It’s that time of year again. The sense of joy, relief and accomplishment from getting handed that brand new DPT degree is slipping through your fingers as the (NPTE) looms up ahead. The desire to take a much needed break after three long years of hard work is at war with the growing panic of needing to find a. But first, you know you need to study and pass the NPTE. You may have already purchased the or the.

• National Physical Therapy Examination Review & Study Guide 2016 Pdf

National Physical Therapy Examination Review & Study Guide 2016 Pdf

You are now staring at those thick tomes with an eyebrow raised. Where to start? Here’s the good news: you just graduated from physical therapy school! You’ve spent years learning this material, getting hands-on experience in the clinic, and now have that shiny new DPT degree (remember?).

What comes next is using efficient strategies to review a lot of material in a short period of time so that you can pass the NPTE and enter the real world. Today I will talk about one of the most useful tools I used to pass the NPTE last July. Quiz yourself effectively to pass the NPTE During my second year at the University of Southern California (USC), a few other students and I were given the opportunity to write study questions from the Scorebuilders textbook for a company called. Who could say no to a chance to study for the boards AND get paid for it? Now anyone can sign up for a subscription with Memorang and look through the hundreds of questions that PT students helped develop to conquer the NPTE. But I wouldn’t stop there.

Research has shown that actively trying to recall information without looking at the text is one of the best ways to study. Writing your own exam questions and quizzing yourself (and others!) is one powerful way to reflect on the material you’ve just spent hours trying to cram into your head. One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen with this, however, is the TYPE of questions you’re asking yourself.

A tempting option is to use simple “recall” questions: What MMT grade is assigned to a patient who has full ROM in a gravity-eliminated position? This information is important to know, but this is not the type of question you’ll see on the NPTE. Break down the questions I am an “over-preparer”, and maybe you are too. I took all the practice exams for the Scorebuilders and O’Sullivan texts, the two PEAT exams through the APTA, and countless practice quizzes through NPTE study apps. And yet, when I sat down to actually vanquish the “beast” I was dismayed to see how different the questions I had been practicing were compared to the ones on the real exam. A 45-year-old female retail manager has a primary complaint of numbness and tingling on the outside portion of her right hand, usually around the 4th and 5th digit. Her symptoms are aggravated after an hour of working at her desk and progressively increase as the day goes on.

During the objective exam, the therapist notes that the patient has 70° of right cervical rotation ROM, minimal pain in quadrant position, and an increase in symptoms with her right arm overhead. In addition, it is noted she has an elevated 1st rib on the right compared to the left and has exquisite tenderness along her scalene musculature. What would be the appropriate initial diagnosis for this patient? Carpal Tunnel Syndrome B. Cervical Radiculopathy C. Cubital Tunnel Syndrome D.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome The correct answer is “D”. You can make that choice by using clues in the stem to rule up/down the best diagnosis for this patient. This is not a median nerve issue (rules out Carpal Tunnel), there are signs of more proximal dysfunction (rules out Cubital Tunnel), and the cervical spine is cleared (rules out Cervical Radiculopathy). Editor’s note: I studied this way for the NPTE and it was incredible!

One thing I’ll add is to cover the answers with a notecard, try to answer the question in your head, then pick the answer that most closely matches what you recalled without prompting. This process takes time and can be quite challenging, but the benefits you gain from learning the material in this way are worth it. So good luck, be confident, and know that you have what it takes to pass the NPTE and crush this exam!

Behind the scenes -Carnegie Hall Two weeks ago, my class and I walked across the stage at, and were introduced as newly minted Doctors of Physical Therapy. Hard to believe the day finally came, and the moment was fleeting, but I tried to absorb as much as I could. The evening was spent with the most important people in my life: my family. I couldn’t have done it without them!

The following week, the excitement of graduation had faded and the reality of the sank in further. It’s around the corner, and it will come and go as quickly as graduation did.

I’ll be ready, and so will you! Authorization to Test (ATT Letter) Finally, authorization to schedule my exam, through, arrived yesterday.

