How I studied for the NPTE!
- Puja Patel
- Dec 4, 2020
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 7, 2020
So, you're looking for advice on how to study for the NPTE.
Trust me, I've been there - scouring the internet for a little advice on how to study for what is arguably the most important test you'll take. I'm pretty sure I googled "NPTE study schedule" at least once a month during the second semester of my third year. I would devour every bit of information I could find but couldn't find anything that was concrete. The schedules I found would say "study 8 hours every day, break apart the sections, etc, etc". If you're the type of person who needs details and day-to-day page breakdowns on what to study and when, then you're in luck! Hopefully, this helps eases your anxiousness!
A little bit about my situation heading into the October 2020 NPTE. Obviously, with everything 2020 was, I did my best to plan for every contingency and expected everything to go wrong. I planned to study for 16 weeks - 8 weeks during my final clinical rotation and 8 weeks of dedicated NPTE studying. I blocked off the important days where I wouldn't be studying, namely the weekend of graduation because I knew that I wouldn't be studying. I also allowed for a couple of weeks at the end of studying to review everything and do as many practice questions as possible. I also left those weeks because in case 2020 threw a wrench in my plans, I knew that I'd have some form of contingency in my study schedule.
Alright, enough of the backstory. Here's the information you really clicked on this post for - study materials, study schedule, and my tips and tricks! I've tried to attach as many links as possible to so that everything is in one place!
Study Materials
I'm going to break these down into 3 categories - 1 ) absolutely need to have, 2) would be nice to have, and 3) nice but not necessary
1) Absolutely need to have
- 4 PEAT exams (I purchased 2 practice PEATs through the FSBPT website and my school provided us with 2)
- NPTE Clinical Files (this is free and we all love free stuff!)
- PT365 (more free things!)
2) Would be nice to have
- PT Hustle's NPTE Cheatsheets! (link to the free version, but it should link you to a google drive that has all of the cheatsheets for $10)
- Scorebuilders: Spotlight Series (even more free things!)
3) Nice but not necessary
- Scorebuilders basecamp (30 days)
Some money saving tricks because we're all broke grad students!
- Scorebuilders and TherapyEd both offer group discounts for bulk orders! Get your class together and place a huge order to get a discount! (Scorebuilders class discount info) (TherapyEd class discount info available if you call/email them).
- I purchased by TrueLearn subscription through a discount code provided by my school, so keep your eye out on emails sent through your school or follow them on instagram because they do have discount codes available at random times! I know it's expensive, but I seriously recommend purchasing this subscription!! Since the NPTE is clinical based questions, having this extra practice taking clinically formatted questions from the very start of my studying was super beneficial when it came to taking practice exams!
- If your school is partnered with Scorebuilders for an on-campus review course, you could get 30 days of Basecamp for free using a discount code that is provided during the course! However, if you don't, I would still recommend getting the 30 days of Basecamp for level 1 question review (basically level 1 questions are pure memorization). I primarily used it on my phone when I was watching TV and wanted to passively study. While this isn't completely necessary, but it is nice to have.
- The Scorebuilders flashcards are nice because they provide a very concise breakdown of the information provided in the Scorebuilders book, however I would only really purchase them second hand or if there is a sale on the Scorebuilders website. While I purchased the physical flashcards, I've heard that the Scorebuilders Content Master App is equivalent to the flashcards and comes with additional questions to test your knowledge.
- Finally, the Scorebuilders Spotlight Series definitely helped me with reviewing topics that I wasn't the strongest on. My favorites were "Arthro- vs. Osteo- Kinematics: Let's Roll and Glide Our Way Through Joint Mobilization Without Making Heads Spin!" and "Gait Is Dynamic: Ways to Break It Down and Make It Fun!" However, all of the spotlight series videos were amazing and really helped me understand the topics! As of when I'm posting this post, these videos are in the archive, but keep an eye out on the Scorebuilders instagram page as to when they come out of the archive! This is a completely free service that Scorebuilders kindly thought of during the pandemic and I seriously hope that they keep uploading new series before every NPTE exam!
Study Schedule
As I mentioned before, I set aside 16 weeks for me to study for the NPTE - 8 weeks while I was in my last clinical rotation and 8 weeks of dedicated studying.
Now, I am very particular when it comes to studying. I can't stop studying in the middle of a topic, I need to review information in my own words for anything to stick, and I can't study new information for 8 hours straight. With all of this in mind, I came up with a study schedule that I knew wouldn't overwhelm me, but would leave me with enough wiggle room in case 2020 decided to be 2020.
A few notes:
- I read Scorebuilders from cover-to-cover and only referred to the TherapyEd book when I needed clarification on certain items. All of the page numbers and section breakdowns in my study schedule are from the Scorebuilders book!
- In weeks 1-8, I spent the weekdays making flashcards and reviewing the information I had learned over the weekend. However, I didn't put too much stress on myself because I was in clinical and actively prepping for patients during the evenings.
- In weeks 13-15, I spent every day reviewing the practice exam questions I took the Saturday before in the morning and in the afternoon, I would study topics that I was constantly missing.
