I Passed My RD Exam and You Can Too!

So, after you complete your Dietetic Internship, the next big step is the Registered Dietitian Examination, also known as the RD Exam.

After completing your dietetics college classes and dietetic internship hours, there's one more thing you have to do to get the RD/RDN credentials.... PASS. THAT. EXAM!

I love taking exams! Said no one ever!

For some people, taking the RD exam is a breeze. For others not so much. Some people pass the very first time, others take it two, three, four, and even five or more times before passing. And there's no shame in that because once you pass, YOU PASS.

I'm willing to bet that one of the most common questions asked during the dietetic internship is "What are your tips for passing the exam?" I don't know about anyone else, but I asked ALL of my preceptors and other dietitians that question. And you'll get different responses EVERY TIME.

"You only need four weeks to study."

"Take the exam as soon as possible."

"Use Jean Inman, it's everything you need to know."

"Don't use Jean Inman, it's too simple. Use Breeding and Associates instead."

"Visual Veggies is the best study tool for the millennial dietitians."

"EatRightPrep is created by the Academy so it's the best study tool to use."

And the list goes on.

Well, the purpose of this post is not to validate any of these statements or declare who is right or wrong. My intention is to share with you what I did and what worked for me. Everyone learns differently and other tools may be more or less beneficial to some. However, it's good to get an idea of what your fellow dietitians have done because it will give you some tips to help you create your own study plan. And some things you just would have never thought about on your own.

I will also provide some other random tips to help relieve some of the anxiety that comes with this test.

So, here's what I did.

First, I attended FNCE

I attended a session at FNCE (the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo) called the Registration Examination Experience. It was presented by a panel from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) and they shared some insight about the structure of the exam. If you would like to view the notes that I took at this session you may do so by clicking here.

You do not have to attend FNCE to learn what I did at this session as it can also be found on their website. However, if given the opportunity, take advantage of it! I only share this because it is where I first learned the facts about the structure of the exam and had an idea of what to expect.

Then, I scheduled my exam as soon as I was eligible.

One of my friends told me that the first step in studying for an exam is to schedule it!

Some people wait until they feel they are "ready" to schedule it. However, when you schedule the exam and you have a date set to take it, it can help to motivate you to study and it can help you formulate your study plan.

Also, if you wait too long to schedule it, there may be limited availability for the location, date, and time that you prefer to take the exam. For example, I logged into PearsonVue on June 7 and and the only availability for a testing date was in 10 days or eight weeks. I chose a date that was 8 weeks away. This gave me adequate time to study and motivated me to do so.

What was my study process like?

Now is the part where I will discuss what I did to prepare for the exam. I hope you find it insightful and helpful to you in your journey.

The very first thing I did was take a practice test to gauge where I was and what I could do to improve. I purchased the CDR Study Guide (costs $60) while completing my undergraduate degree and never used it until this time. It consists of a study outline, a print copy of a 125-question practice exam and two vouchers for a computerized version of the same test. I used the first voucher, took the practice test and got a 68%. So basically I failed the test because I would've needed a 70% to pass. But that's okay because it was a pretest.

I then used the following resources:

Pocket Prep: The Ultimate Version (costs $25) consists of 650 practice questions with detailed explanations. I loved this app because it provided the rationales for the correct answers and explained why the other choices were incorrect. I set a reminder to answer a question per day and created customized practice exams. With the customized practice exams you can determine how many questions you want and which domains you want those questions to come from. I often did 10 question exams so I didn't overwhelm myself with too may questions at once.

Jean Inman Review ($385): Inman provides a comprehensive study manual and lectures given at a 2 day class in a city near you or recorded lectures on a CD or USB. I used the recorded lectures along with the manual to learn the bulk of information I needed to know for the exam. I studied 1 domain per week and listened along with the recorded lectures. I took notes and made sure I understood everything. After completing each domain I took a practice exam in Pocket Prep consisting of questions only from that domain.

I attempted to answer the practice questions that Jean Inman also provides, but it was just too much, and she doesn't provide rationales for why the answers are right or wrong. You would have to figure it out for yourself using the info in the manual. However, there are many RD Exam Facebook study groups where people post the questions that they don't understand and the people in such groups are very helpful with sharing their thought processes.

