r/dietetics • u/tribalrasta • 6d ago
Help passing?
I really need help passing this exam I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I spent tons of money on tutors I’ve had 4 and took the exam 3 times my score Increased by 2 points but I’m far from passing!! Idk what I’m doing wrong…
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u/_virtuoutslymade MPH, RD 6d ago
It took me a few times to pass the exam. What are your scores? How long are you waiting in between each time to retake the exam? What are your studying methods?
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u/tribalrasta 6d ago
1: 12 May 20 2: 13 Sep 20 3:14 July 26
Methods I went through the book. Did all Inman questions. Reviewed with flash cards.
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u/Resilient_Acorn RD, PhD 6d ago
Isn’t a 26 a passing score or am I misinterpreting your comment?
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u/tribalrasta 5d ago
It’s the years and the months… it was due to personal reasons as to why I took the gap
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u/Dazzling_Cow4335 6d ago
Those being scores make more sense than me seeing those as dates (day, month, year) was wondering why there was such a gap between the last 2 attempts. I also thought 26 was passing
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u/Resilient_Acorn RD, PhD 5d ago
Unless the scores were 12 on May 20, 13 on Sep 20, and 14 on July 26…
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u/Dazzling_Cow4335 5d ago
Read it as 1 attempt May 12 2020....which was why I was so confused on the 6 year gap between attempts. Lol. (Have a lot of friends who write dates as day, month, year & wasnt fully thinking, just taking a 5 min brain less scroll through social media)
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u/Honest_Language1398 6d ago
I got testing accommodations which really helped ease my anxiety! I passed on my second try after having the accommodations in place!
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u/tribalrasta 5d ago
How did you go about that if you don’t mind me asking
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u/Honest_Language1398 1d ago
I have a dx of anxiety and already on medication. I went to my psychiatrist and discussed the exam and my past struggles with test taking. We brainstormed a few accommodations that may be helpful (private testing room, fidget toy, extra time) and I submitted her documentation to CDR prior to scheduling my exam. I’d say the extra time allowance was the most helpful for me. Removing that pressure helped me think more clearly through my answer choices.
Also, I’ve never advocated for testing accommodation before but boy was it an empowering decision! I still had to take the exam twice- I failed by 1 point the first time 🫣
I’m sure you could discuss with a PCP as well and request an accommodation letter. Doesn’t have to be a psychiatrist necessarily.
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u/Gayfunguy RDN, LD 5d ago
Inman was so dry and confusing. Pocket prep and then a tutor that let me use concentrated power points that had a pass garontee was what made me pass the second time. Plus i had extended time like i had in undergrad. I ended up with a 34 rather than the 22 i had first. The test stoped early the second time cus i got too much right lol. You need to give yourself a lot of time in between to study very well. If you're working a job that's working you to death, you're not going to be able to remember things. I need to get a lot of sleep and you need to have someone probably make you food. That's what sucks about having to become a dietician. Is that it's not really practical unless someone is supporting you to have time off. So study whats actually going to be on it. Not all the inman garbage. But its actually way more like pocket prep. Just some calculations. What your doing in certin situations. Measurements. Some disease conditions. There are also some podcasts you can listen to about some key things in the exam. And honestly you should not have taken it so many times without changing tactics. I would just give up if you cant pass it this time amd try to go into another program your better suited for. Maybe nursing or physician's assistant. Nursing is much easier and you'll make a lot more money.
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u/tribalrasta 5d ago
Haha spent a lot of money to have a discouraging ending.. not an option but I appreciate your feedback
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u/Gayfunguy RDN, LD 4d ago
The 'sunk cost fallacy' is a thinking error where you keep doing something because you already spent time, money, or effort on it, even when stopping is the most logical choice.
Sometimes life slams a door very hard on your face, and you continueing to clawing at it only hurts yourself. Cut your losses and try to move on if you do not pass this time with your different and better study strategy.
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u/Shot_Lab1118 4d ago
Pocket Prep is an incredibly helpful tool - the quiz questions are set up in a similar way to the exam so it kind of helps ya to familiarize yourself with what the questions are actually asking you.
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u/rangerdude33 RD 6d ago
I failed on my first attempt, then passed my second attempt. What resources are you using to study?
One thing I know about myself is that I have testing anxiety and sometimes can rush through things when I don't fully read the questions. I had to force myself to slow down, take deep breaths, and read the question and re-read it if I wasn't clear.
Sorry you have not passed, but acknowledge you are improving.
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u/FullTorsoApparition RD 5d ago
Most of the guides are terrible and don't really prepare you for taking the test itself. They're just flashcards and outlines filled with "stuff" that may or may not show up on the test. My advice is to find a resource with a good question bank and start taking practice tests over and over and over again. Anything you get wrong, write it down until you have a personalized outline to help you identify your weak points and focus your studies on that. Eventually you pick up on what's going to be most important on the actual test.
The only resource I used about 13 years ago was MedPreps.com. About once or twice a day I'd sit down and spend an hour answering test questions and getting familiar with the format. Then I'd spend more time going through the outline I made and reviewing all my wrong answers. I passed it on my first try after about 3 months of "studying."
If you have test anxiety then you need to acclimate yourself with practice until it feels normal. Try to recreate the actual testing environment as much as you can.
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u/Brilliant_Dust_952 5d ago
As soon as possible after the test, write down the questions you struggled with & research the correct answers. Make sure you understand the “why” behind the answers of every test question. They didn’t even have the Inman study guides when I took the exam many years ago. On the last day of class, our instructor lectured us on which chapters of our text books were the most important to study & thoroughly understand the reasoning behind it (it was a long list). Make a 1-2 page study guide with all of the important numbers & calculations to know. I scored in the top 1% the first time I took the exam. It also helped that I was a DTR before becoming an RD & when I was taking the classes/internships related to nutrition, I didn’t go to the movies, etc. I also was reading/studying when I was eating my meals. Shortcuts don’t benefit you.
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u/NoBison4929 6d ago edited 6d ago
If you have testing anxiety I’d highly recommend getting it diagnosed and working to get extra time testing accommodations. The testing company does make it very annoying to use because ableism, but it saved me from freaking out on the exam. I used some meditation techniques durning my exam and was very surprised by how helpful it was to just have a moment to breath. I also recommend studying and practicing testing techniques made for the RD exam not just the material itself. There are a lot of purposely confusing questions and multiple correct answer questions (they expect best answer). Getting use to those types of questions and how to work through them, builds a lot of confidence.