Allright-- you can do this! You are a smart guy/gal--hell, you got through your undergraduate program, have practiced for 4 years and are now ready to go to the next level. With only 36 days left, you will need to WISELY apportion your time to hit all of the points identified in the NCEES syllabus for the examination that you are signed up to take.
No mental downfalls, you can convince yourself that you will never pass the examination, OR you can convince yourself that this is the first and last time that you will ever take the examination. I took the latter position-- and passed, the first time. There is no reason to take the test 3 or 4 times to get a look at the questions, see how the problems flow or what other happy HORSES**T folks believe. TAke the test one time and be done with it.
Really understand what the questions are asking and how you get the answers-- understand what is behind the question. The truth of the matter is that the questions are all designed to be answered in 6 minutes or less. Now, what that means is that you should be able to identify, by inspection, what the question is asking. If you can do that, you are 90% of the way home. Of course, if the context of the question appears to be GREEK, then, perhaps, more preparation is necessary and required. A strong positive mental attitude is the key to passing this the first time. Remember, there are a hell of a lot dumber folks than you that have passed on the first time, if they can do it, you can as well.
There is no reason to worry about the minimum passing score or minimum number of right answers. You need to get them all right and there are then no worries. The folks that sit here and stew about the bare minimum needed to pass are, IMHO, wasting precious time. Nobody cares if you got a 99 or a 71 on the test. Either you pass or you fail-- black or white, light on/light off-- it is totally binary-- nothing else.
I would really work hard over the next 5 weeks and weekends-- I mean REALLY WORK HARD-- spend 10-12 hours every day each weekend on getting this material down-- COLD. Yeah, I know, hunting season is coming, the kids want to play, etc. etc. etc. For 5 weeks, really focus on this test, make damn sure that you have a robust understanding of all of the material on the syllabus and then take it-- and be done with it.
Here are where some mental tricks work also. If you have little children, tell them the import of the next 5 weeks, why you are going to be holed up while Mama/Daddy is going to be the primary caregiver-- at the end of the time, you can then get back into a real routine. If no kids, work just as hard and then take a long 4 day weekend to Las Vegas, San Antonio, Florida-- wherever you most desire and screw around.
You can do this-- hard, focused attention and energy is what is required-- after all, it is only 5 weeks and then you never have to do it again.k
Rest assured that I was not interested in seeing how many times I could take this damn test. I took it once and was done with it-- that has to be your plan. Again, we do not have children so that was not a problem. If you do have kids, make this sacrifice for 5 weeks and then make it up ten fold between now and Christmas.
I have great faith that following these ideas you will pass the first time! Good Luck-- you will do well.