I spent somewhere between 4 and 8 hours per day studying. To be quite honest, half of the time I was distracted and unmotivated to study, and I think that needs to be said just so you don't think you're the only one feeling that way. It was just difficult to study topics that I had very little interest in.

While studying, it is very important to make sure that you understand the concepts of what you are studying as the RD Exam tests your ability to apply the information you learned. And when completing practice questions, make sure you understand why the correct answer is the correct answer.

ANKI: THIS WAS A GAME CHANGER! You create flash cards and when studying them, as you flip it over, you rank it as easy, good, hard, or fail, and it uses an algorithm to show you the ones that you ranked harder more frequently. It shows you if you really remember the info on the flash cards or not and it works wonders for retention! Prior to using this, I was studying and forgetting everything a few days later. It's much better than hand-writing flash cards and waaayyy better than Quizlet.

Quick fact: this is what most medical school students use to study. I put ALL of the info I learned in these flash cards and studied them daily.

EatRightPrep: I used this in my last 2 weeks of studying. It's great for practice questions and practice exams, and they also have flash cards. Many people say that the content on here is much harder than the actual exam. I say, it can hurt you to be "over prepared." You'll certainly see content on EatRightPrep that you won't find in Jean Inman's review or anywhere else. And that's honestly a good thing. Let me warn you now, you will also see questions on the exam that you didn't see anywhere else.

The day before my exam I took a full length practice test through EatRigttPrep. Halfway through the test I just wanted to quit. I felt like I wasn't doing very well but I ended up getting well over 70%. So, this is what I told myself, "Tomorrow when you take the test you will feel the same way, You will feel as though you aren't answering the questions correctly, and you'll want to quit. But keep going, YOU WILL PASS, just like you did tonight."

Self-talk works WONDERS in case you didn't know!

Lastly, remember I said that I took a practice test from CDR and used it as a pretest? Well I used my second voucher to take the second test a week before my exam and I got an 84%!

So essentially, I used the CDR exam as a pre and post test. I used the Jean Inman Review for the information, and Pocket Prep and Eat Right Prep for practice questions and practice exams.

Practice questions should be a part of everyone's study plan as it gives you the opportunity to test your knowledge and get accustomed to computerized testing.

A few test day tips

Do something relaxing or something that you love before taking your exam. My exam was at 5PM! I went to my part-time job (had to keep my mind busy) and then I went for a massage right before the exam.

Dress the part and wear what you would wear to work. There's no dress code for the exam. You can wear whatever you want, but wearing scrubs or business casual clothing can help to boost your confidence.

When you start the exam, write your name on the whiteboard with the RDN credentials next to it. Claim it and speak it into existence! It can also motivate, inspire, and encourage you as you go through the exam. And when you feel like you aren't doing so well, look down at it.

Plan to arrive at least 15-30 minutes early. This helps in case you get lost or need extra time to find parking, use the restroom, etc. You can start the exam as soon as you get there, so don't think you'll be waiting if you get there early.

Believe in yourself! Tests have a way of making one anxious, but you have to believe that you know the answer and that you’re using your best judgement to figure it out. I kept telling myself, "you're already a Dietitian, you're just getting Registered today."

If you don't know, guess and keep it moving. There may be some questions where you have noooo idea what it is asking, and you don't have a clue what the answer could be. Close your eyes, take a deep breathe in and out, pick what you think is instinctively the best answer, and hit NEXT. Use your best judgement but don't waste time on something you don't know how to figure out.

Search for keywords! Read the questions slowly so that you recognize every single word. Sometimes there's one word in the question that will determine what the question is really asking, but you'll miss it if you read too fast.

Expect the test to be hard. I heard sooo many people say that this test was the hardest test they ever took, so I expected it to be that way. When I saw a really difficult question, I said to myself, "yeah I can see why they say this test is hard, but it's okay, everything will be alright."

If you believe in God, PRAY!

I wrote this post to share what I did to prepare for the RD Exam so that you can get some ideas on how to create your own study plan. As with nutrition interventions, studying for the RD Exam should also be individualized and tailored to your learning style. If you're reading this and will be soon taking the RD Exam, I wish you all the best. If you've already taken the exam but need to re-take it, YOU CAN and WILL PASS the exam. Lastly, whether you pass or fail, your score is not indicative of your ability to function as a Registered Dietitian. It's just the last thing in your way. It is a hurdle that indeeds can be overcome.

Until next time,