Memorization, application, and comprehension, or M.A.C. skills as PTB founder Dana Meller likes to call them, are the fundamentals of BCBA® exam prep. They all work together to ensure you have thorough knowledge of what you’ll be tested on. Beef up your comprehension with 5 tips that can help you on your journey to exam day.
#1: Set Your Intentions
Before you begin reading or reviewing your study materials, be intentional about what you hope to learn. Identify the subject or concept, what questions you have in mind, and the purpose of what you’re reviewing. Setting your study intentions before you begin can help you be more mindful as you work.
#2: Self-Monitor as You Go
Continually check in with yourself as you’re reading and reviewing. Take a moment to pause after each chapter, or every few pages. For especially dense material, you may need to monitor yourself more frequently, to ensure that you’re staying focused and thoroughly digesting what you’ve covered.
#3: Make Connections
As PTB founder Dana Meller advises, everything on the Test Content Outline is connected. As you’re reading, find connections to what you’ve previously learned. Finding real-world examples or identifying similar experiences in your own life can help deepen your understanding.
#4: Summarize
Summarizing is an active learning technique that can help with both memory and comprehension. After you’ve finished a chapter or you’ve wrapped up a study session, recap what you’ve covered. Write out a summary in your own words, taking care to capture critical information and key details.
#5: Spot the Difficulties
If you’ve been self-monitoring as you go, you may notice certain concepts aren’t quite clicking as easily as others. Make note of where you’re having trouble fully grasping the subject, that’s your clue to do some further research.