How to study for exams

What is the best way to study for an exam?

First, review terminology. This is the goal of Part 2 of this guide. Second, review how the content relates to massage. Next, consider each question in Parts 3 and 4 of this review guide as a mini lesson. It really is not that important to get the right answer to the study question, but rather the question should be used as a platform for study and for seeing how the content could be incorporated into the question. None of the review guides for massage exams includes the questions and answers for the licensing exams, so remember that this review guide is targeted toward promoting an understanding of the questioning process, not just getting the right answer.

It is important that you use your textbooks as reference material; many resources are provided in the review book as well as the Evolve site. With each question, first, make sure you know the definition of all the words in the question and of the four possible answers. A glossary is provided in the review guide to help you. After you are sure you know the meaning of all the words, next ask yourself, “What is this question trying to teach me?” Once you understand the mini lesson provided by the questions, look at each answer. At the beginning of the review guide, an explanation is provided of how wrong answers are developed. It is important to understand why only one possible answer is correct and three possible answers are wrong. Rationales as to why the correct answer is correct and the other answers are incorrect are included for you to read, but sometimes the issue purely involves vocabulary. You have to know what words mean to understand the meaning of a question.

Questions in the review guide can be easy or complex, challenging you to think. Also, attempt to write your own questions, using the patterns in the book. You will find that being able to create a really good wrong answer that appears to be right is one of the best study strategies. Finally, complete the practice exams provided in Part 5 and on the Evolve site.

How do I use textbooks and reference materials as I study?

When you study, you should have your textbooks, a medical dictionary, and an anatomy atlas of some sort available for reference. The study tool resources in this guide and on the accompanying website called Evolve—the comprehensive glossary, the various charts and review content, the labeling exercises, review games, animations, and more—do not replace the textbooks but enhance and guide the study process.

It is best to study for exams by using accepted textbooks and references. Most exams use standardized textbooks to reference the questions written for the exam. It may not be prudent to invest in study guides that “rewrite” textbook content because the content has not actually been referenced to the exams. The purpose of a study helper such as this book is to guide you through the review process and assist you in using problem-solving methods to identify correct answers. You can use other textbooks as resources as well by looking up relevant content in the index. The websites for the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) and the National Certification Examination (NCE) provide a list of the textbooks used to reference test questions.

The questions in Part 4 of this review guide are presented by content area. Consistent with this format, specific content areas, such as the nervous system, assessment, ethics, and massage methods, are grouped together. Readers can determine which content they are proficient in, and in which areas they need more study.

The questions for each content area are presented in two blocks. First, factual recall questions are listed with answers and other material. Concept identification and clinical reasoning questions with answers and rationales follow. In an actual exam, the content will be mixed up.

How to use this review guide

Repetition and memorization are necessary. Understanding and comprehension are even more important. This guide is based on a four-step review process that provides the necessary content repetition but presents the information in different ways to solidify comprehension.

Step 1: Review terminology, using various labeling activities and vocabulary review with illustrations. There are many activities on the Evolve website to expand this step in the review process (Part 2, Chapters 3 and 4).

Step 2: Understand the relationships regarding all information. A functional narrative is provided that links and integrates theory and practice. You should read this part numerous times to support comprehension, but do not attempt to memorize this material. It is supported with animations and demonstration clips on the accompanying Evolve website (Part 3, Chapters 5 and 6).

Step 3: Study the questions by content area. Use this part to assess proficiency in related areas such as muscles or ethics (Part 4, Chapters 7 and 8).

Step 4: Two practice exams are provided in the book to help you become confident with the multiple-choice test format (Part 5). In addition, the Evolve site provides 10 additional practice tests.

Accompanying this review guide is the Evolve website. Two testing features are available on the Evolve site to aid you in studying for massage exams. The Tutorial mode serves questions by category and provides instant feedback. The Test mode randomly serves questions and allows for review after a test has been completed.

The practice exams on the Evolve site each consist of 125 questions to model the tests described in Chapter 1 used for licensure (MBLEx, NCETMB, or NCETM). A scoring matrix is provided after each one that presents the overall number of attempted and correct questions, as well as the percentage of correct answers. The matrix also provides information regarding the four categories emphasized in the review guide (human anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology; clinical pathology and indications and contraindications for massage application; massage therapy and bodywork; and professional standards, ethics, and business practice) and indicating the student’s score in each category. Following the categories is a breakdown of chapters from the review guide, which again shows the number of attempted questions, the number of correct answers, and the percentage of correct answers.

Once you have reviewed the scoring matrix, you can use the Tutorial mode to emphasize areas of weakness that have been identified. For example, if you scored a low percentage in clinical pathology and indications and contraindications for massage application, you can bring up the tutorial and practice questions in that category only.