Visuals often make the difference between people who have a decent amount
of clinical experience and those who are primarily "book learners".  (Each
has its place, of course, but those who have learned primarily through
books with little hands-on experience do less well on the IBLCE exam.)

To assist people planning to take the exam, I have offered a prep workshop
that focuses on visuals (in the mock exam).  However, people often do not
bother to take such workshops (I am not the only one who offers them) or to
ask about them until they are practically ready to take the exam!

That is too late!  In my experience working with a few hundred people over
the past several years, taking such a workshop at least 3 months in advance
of the exam is the best way to use the experience. This provides the people
with TIME to continue to learn without being rushed and tempted to cram
(which does NOT work!).  It also enables them to learn from their workshop
experience HOW to read questions and then gives them TIME (again!) to
practice writing questions.  When one practices writing the questions, one
learns quickly how to read them for waht they are asking, NOT for (who
wrote this?! what is the trick? and other errors that practically guarantee
selecting the wrong distracter.)

I can certainly appreciate the desire of people to look at visuals.  My
workshop next year will offer even MORE of them than in previous years.
But, June is not the time to be looking for them when the exam is in July.
Those of you in this particular predicament this year would do well to look
at the pictures you DO have access to in books, journal articles, and the
like and to study WITH some other people (even if they are not taking the
exam).  Remember: many questions are not looking at the ONE RIGHT answer,
but the ONE BEST answer given a particular situation.

Those people planning to certify (recertify) in future years who feel they
need more visuals should look into the workshops offered in this regard
well in advance of the date of the exam.

Pre-test anxiety does not help one pass an exam.   Preparation does...

Good luck to you all....

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"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly
disguised as impossible situations."
Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Ferndale, WA USA) [log in to unmask]
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