This process can be lengthy! For future students, I urge you to complete your paperwork as soon as possible.

The sooner your documents are processed, the sooner you’ll receive your ATT. This easy tip will increase your odds of getting to test at a facility nearby, as seats do fill quickly. I’m lucky and was able to find a seat July 22nd at 8:30 AM in Manhattan. Bring it on NPTE!

Studying: The Process Begins The past two weeks have been spent “studying”. The unofficial start of the process began June 1 st. I accessed the retired NPTE that I had taken a few weeks earlier, and went through all the questions I missed. Some were careless mistakes, but the majority was material that I certainly need to revisit. The specific areas included EKGs, statistics, and neuromuscular. After, I went over the questions that I answered correctly. Most of my answers made sense, but some were undeniable guesses.

A few I managed to reduce to two choices and simply flipped a coin. Make sure you take time to understand why answers are both incorrect and correct. The first week was merely a “warm-up” before the real studying began. Monday, June 8 – This marked the first day of my study journey! A reminder on my phone went off at 8:30AM to make sure I got my brain in gear. Breakfast – Check!

Coffee – Check! Pen & Notepad – Check!

Chapter 1 – Musculoskeletal 10 minutes later I found myself slouched over on my couch, struggling to keep my eyelids open. The material is DENSE! As many of the reviews said, it’s not an easy read. My warm-up week didn’t really prepare me for the amount of detail O’Sullivan’s reaches. Originally, I scheduled and allotted myself 6-8 hours per day of study time.

After every hour I stood up, stretched, and did some pushups. Despite my body and brain calisthenics, I only managed 3 hours per day. The material was all relatively familiar and so after three days, I decided to move on to the areas that I am weak in. I started on neuromuscular, and although the brain anatomy and tracts are not my most beloved topics, the novelty of it kept my attention. In total, I covered about 100 pages in O’Sullivans.

I need to get more done! Staying at home was a bad idea. Starting fresh tomorrow, week 2 of studying, I will head to the library. I’m always more productive in a positive setting where work is being done.

The comfort of my apartment, on the couch wearing gym clothes, doesn’t get the gears turning in my brain. I’m confident that I”ll be able to better concentrate myself and yield more productive hours this week. Review Course I chose not to take a review course. A few of my classmates, however, did participate in the TherapyEd weekend course. They had nothing but good things to say and my one friend told me: I learned a lot, but it wasn’t a magic course that taught me everything I need to know for the test. We need to put in the time to learn and fully understand the concepts.

I think that is the key to success for this exam. Unfortunately, there aren’t any magic tips or tricks to passing, but I do have 4 study tips to be more efficient. There are 5 weeks until the exam. I need to prioritize and effectively make use of that time. Helpful Resource Some great news! I have access to the Home Study Bundle and Webinar sessions with PT Final Exam.

The material is great and they even provide 248 practice questions. The questions are formulated very similar to the ones I took with the retired NPTE. The biggest benefit for me thus far has been the organization. They do a great job of providing a break down of the topics that you NEED to be familiar with.

This allows me to visually see what topics I still need to cover. They also offer a Mastermind class. I’ve only had the opportunity to sit through one session thus far, but Will Crane did a fantastic job of fielding a ton of questions that the students had. They covered practice questions in depth and I found his insight very helpful. The sessions are recorded so that you can access them later. I think using this resource in conjunction with my review book will thoroughly prepare me!

4 Study TIPS What have I learned in one week of studying? Here are 4 study tips that you should apply now!. Environment is key! Reduce distractions. A great application I found for Google Chrome is called “”.

It will make your Facebook newsfeed empty! You no longer have any reason to waste valuable minutes on nothing. Have multiple resources. Don’t rely on just one text or review guide. Take breaks every hour – move your body!

I stretch and do calisthenics every hour. This keeps my mind fresh!. Be accountable! Have a friend.

This short article has allowed me to reflect on my progress, or lack thereof. I’ll adjust accordingly, and be sure to have a phenomenal week of studying. Check out the other articles in the NPTE series.