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Here's where you can learn from my mistake, perhaps.  When you are ready to take the tests, print them out first.   Then, sit down with your books open and take your time while you answer the questions.   Verify each answer by looking in your books.   Remember that the tests are not timed, so you can take breaks any time.   I did not start doing this until I started Module III  !!!!   And believe me that somehow I still do not always get 100%, which seems CRAZY considering these tests are OPEN BOOK for cryin' out loud!   

You can do this.  Take a deep breath and take it one test at a time.  That's how we all started!

I'll add my 2 cents worth in here. Since this was a coding exam, yes I copy the entire test from the web site and dump it in a Word document. I then eliminate 8 of the 10 pages to just have a list of the problem # and the term. I then document the stuffin's out of my thought process, all definitions and sources I looked up and the results. I initially started doing this (besides having some indication I should) since I knew I'd never remember all the details later. I have ignored the time factor as my Word doc is safely on my computer and between laundry, making dinner, Christmas shopping.... you get the idea. If it does not matter, then I come back and take my time on the test. Even now, this post is taking priority over sticking my answers onto the web site (which comes next).

My biggest issue was looking up diseases/terms that I could not find in my texts, and then the internet (hate those pop-ups and answers written in Polish from 1950's). I got a copy of "Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th ed." (wife's copy...to sneaked it away) and that has helped a lot. Find a good, reliable source and keep it close at hand.

If (after you took the exam) you don't understand how to get to the correct answer, send an e-mail to the instructor. If you think you're still correct, send an e-mail with the write-up of your logic and ask why your answer would be incorrect. This can be paraphrased, "Rick has no clue how this is wrong, and how the correct answer should be XYZ". There are problems when I see the correct answer I think "...DUH" and those are usually because I was tired or distracted. 

The Turley tests seem to catch me more and are usually when I slap down an answer, being "so sure" I know it by heart, and only check it briefly. After getting the answer wrong, I see if I HAD checked more closely I'd find an answer that was a much better match.

Great answers!

Excellent advice! I had no idea you could print the tests out, but I will definitely try that from now on! I just recently learned all the tests are open book--I assumed it was only the Turley tests until told otherwise--and had been trying to memorize the guidelines for each system! No wonder I was feeling overwhelmed, right?! It's great to hear from other students here--thanks!

Right! No wonder you were feeling overwhelmed.

Here's a rule of thumb for anyone who is following this thread.

If you ever are wondering if you should 'memorize' something, the answer is probably 'no, you should not memorize it'. You can ask just to make sure that it isn't some strange exception to our rule of, Do Not Try to Memorize Anything in This Course.  I can't think of any exceptions to that rule. Memorizing is typically a waste of time, because people tend to be tested on it and then dump it from their memory as they go on to memorize the next section.

By the way, that's one reason graduates of community colleges and other programs have such a high failure rate of employment and credentials exams. They HAVE to have students waste, I mean spend, time memorizing because the courses have limited content. They need to fill in the time. Then so much time has been spent on all that memorization and testing of all the memorization that they have to S-P-E-E-D through the actual coding part before the semester ends.

Instead, we want you to learn, Where to Find This Information When I Need It, and How To Use This Information. 

By the way Suzanne, your last words are the most important "I know I can do it". Put that on a sticky note and if contrary thoughts pop in...just point to that sticky.

As a follow-up though, and after decades of "other" learning and testing techniques, I am finding this system significantly different, which leads me to this thought related to tests. I had an issue regarding a coding exam question. I thought I was on the right track, but (in this case) the sex of the patient seemed to be a required piece of information. I never imagine asking a question about potential "missing information", during a test, regarding a test problem. I even noted that I was not "fishing" for some information to give me an edge on the question. In fact I just took a guess, got the answer correct and did not have to face the fishing issue. Debby indicated that if I have a question, just ask.

THAT is a concept I have to work on since asking, especially for an exam question during the exam, is quite a break from test processes of days past. So far I have documented my logic well enough to say most of my mistakes had nothing to do with my not asking a question. It may though, have made for some long e-mails to poor Debby. I try to keep those e-mails "professional" but if I keep that up, I'm going to have to start inserting some "humerus" content.

Here's a little extra perspective on why we don't want you to rely on memory:

Our course is set up as much as possible to give you experience with the way you will need to do things on the job and on the certification exams so that you're building good habits and procedures from the very beginning.  Your instructor is essentially the equivalent of your supervisor or the physician(s) you work for once you're on the job.  You wouldn't just guess at things if you didn't have enough information in a patient's file to finish coding if you're on the job - you'd ask the physician or supervisor for assistance or more information.  So you can't just guess on one of our coding exams, either - you send an email for your instructor to get the extra information you need.

We're not just testing you on what you've read up to that exam, we're also checking your coding process and decision-making skills, as well as training you to handle these situations correctly when they mean far much more than just a grade.

I am liking this more and more :-)  At least now I can switch from thinking that the test question is missing some info we need (and perhaps it needed to be added but how do you ask during the test) to "I suspect this is the point I better ask the physician". 

Debby will not only be "Instructor" but also..."Boss"..."Doctor Debby".... I'll have to come up with a few other titles ;-)