Appendix : Developing a Test Taking Strategy
1
Many people find taking exams almost as daunting as learning
the actual material on which they will be tested. This section is
designed to help improve your test taking skills, with some specific
approaches for multiple choice exams. Realize that it is important
to customize these strategy suggestions to your own strengths and
weaknesses and to practice these strategies well before you take the
actual exam. Your strategy should become second nature to you, so
that while you are taking an actual exam you can concentrate on
the subject, not the exam logistics.
Much of exam anxiety comes from unfamiliarity with:
1. The exam objective
2. The exam structure
3. The testing logistics
4. The exam material (conceptual and practical
understanding)
5. The test question formats
6. The test answer formats
7. Logic and reasoning skills
8. The testing time pressure
9. The ability to remain focused
Section 1: The Exam Objective
The objective of the credentialing exams is to test for minimum level
competency in utilizing ultrasound in a clinical environment. There
are many applications and modalities of ultrasound, all of which
require knowledge of many aspects of the physics. Ultimately, the
purpose is to ensure quality patient care.
If you think about that objective,it will help you anticipate the focus
of many of the exam questions. What aspects of the ultrasound
physics and instrumentation are within your control? What are the
limitations of ultrasound? What are the limitations of the instru-
mentation? How do you achieve the best possible results using this
equipment? What generates artifacts, and how can these artifacts
be both detrimental and beneficial to the diagnosis? How do you
minimize artifacts whichmask the needed information,and how do
you interpret the artifacts which can be beneficial? What increases
the risk of harm to your patients?
If you cannot answer these questions, you are not ready to
take the exam. The ability to answer these questions requires
a thorough conceptual understanding of the physics principles
relating to waves, sound propagation, attenuation, instrumen-
tation, artifacts, and bioeffects.
Note: Although this section was written to assist candidates preparing
for the ultrasound physics credentialing exams, these strategies are
easily applied to all specialty exams.
Section 2: The Exam Structure
The following table outlines the Ultrasound Credentialing Exams
currently offered. Although this information is current as of the text
printdate,examinationstructuremaybemodifiedbythecredentialing
organizations. If youdesire specific examinformationorwould like to
request an application,visit
for contact information for each of the credentialing organizations.
Developing a Test Taking Strategy
Appendix
