What to Avoid When Studying for Licensure Exams

(Estimated reading time: 2 minutes)

You have a very limited time to study for exams. Thankfully, IPASS is there to help reduce the stress by taking care of your international licensure exam applications. With IPASS taking care of everything and updating you every step of the way, all you have to do is study.

Sometimes, the pressure can get to you and you make bad decisions. Here are things you should avoid when studying for licensure exams.

Relying too much on instructors

Even if going to a review center helps, you cannot rely on your instructors to teach you everything. Textbooks, handouts, study guides, and notes are a great place to start, but just reading them repeatedly and attending review classes won’t be enough. You need to be able to understand how this information works in the context of real-life situations.

Not dedicating enough time to studying

This doesn’t mean studying for a long amount of time. It means having enough time to strategically and completely understand information and concepts. Humans have a tendency to cram, but that won’t do when it comes to licensure exams. Don’t underestimate the time you need to go over all of the material.

Studying without prioritizing

Most licensure exams will provide a blueprint or a list of topics in the exam and what portion. Rather than going through the topics alphabetically or following the order on your textbook, check this out and create a study schedule around it.

Reinforcing your strengths

You study so that you can learn and be better at things. Testing yourself on subjects you’re already good at can make you feel good, but it won’t help you prepare for subjects you need improvement in! Don’t be afraid of getting things wrong when testing on subjects you’re not good at. You can’t choose the subjects in the final exam, so be sure to cover everything!

Licensure exams can be intimidating, but they don’t have to be. Adopt the right study behaviors and you will surely pass. Remember – I can, I will, IPASS!