I AM A COTA!!
I cannot believe this day is finally here. I remember this time last year feeling completely overwhelmed. Where do I start? How do I develop my personal study schedule? What exactly are my weaknesses?
So here’s how I studied and what I found most helpful for me…
AOTA’S NBCOT EXAM PREP. ALL THE WAY.
I found it silly in the beginning to purchase a program just for the questions and PDF files.. Surely TherapyEd, Purple Book, and my textbooks would prepare me so much more. *chuckles*
STRATEGY:
I took all 1,193 questions in Exam Prep. I found my weak areas, studied the PDF’s, then restarted on those certain topics. Once my scores were brought up, I was only making 200 questions exams on questions I had previously got wrong. By the time my exam date came, I had 0 questions wrong on the entire program. (woah). I took practice exams every day for 4 weeks, timing myself to only allow myself the 4 hours the real NBCOT allows.
Of course I dabbled in Purple Book, NBCOT Aspire, and Therapy Ed exams some too: but came out so discouraged after my first 34%. So I decided to stick strictly to Exam Prep, increase my mental stamina, and keep taking practice exams!
As for studying, I watched all of OT Miri’s videos (some three times), read all the PDF’s, and skimmed through my text books from school. When it came time to test, I felt as prepared as I could have been.
DAY BEFORE MY EXAM:
The day before my exam I watched some OT Miri videos to refresh, skimmed through the PDF’s, and just relaxed with my family.
On the morning of my test, I made a playlist of all the OT Miri videos about positivity, the passing mindset, and SCI levels. That helped me so much calm my nerves and have a positive mindset going in.
Before I went into Prometric, I laid my head on my steering wheel and gave it to God. I said “Lord, no matter the outcome, I know what kind of COTA I will be, and this test is not bigger than me.”
✻
I Ended Up Scoring a 490 (Higher than ANY Practice Exam I’ve Ever Done)!
If you are preparing for your exam I wish you the very best and I hope my story helps you in one way or another! Remember, YOU can do this, and YOU WILL do this. ❤️
And to my sweet friend Miri, your friendship, your knowledge, and your kindness truly meant the world to me throughout this process. I owe so much of my success to you!