1. What review course(s) did you study and was/were they hepful?
Response 1: I listened to & studied all of Inman. After I was done with that, I used the
RD in a Flash cards to review.
Response 2: Inman and "RD in a Flash" - I liked having more than one study guide...
they presented the same information in different ways. Also, flash cards are awesome
for places where it is hard to read Inman like the beach. I borrowed RD in a flash from
another RD... I know it can be expensive. Also, since I am a crazy person... and I'm
pretty sure I'm the only one that did this from our class, I pulled out notes from college
and looked through them - I can't really say that was worth it.
Response 3: I mainly used Gene Inman in my exam preparation. I took your advice and
took time during the summer (not getting too caught up in the job search) to really study.
I went through Gene slowly and took hers as well as a few other online practice tests.
For interns who (like me) would want specifics, for each section I would listen to Gene's
talks (reading along with the notes and making supplemental comments), then I would
read through the study guide again without listening to the talks. I would then go through
the notes again, making note cards for things I wasn't confident about. I would then
review a few more times, focusing on the note cards as study guides.
2. What did YOUR particular exam version tend to focus on most? i.e.
foodservice, clinical, etc
response 1: If I remember correctly, I had a lot of questions on foodservice. I don't
remember a lot of clinical questions at all (however, I did get asked 2 about HIV, which
was unexpected). I don't remember any questions on specific meds or lab values.
Response 2: I do remember being surprised there weren't more clinical questions on the
exam. Other than that, I don't remember there being another area that was dominant. I
will say that those practice questions at the end of each section of Inman were huge for
me. Some of them were so similar to the questions on the exam, and I know I wouldn't
have gotten them right if I didn't think the Inman questions through first (and talk them
out with Kelsey too.)
Response 3: I remember my exam (though it is all a little vague now) focused a lot on
community programs and foodservice/management. I know there were at least 2-4
questions on the management mathematical equations (% yield, etc). There were
definitely a lot of MNT questions, but no major curve balls. I will say there were some
very specific food-related questions that surprised me (for example: which nut has the
most omega-3s).
3. Did you finish in time? If so, did you have time to spare?
Response 1: I don't even think I was in the testing room for an hour. (However, I always
have been a fast test taker). I know I had plenty of time left over.
Response 2: I definitely finished in time... I think I had over an hour to spare. I think I
was a little too excited :)
Response 3: I did finish in time and had plenty of time to spare. I was only asked the
original 125 questions.
4. What the exam what you expected? Why or why not?
Response 1: After all of the studying I did, I feel like the exam was a little disappointing
because I didn't get to "prove" my knowledge of everything. the test felt short, like there
were huge chunks of my studying that didn't even briefly get used. But that's the nature
of the test, you never know what they might ask!
Response 2: The exam was what I expected. To be honest, I think Kelsey and I over
prepared.
Response 3: I think the exam was what I expected. I don't remember any major
surprises.
5. Did you find that you could narrow down to best 2 choices, then
find yourself taking best guess from that?
Response 1: I honestly can't answer this questions, thinking back on the exam it is like a
blur! I just say, go with your gut, it's probably the correct answer.
Response 2: With most questions, I think I could. I definitely learned to just go with my
gut instinct
Response 3: For the most part I could narrow a question down. My strategy was that if I
didn't know an answer I would narrow it as best I could and then go with my gut guess
beyond that. I think that helped in not over-thinking or freezing during the exam.
6. Best guess--how many questions (or percent of total) of YOUR exam
version included calculations requiring a calculator?
Response 1: Calculations... probably only 2 questions. I don't remember having to do a
lot of math
Response 2: I maybe used my calculator 2 times, and I probably didn't even need it
then. I was just using it to make sure I wasnt making a stupid mistake.
Response 3: I don't remember exactly how many questions required a calculator but
they were all mostly MNT or cost-equations. (maybe 15 total?)
7. Other comments?
Response 1: I was fortunate enough to travel to Savannah with Jill for our exam. The
day before we sat together and reviewed the Rd in a Flash cards. It was nice at that time
because we already had both studied so much independently that we could bounce
thoughts back and forth. I know talking through everything really helped solidify the
information and my confidence. (also of note, we studied all day until dinner.
Then, no more studying & we just relaxed. I know for me it helped to take my mind off of
the test for a few hours and get a good night's rest!)
Response 2: Overall, I thought this test was really like any other test in college. If you
go into the test having taken the time to study and prepare yourself, you feel confident
while taking it and you are likely to do well. It isn't the type of test you can fake your way
through since some of the questions are so detailed about random laws and food bourne
illnesses.
Response 3: Can't think of any additional comments but am available for questions!