At what point do you know you’re ready to write a certification exam.
When I know the material well and I can confidently say that thanks to good grades it helps me to get https://au.edusson.com/coursework-writing-service to get me a high score. In general, much depends on how you work during the year, so teachers can ask just one question and if you know the answer there will be no questions.
Adding to what LaRue and Daniel have said,
Something else that may be of help would be to study the material in different locations. I have a minor in Psychology, and I can actually apply that knowledge here!
I learned in my Cognitive Psychology class that when you attend a class (lecture) it’s best to sit in the same spot every time, and sit there when you take your test because that’s where you learned most of the information. This way, you have every possible cue for memory recall, which helps you on the exam.
The ACSM exam will not offer this luxury, so it would be best to learn the material in a variety of places. You could even go so far as to use the “method of loci.” In short what you do is take a chunk of knowledge and relate it to a location that is meaningful to you. Say for instance, your house represents a certain collection of facts. You break it down by parts of the house and learn to associate certain facts with certain parts of a house. You can add up the parts of your house (facts or knowlege bits) into a big picture that makes sense to you.
In theory, you can learn a certain set of facts “here”, walk through that location (literally) and recall those facts, then walk through that location (figuratively) in your mind, recalling those facts as you take your mental journey through the location. It helps with recall because it allows you to better use your working memory (specifically your visuospatial sketchpad (seeing it in your head) and your phonological-articulatory loop (talking to yourself in your head).)
Might be worth a shot…
I think the real key to permanently learning anything is integrating the information into your life. The method of loci makes it easier for some people to do just that.
In addition to the excellent advice already given, I would like to emphasize LaRue’s brief suggestion to take practice tests. Make the practice test environment just like the ACSM exam you’ll take. This includes making sure you put the same time limits on the practice test as will be on the actual certification exam.
Good luck! Perhaps one of the most important considerations is that you approach the exam with the confidence that you know the material, rather than being uncertain and fearful that you aren’t prepared. It seems that you’ve prepared very well.
Take care.
Hi Esta. I’ve been on both sides of the whole testing spectrum. I am an ACE University Instructor, and have also had to take many, many proficiency exams myself (certifications, GRE, LSAT exam, Bar exam…) I totally understand your uncertainty. Take solace in the fact that we can NEVER know everything that there is to know about any subject. Understanding concepts, systems and simply allowing yourself to become good at critically reading test questions (because unfortunately some test givers like to try to give us trick questions 🙂 will be your best preparation. Take sample tests and then say “enough, I’m ready!” Trust yourself and know that you’ve put in the time and effort to prepare.
I try to approach test preparation as I do physical training and preparation. Schedule the time to study and prepare. Give yourself a timeline and then when you reach the end of your prep time – TAKE THE TEST! One of our worst enemies (and allies) is our own mind. Don’t let doubt or fear keep you from taking that final step of taking the exam that you know you have done your best to prepare for, and like sports or any other endeavor, go into it KNOWING that you will not get EVERY question correct, and that “that’s ok.”
Good luck, you’ll be fine.
LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
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