I've attached my day-to-day study schedule below!
Now, if you're the type of person who needs details on my hour-by-hour schedule, keep on reading. If not, you can skip ahead to the Tips and Tricks section of this post. If you're still here - Hello, fellow super type A student!
- I would try to wake up around 8am every day! I, by no means, am a morning person, but I knew that I wanted to train myself into waking up early because I had scheduled my exam for 8:30am.
- Usually, I would start studying around 9-9:30am. My morning studying consisted of reading new information in the Scorebuilders book (in weeks 1-12) or reviewing 25-50 Practice Questions from the practice exam I'd taken the Saturday before (in weeks 13-15).
- I would take an hour long lunch break around 12 or 1pm where I didn't look at any study material. Usually, I would watch an episode of a show or watch a couple of YouTube videos. This mental break really helped me make sure I didn't burn out by the end of the day.
- My afternoon studying would vary, but would usually consist of doing and reviewing TrueLearn questions (in weeks 1-12), going over practice questions from Practice exams (in weeks 1-12 on the days following practice exams), or reviewing topics that I would consistently get wrong/needed to distinguish between (in weeks 13-15). I aimed to end studying around 5pm but I made sure ALWAYS be done by 7pm.
I'm obviously not telling you how to study or what to do, this is just how I broke down my day. I find I do my best studying when I'm concentrating for large chunks of time. So, breaking my day into 2 halves made sense for me. However, if you need to take small breaks every hour to ensure you don't lose your mind, feel free to do so!
Tips and Tricks
In the 16 weeks of studying, I came up with a few tips and tricks that I thought I'd share!
- Keep 1 small notebook of information that you consistently miss on exams and stuff you keep needing to refer back to. I borrowed this idea from my med school friend who was studying for her STEP1 exam. She kept a notebook of "high yield" information that she could quickly refer to when she needed a refresher. I modified this into a notebook of information I needed to keep straight (for example, I could never remember the differences between Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and SCFE). I started doing this around week 11 after I had finished the 3 Scorebuilders Practice Exams because I could get a good idea of the topics I kept missing.
- I had a running Word doc of all the TrueLearn Questions I had done. I made sure to type out explanations for both the right and wrong answers! I think this single handedly helped me understand how to dissect and process clinical questions. It also helped me identify key phrases and symptoms that were associated with certain conditions/diagnoses. In the final weeks of studying, I'd have my mom quiz me on these questions so having them all in one place was very useful.
- Trust your gut! If you're anything like me, you're prone to changing your answers on exams. Don't! I was constantly discouraged when I was reviewing my exams because would find questions where I had narrowed down the answer to 2 and changed my answer from the right answer to the wrong answer. I did the math on one of the exams and instead of a 72%, I would've scored an 81%! So, as hard as it is to do, trust your gut!! Remember, you're a Doctor of Physical Therapy, you know your stuff!!
- If you're not a morning person, but scheduled yourself to take the NPTE in the morning, try setting your alarm for 30 minutes earlier each week. It'll slowly train your body to wake up earlier! I did this and it works wonders! Just remember to sleep earlier too.
- Try not to study on the weekends! I know this one is hard, especially if you feel behind. I am definitely guilty of not following this advice once in a while but I saw a huge difference in the weeks I did. Usually, I would take a practice exam on Saturday morning and then took Saturday evening and all of Sunday off. I'd still do passive studying (flashcards and Basecamp) but I wouldn't review questions or learn new material on those days. Remember, rest is productive!
- Get some fresh air! Since I was stuck at home during the quarantine, I went on so many walks! I knew I didn't want to stop walking once I started studying for the NPTE, so I started listening to the NPTE Clinical Files Podcast by Dr. Kyle Rice. This podcast was a LIFESAVER towards the end of studying because if I didn't know what to study or was sick of sitting at my desk, I'd just turn on an episode and go for a walk.
- Don't compare yourself to the progress of others! We're all guilty of comparing ourselves to our friends, but try to remember that everyone studies at their own pace! I checked in with my best friend from PT school every week to make sure we were on track with our studying, because the two of us studied in the same way. However, I never compared myself to how she was doing on practice exams or compared myself to how she went about studying. We're each our own person, trust your pace and you'll do great!
- It is okay to score less than 75% on the Scorebuilders and TherapyEd practice exams! I only scored above a 75% on one practice exam (and even then, I'm still convinced it was a fluke). So long as your practice exam scores are consistently increasing, you're on track to passing the NPTE! Also, don't be too hard on yourself if your TherapyEd scores are lower than your Scorebuilders scores! I found the TherapyEd practice exams to be much harder than the Scorebuilders exams (a thought that was shared amongst most of my classmates). The true marker as to whether or not you'll pass the boards is passing the PEATs! My actual NPTE score was the same percentage the last PEAT exam I took. On the PEAT, I aimed for a 150/200 (75%), that gives you a good enough margin of error.
Whew! That was a lot!
Hopefully it was helpful!
You've got this!!
Leave me a comment if you want any additional information or DM me on instagram!
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