Procrastinated and passed!!
For how much I’ve used this subreddit for the past 6 months I feel like I’m obligated to post my experience!!
I just got my results yesterday that I passed the NBDHE!!
I “began” studying in December 25 when I attended DHS in person in Orlando. This was a great experience to attend in person but wouldn’t say it’s needed. For me, I’m a very visual and auditory learner. So hearing the information, while seeing the words, was great. It was nice to hear the information from someone else that was not our regular instructors. They had different insights and way of explaining things that really set concepts in stone for me. Being in person and not watching them just on video online, forced me to take in the information. It was a good refresh of all 1st year information and a good prequel to my last semester.
I started my second semester of my last year of hygiene school in January. I did what most hygiene students do and set a study schedule. Did I follow it? Of course not. I started the first week strong and it went downhill from there. Each week went by where I’d tell my self I’d study the next and I didn’t. I would review information here and there but I never sat down to study for hours.
It got to the point I was a month out from my exam (April 30th) and I attempted to study a little bit more. I’d put on DHS videos while I was getting ready for the day or making dinner. My roommate was also in the program and we would ask each other questions randomly. Before I knew it I was 2 weeks from my exam. It really hit me.
I got an ad for booster on instagram and briefly heard another classmate talking about it. I accessed all the free portions of it and really liked it. I decided to bite the bullet and pay for it with only 2 weeks to go. It was on sale at the time so I got it for $140. I figured I’d rather pay that than have to pay $600 to retake the exam.
I went through all the questions and flagged everything I didn’t know. I then went through the notes and copied everything I didn’t know by heart (so a lot). The last 2 weeks I spent 1-6 hours a day in a local coffee shop, so I wouldn’t be tempted to procrastinate by doing other chores or activities at home. Every night I would read through ALL my notes from the start. Studying before bed is great for memory retention!!
I didn’t study at all the day before. Test day came and I was nervous but felt content with what I knew. During the exam, I flagged many questions. If there was a question I didn’t know and knew I wouldn’t figure out, I’d do my best to pick the best option and move on. If I didn’t know it, I didn’t know it and it was the best educated guess. Move on, don’t stay stuck or get in your head about one question!! I knew the basics and after the exam I felt confident but still nervous like everyone else.
When it comes down to it, it depends on who you are as a learner. I procrastinated everything in hygiene school, but I felt like I couldn’t get something done if I didn’t have a little bit of pressure. Once I really understood a topic, it was hard for me to forget about. Focus on the topics you know least about first and nail those down. For me it was pharmacology, path, and nutrition. Then, move on to the topic you know more about and review them. Write down the weak points.
As far as booster vs. DHS. Pick based on your learning style. I used quizlet all through hygiene school and it was great for me. Even though DHS has questions, I felt like they were almost too easy, repetitive and didn’t give great explanations. Booster excelled in these areas and I learned so much. Try the free trial and see if it works for you! It also looks exactly like the NBDHE as far as format goes. It doesn’t have any mock exams, but I got that from DHS.
Thank you to everyone who’s posted on this subreddit!! Just reading other peoples experiences has given me so much confidence and encouragement these past few months. Good luck, you can do it!! :)))))