. This is where that study schedule comes in handy.
Stay Positive
Finally, remember to stay positive. Don’t tell yourself that you’re going to fail the test or that you can’t study effectively.
Change the way you talk to yourself and remind yourself that you can improve and do hard things. You didn’t come this far just to give up at the very end.
4. Develop a Multiple Choice Strategy
The MBLEX is a multiple-choice exam. As with any multiple-choice exam, it’s good to have a strategy going in. What are you going to do when you don’t know the answer to a question?
Instead of just guessing willy nilly, develop a plan for assessing questions and identifying the best answer. Some strategies you can use to identify the best answer include:
- Identify qualifying words like “all,” “some,” and “most”
- Narrow down your choices, then pick the answer that’s most true
- Only answer sure-thing questions during your first pass
Speaking of passes, it’s a good idea to go through the questions at least two times. This will give you an opportunity to get familiar with all the questions and revisit ones that you’re unsure of.
5. Take Lots of Practice Tests
The more practice tests you take, the better.
When you’re looking for practice tests, be sure to find ones that really challenge you and mimic the structure of the MBLEX exam like the material here at UGO Prep. Don’t lull yourself into a false sense of security with tests that give you easy questions.
6. Review Your Results Carefully
After you take practice tests, go over your results carefully and pay attention to the types of questions you’re missing most often.
Use the results of your tests to refine your study strategy and ensure you’re focusing on your weakest areas.
Don’t continue answering questions that you know the answers to — adjust your study schedule so that you’re spending time answering the questions you’re consistently answering incorrectly.
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
If you’re consistently getting particular sets of questions wrong and you’re not sure why reach out to your instructor or someone from your class and ask for help.
The sooner you get help, the sooner you can start acing your practice tests and increasing your chances of getting a passing grade.
There are lots of online message boards and resources for folks who are studying for the MBLEX, too. Use these to learn about other people’s test-taking experience and what they recommend for overcoming difficult sections of the test.
Start Preparing for the MBLEX Today
As you can see, there are lots of different study techniques you can use to keep test anxiety at bay and make sure you’re prepared for the MBLEX.
Keep these tips in mind and you’ll have a much easier time passing your exam.
Do you want to learn more about studying for the MBLEX? Are you getting ready to take any other big exams? If so, be sure to check out our free practice tests today.
They’ll help you get an idea of what to expect and will ensure that you’re prepared for test day.
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